The annual canal pairs championships sees regional qualifying heats taking place during the summer across England, with further heats in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Qualifying pairs compete in the grand final during the autumn.
Canal Pairs Championships Shropshire Union Canal
We organise this competition in partnership with the Angling Trust and with sponsorship from Dynamite Baits.
2020 winners
Congratulations to our canal pairs champions and runners up for 2020
Champions: Lee Trevitt and Richard Chave
Second place: D Hughes and Colin Talbot
Third place: Wayne Kearney and Simon Beswick
Fourth place: Simon Preece and Simon Mottram
You can watch a post-match interview with Lee and Richard on our angling Facebook page.
Entering the 2021 championships
You can enter a qualifying heat for the 2021 canal pairs championships when the Angling Trust open bookings in mid-February. You'll find a link on this page nearer the time.
In the meantime, you can find the dates and locations of the heats below.
Qualifying heats 2021
May
- Sunday 9 May Moira Canal, Dave Gough
- Sunday 16 May Droitwich Canal, Robert Francis
- Sunday 16 May Bridgwater & Taunton Canal, Daniel Baldwin
- Sunday 23 May Shropshire Union Canal, Soudley, Dave Watkins/Terry Nutt
- Sunday 23 May Grand Canal, Dangain, Ireland, Geoff Quinn
- Saturday 29 May Erewash Canal, Peter Allwood
June
- Sunday 6 June Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Liverpool DAA, Peter Gradwell
- Saturday 12 June Stainforth & Keadby Canal, Mike Storey
- Sunday 13 June Grand Union Canal, Tring & Luton joint, Dennis Hunt/Dick Pilkinton
- Saturday 19 June Shropshire Union, Shebdon, Mark Wilton
- Sunday 27 June Coventry Canal, Darren Massey
July
- Saturday 3 July Kennet & Avon Canal, Pewsey, Alan McColm
- Sunday 4 July Trent & Mersey Canal/Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, Alan Round
- Saturday 10 July Grand Union Canal, Northamptonshire Nene, Chris Howard
- Sunday 11 July Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, Wolverhampton AA, Paul Turner
- Sunday 25 July Grand Union Canal, Northamptonshire, Northampton Nene AC, Chris Howard
- Saturday 31 July Forth & Clyde Canal, Scotland, Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling, Gus Brindle
August
- Sunday 8 August Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Mark Treasure
- Sunday 15 August Leeds & Liverpool Canal/Bridgewater Canal, Leigh, Danny Martin
September
- Saturday 4 September Kennet & Avon Canal, Hungerford, John Williams
- Saturday 4 September Dudley No 2 Canal, Micky Howell
- Saturday 4 September Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Mark Treasure
- Sunday 5 September Dudley Canal, Steve Robson
- Sunday 12 September Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Saltaire, Richard East
- Sunday 12 September Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, Abergavenny area, Ross Townley
- Sunday 19 Grand Union Canal, Loughborough, Roger Marlow
- Sunday 26 September Trent & Mersey Canal, Middlewich area, Neil Latham
October
- Saturday 2 October Grand Union Canal, Foxton, Peter Laughton
- Sunday 3 September Llangollen Canal, Fenns Bank, Dave Watkins
Grand final 2021
- Saturday 16 October Shropshire Union Canal, Soudley area, Dave Watkins/Terry Nutt
There will be no day permits available for practice on the final venue after 30 September. Prior to that, there will be no day permits available on the bank unless booked in advance by emailing event organiser Dave Watkins.
Prizes
Prizes for the 2021 competition are as per the below:
- First place pair £200 RPP (voucher) plus two keepnets (one each)
- Second place pair £150 RPP (voucher)
- Third place pair £100 RPP (voucher)
- Fourth place pair £50 RPP (voucher)
- Best qualifying performance £50 RRP (voucher)
Number of qualifiers from each heat
| Number of pairs entering qualifier | Numbers going through to final |
| Less than 8 pairs | Heat cancelled |
| 8-10 | 2 |
| 11-15 | 3 |
| 16-20 | 4 |
| 21-25 | 5 |
| 26-30 | 6 |
| 31-35 | 7 |
| 26-40 | 8 |
| 41-45 | 9 |
| 46-50 | 10 |
| 51 plus | 11 maximum regardless of numbers of pairs competing |
- Minimum qualifying heat size of 8 pairs
- Maximum entry 50 pairs unless stated
Last date edited: 17 March 2021