PETERSFIELD angler Alex Clements has returned from Novi Di Modena, Italy, where he was fishing for the England under-25 team in the World Youth Angling Championships alongside Liphook angler Matt Barnett.

The event took place on the Cavo Lama Canal, where the team spent two weeks practising on the venue, in temperatures of up to 40C, prior to the two-day competition. There were 14, mainly European, countries taking part in the competition.

The main target species were small carp and carassio, a small carp-like fish.

On the first day of competition, Clements managed a weight of 7kg for a section win and a perfect one point score. The four-man England team scored two section wins, a sixth and a joint tenth for a score of 18.5 points to lie second behind the Croatian team going into the second day.

On the second day, Clements managed a weight of 8kg to finish second in his section, and finish with a three point total and the individual bronze medal.

Clements was denied a section win, and the gold medal, by a large carp caught by the Dutch team in the last five minutes.

The England team scored a total of 40.5 points over the two days and, while they managed to overhaul the Croatians, they were denied the gold medal by the Dutch team, who produced a second day score of eight points to take the gold medal. England had to settle for the silver place.

Clements, of Herne Farm, has fished for the England Youth Angling team for eight years.