Dick Clegg OBE

A Personal Tribute

The Greatest England Manager?

There are many reasons why I have always regarded Dick Clegg as one of the great legends of match fishing. He was an outstanding angler in his own right, but it was his ability as a manager — his tactical judgement, his understanding of anglers and his determination to win — that really set him apart.

For me, Dick Clegg will always be remembered as the man who transformed England’s fortunes on the international stage.

The England Years

The Man Who Changed England

When Dick took over as England team manager in 1984, England had endured years in the World Championship wilderness. They had some outstanding individual anglers, but international match fishing was changing rapidly and England needed someone capable of bringing everything together.

Dick proved to be that man.

He understood that success at World Championship level required much more than simply selecting the best anglers. Preparation, practice, tactics, team selection and understanding unfamiliar continental methods could make the difference between winning a medal and coming home with nothing.

Under Dick’s leadership England became one of the dominant forces in international match fishing. World Championship team and individual medals followed, together with success in European, Ladies and Home International competition.

It was an extraordinary period in English match fishing and, having been there myself competing for Wales during many of those years, I was able to watch at close quarters just how good Dick was at his job.

More Than a Manager

The Angler Behind the Manager

It is sometimes easy to forget, because of everything he achieved with England, that Dick Clegg was also a highly accomplished match angler in his own right.

He enjoyed plenty of major individual success before and during his managerial career. Among his biggest victories were the first televised fishing match run by the Angling Times, the inaugural UK Championship, the final Embassy-sponsored Individual Championship in Ireland and the last Sheffield Haigh & Haigh.

That experience mattered. When Dick stood behind an England international and offered advice, he wasn’t simply talking as a manager. He understood the pressure of big-match fishing because he had experienced it himself.

Dick Clegg at work with England international Steve Gardner — watching, analysing and coaching from the bank. It was this attention to detail and understanding of his anglers that helped make Dick such a successful England manager.

The Musical Tribute

Dick Clegg

The Greatest Manager of All

Every legend in this collection has his own musical tribute. This is my tribute to Dick Clegg — the angler, the manager and the man who led England through one of the greatest periods in its international match fishing history.

Original musical tribute from Legends in My Lifetime

A World Championship Memory

Strasbourg 1986

One Fish From Gold

One of my strongest memories of Dick came at the 1986 World Championship in Strasbourg — the year I came agonisingly close to becoming Individual World Champion.

As the match moved towards its final moments, Dick knew exactly what was happening. I needed another fish to beat the Dutch angler on the end peg and put myself in the position to win the World Championship.

Then I hooked one.

Dick was there, helping count down the final moments as I tried desperately to get the fish safely into the landing net.

That one fish has stayed in my memory ever since. I finished with the individual silver medal, having come within touching distance of the greatest prize in match fishing.

But another thing has always stayed with me from that moment. Dick Clegg was the England team manager and I was fishing for Wales — yet there he was, caught up in the drama and willing me to land that final fish.

A Friendship Beyond Competition

The Greatest Compliment

In the years that followed, Dick and I became good friends. Although our international careers had placed us on opposite sides — Dick with England and me with Wales — fishing had given us a friendship that went far beyond national colours.

Dick even bought groundbait from me on a couple of occasions, and later I offered to build a website for his famous Britannia range of floats. They were the sort of little connections that develop over many years in the angling world.

But there is one conversation with Dick that I will never forget.

We were having a drink together when Dick spoke about my international fishing and the years I had spent near the top of the World Championship rankings. Then he said something that, coming from the most successful England manager of his generation, meant an enormous amount to me.

Of all the compliments I received during my match fishing career, that remains one of the proudest.

To hear those words from Dick Clegg — a man who had managed some of the greatest anglers England ever produced — was a wonderful accolade and something I have never forgotten.

From the Archive

The Dick Clegg Years

From successful match angler to the man who transformed England’s fortunes on the world stage, these photographs capture some of the many chapters in Dick Clegg’s remarkable angling life.

The Early Years

The Match Angler

Long before he became famous for managing England, Dick Clegg was an accomplished match angler in his own right. His experience on the bank gave him an understanding of competitive fishing that would later prove invaluable as a team manager.

Team Fishing

The Barnsley Blacks

Dick with the famous Barnsley Blacks A.C. — an important chapter in his development as both a successful team angler and manager.

Success on the Bank

A Champion in His Own Right

Dick’s reputation was not built solely from the touchline. He was a formidable competitive angler himself, with major victories that earned him respect long before his extraordinary years managing England.

World Championship Glory

England Triumph in Florence — 1985

A defining moment in Dick Clegg’s reign. England celebrate on the River Arno in Florence after winning the World Team Championship in 1985 — one of the great international successes that established Dick’s England as a force on the world stage.

From the Angling Press

CHAMPIONS — 1985

England Conquer the World

The Angling Times records England’s World Championship triumph on the River Arno in Florence in 1985. Dick’s England won the team title, while Dave Roper completed an extraordinary championship by taking the individual crown.

For Dick Clegg, it was proof that his approach to international match fishing could take England to the very top.

Behind the Championships

Away From the Bank

Dick and members of the team relaxing together over a meal. Photographs like this capture another side of international match fishing — the friendship, conversation and team spirit away from the competition itself.

A New Generation

Passing on the Baton

Dick Clegg with Mark Downes, another important figure in England’s international match fishing story. As one remarkable era gave way to another, the experience, standards and winning mentality established during Dick’s years helped shape the generations that followed.

Great teams change. Great anglers move on. But the standards set by the very best can influence generations.

Back Where It All Began

Still an Angler

Behind all the medals, trophies, team selections and World Championship successes was, first and foremost, an angler.

This photograph captures Dick where so many anglers knew him best — beside the water, rod in hand and a fish to show for his efforts.

Management may have made Dick Clegg famous throughout the international angling world, but fishing was always at the heart of his story.

The Legends Collection • Volume One

Legends in My Lifetime

The Anglers • The Stories • The Memories • The Music

Dick Clegg is one of the remarkable anglers featured in Volume One of Legends in My Lifetime — my personal celebration of the men and women who helped shape the world of match fishing during my lifetime.

Through personal memories, archive photographs, stories and original music, the collection preserves not simply what these great anglers achieved, but something of the people behind the names.

A Legend in My Lifetime

Dick Clegg OBE

“An outstanding angler, an extraordinary manager and a man whose influence on international match fishing will never be forgotten.”

I was fortunate enough to compete during the same remarkable era, to get to know Dick personally and, most importantly, to call him a friend.

— Clive Branson