A match angler from Doncaster has been hailed a ‘life-saver’ after bravely jumping into a powerful river to rescue a fellow competitor who was being swept away by the current.
Paul Holmes is a 56-year-old plasterer who’s fished matches on the mighty River Ijssel for 20 years, but on a recent contest things took an unpleasant turn.
A large boat passed too close to competitors, sending a huge wave cascading into the bank. Many anglers had their tackle swept into the river, and while match organiser David Pike was attempting to recover some of his belongings, he fell in and was dragged out into the main flow by the powerful current.
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“I was two pegs down and heard his shouts,” Paul told us.
“Running down, I saw him in the flow and instinctively jumped in, having watched him go under at least three times. I’m not the strongest swimmer, but when you see somebody in trouble, helping is just one of those things you do.”
Despite David being 6ft 4in tall and weighing 17 stone, Paul – at just 5ft 9in and less than 14 stone – managed to drag him to safety after a mammoth effort.
“Not many of the others taking part in the match realised what was going on, but some people passing in a yacht told them what was happening and eventually other anglers arrived on the scene,” Paul added.
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Both David and Paul lost a fair bit of bait and kit to the swell created by the boat, but with help from other anglers managed to keep on fishing.
“You know what anglers are like – we just wanted to get back on with the match, even though there was only an hour left!” Paul said.
Things settled down afterwards, but when Paul returned home and fished a match at Southfield Reservoir, he was surprised to be presented with a Certificate of Recognition from The Royal Life Saving Society UK for his selfless actions, which read: ‘David, an ex-army officer and helicopter pilot said he had never felt so close to death whilst in the river. Paul’s intervention most likely saved his life.’
“Nobody was more surprised than me to get the award,” Paul added, “But it makes me feel quite proud.”
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