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Angling: Silver fish trophy quite a catch for Leeds Club
GOING ON SHOW: Pictured with the impressive silver fish trophy, which will now be displayed at the Leeds Club are, from the left: YEP angling writer Dennis Lemmon, ex-Burley Liberal Club secretary Dave Sheldon and Leeds Club secretary Graham Park.
Late last year I had a telephone call from Dave Sheldon, the ex-secretary of the Burley Liberal Club.
The club, like so many others in these hard times, had gone into decline with a rapidly-falling membership and a couple of years ago had been sold to a private buyer who had only kept it open at weekends as a home for the local Queens RL team.
But he has now had enough and is closing it for good, once more putting the place up for sale.
Whether it remains as a club or used for some other means remains in doubt, but the reason Mr Sheldon called me was to say that some of the trophies on show were still the property of the original club.
Special
After a meeting with some of the ex-officials it was decided that they did not want to sell them.
instead, they wanted them to go to a good home and so had decided, if agreeable, to donate the trophies to the Leeds club.
I then had a quick word with Leeds Club secretary Graham Park and the offer was gratefully accepted.
As a result, a couple of trophies were handed over at a recent club delegates meeting.
But no-one had anticipated what was to come for one of the trophies was special and although I have seen literally thousands of trophies in my lifetime I have never seen one like this.
it is in the shape of a fish, it is about 18 inches long and is made of silver. the unusual thing is that it is articulated which means that the body is flexible and can be moved.
The trophy also has hundreds of scales on the body which are cleverly interlinked and it really is a work of art.
Of course the trophy does have a history and it comes complete with an impressive solid base which has been heavily inscribed over the years.
The trophy was originally presented to the Leeds North Angling Association in 1889 as a prize for an annual angling team contest.
The donor was Rowland Barran, who was a Liberal MP for Leeds North. he was the son of Sir John Barran, a pioneer of the clothing industry in Leeds who owned a huge factory in Chorley Lane.
The family were noted philanthropists and one of the brothers was thought to have founded the Henry Barran Youth Club in the last century.
the trophy became the property of the Burley club in the 1960s when they won it three times on the trot and so, according to the rules, it became theirs to keep.
it has been on show in the club ever since, as has the other more traditional trophy, which was presented by the family of a late member, Jack Thackerley, in 1965.
I was told that the fish trophy was valued in the 1960s at over £750 so what must it be worth now?
I would imagine at least double that amount.
The Leeds club already have a huge collection of silver trophies on its premises, but none quite like this latest addition which will be placed in a specially-built trophy cabinet in the games room.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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