Paul Baker of Rutland Water Fly Fishers wins the National Rivers Championship

An angler from Rutland Water Fly Fishers is celebrating an amazing double achievement.

Paul Baker has won this year's 2024 National Rivers Fly Fishing Championship which has earned him a place in the England squad for next season.

Baker bagged a 41.5cm grayling to win his session before his place in the national team was announced at the presentation dinner later in the evening.

He explained: "I was pleased to be clapping the guys all making the team when they were called up one by one.

"I was then absolutely amazed and astonished to find that I had made the team too and actually won overall after thinking that I had missed out again.

"It was one heck of a heavy trophy for our mantelpiece and I'm delighted to have the absolute privilege of joining a fabulous bunch of guys to represent England next year in the Home International.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be the national champion as well. It is an honour and I would like to thank you so many people who have helped, encouraged, ribbed mercilessly and generally supported me with this."

Baker had travelled up to the River Eden in Cumbria to take part in the event with his patience paying off in the final stages of the competition.

He added: "I had been up to the Eden a couple of times in August with a view to practicing on a river I've not fished apart from six hours exactly six years ago - and that was completely blindly in a competition.

"This event was controlled by some fabulous people who showed me a great way of rigging your dry fly rod to be ready for action with one tap of the handle and generally putting up with my incessant chatter for three hours at a time.

"The only time I shut up was in the final session, trying to avoid a blank and having already dropped two fish when a solid lump took the long lined single nymph.

"It swam around me 360 degrees not once but I think three times until finally it slid into the net to a massive sigh of relief.

"Apparently, I was silent and holding my breath for about five minutes during this and, much to the consternation of everyone else, it was a blank avoided with a lovely grayling which won that session for me."

The Rutland Water team in the Association of Major Fly Fishing Clubs event are now hoping that their colleague's success will rub off on them.

They are currently in third place after five rounds having finished second in the latest outing with Paul Wild, Graham Pearson, Kevin Garn, David Holroyd, David Laing and Neil Squires representing the Rutland club.

Sixteen anglers participated in the first Hanby Cup charity match that raised £320 for Cancer Research at Rutland Water.

Tim Lawson and Roy Taylor were the winners with a best brace of 4lb 4oz while Paul Wild and Mike Gunnel finished second with a brace of 1lb 10oz.