Under 16 shore quintet make history for Wales at the world championships
Updated: 14 minutes ago
A quintet of young shore anglers have just made history by becoming the first ever under 16 team to fish for Wales at a junior shore angling world championship – and were agonisingly close to bringing home a medal.
Harvey Ogston-Price, 15, from Barry, Harri Rice, 14, from Carmarthenshire, Jasper Lewis, 15, from Milford Haven, Max Worsey, 14, from Cardiff, and Jamie Thomas, 15, from Swansea, all proudly represented Wales at this year’s championships staged last week in Massa Carrara, Italy.
And the team certainly made their mark fishing along the Tuscan coast, finishing fourth of the nine competing nations, with their charge for the medals only cut short due to the weather.
The teams had been scheduled to battle it out over three four-hour matches across three competition days on Massa and Carrara beaches, but the fishing was cut short 90 minutes before the end of day two, due to a severe weather warning – which also resulted in the third day being cancelled.
Once the results from the two days had been calculated, the Welsh team were left just one position point behind hosts Italy, who occupied the bronze medal position, with Spain and Ireland in first and second respectively.
“We had started finding fish just before the whistle blew and were climbing the rankings. We honestly believe that, if the match had continued, we’d have finished higher, but we’ll never know,” said proud team manager Ben Worsey.
“One place higher on either day would have got us into bronze position, which Italy secured.
“We haven’t had much time to reflect on the event, but I can’t tell you how proud we are.
“What these boys have achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal. They flew the flag with pride. Who would have thought Wales would take a junior team to a shore world championship and finish in such a position?”
The achievement caps an incredible 2026 for the Welsh under 16 shore angling team.
Back in July, Harvey, Harri, Jasper, Max and Jamie teamed up and bagged silver medals in that age category for Wales at the annual home nations championship, also involving England, Scotland and Ireland, staged this year on the beaches around Folkestone in Kent – only missing out on gold to England on countback.
Buoyed by that silver success, the quintet turned their attention to taking on the world.
The team, managed by Ben Worsey and assisted by Stephen Hoskins, started to arrive in Italy a week before the championships, with four days of unofficial practice, two on each beach, ahead of the opening ceremony.
An official practice day on Massa – fished under match conditions – then followed for Team Wales, before the competition began for real. Wales had placed sixth in official practice, with Max Worsey third in his zone.
The team then made an excellent start once the competition got going, finishing third after the first day on Carrara, with Harvey Ogston-Price, Jasper Lewis and Jamie Thomas all finishing in the top three in their zones.
Back on Massa for day two, and against the backdrop of talk of potential weather disruption for the third day, the team set out getting out of the blocks quickly. But just an hour into day two, the dreaded local authority order came in that all beach activity was to cease for 24 hours, due to a red weather warning.
After being allowed to carry on for another 90 minutes, time was called – with day three also cancelled.
Wales were sat in sixth position on day two and, once the results to include the previous day were verified, they ended fourth overall in the team standings.
“Myself and Stephen came off the beach initially devastated – the amount of preparation that had gone into the event was unbelievable, and to have it cut short didn’t feel right,” continued team manager Ben Worsey.
“But, when we got back to our accommodation and the decision and results had sunk in, the boys were on cloud nine. It was bittersweet, but as soon as we saw how happy they were, our spirits were lifted.
“They’d had the most amazing experience and enjoyed the time they’d fished. They were thrilled with their position of fourth and felt proud with how close they’d come to a medal position.
“I arrived in Italy unsure how we’d find the experience, I left thinking what do we need to work on to try and secure a medal in France in 2027.”
Harvey Ogston-Price finished in 11th in the individual rankings, with Jamie Thomas in 13th.
Find out more about the team on social media. Search Wales U16 Shore Angling Team or check out their page here: Facebook
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