Alba Orvis Flyfishers
Lexus International Final 2009
John Horsey, Jock Royan, Ronnie Glass, Davie Bonnington, John Marshall
Calum Crosbie, Paul Garner, James Gardiner
Team Profiles
Jimmy Hunter
Scottish International Angler Jimmy Hunter is a founder member of the Orvis Alba Flyfishers. Since qualifying for the Scottish Team on his first attempt at the age of 22, Jim has continued to add further Caps to his bag both through re-qualification and carry forwards. As a point of interest, Jim was also runner up on his very first National Final, narrowly missing out on the Trophy by at matter of ounces; a remarkable achievement. Jimmy, a mere whippersnapper at 32 drops the average age of the team dramatically, although he has yet to provide proof of his age in an off-license as the photo proves!
Like many Scottish anglers, the pilgrimage south to Rutland and Grafham Waters has proved very successful for Jim, and he has had notable team and individual success. Silver and Bronze medals in the Hardy/Anglian Water Team Event and more recently in 2006 Runner-Up in the Lexus European Open Individual Event. This showcase event strictly through qualification, is the principal individual competition in the UK and Jimmy's Runner-Up spot, was a fantastic achievement.
A ‘reel’ family man, Jimmy spends the winter months shooting/beating/skiing with Ashley, the girls and their 6 Dogs. He even manages to squeeze in the odd game of Golf! Jim feels that the team balance is just about right and with a wealth of experience, trust and commitment, the future for Alba Flyfisher’s is an exciting prospect.
James Gardiner
James Gardiner is a Multi-Capped Scottish International Fly Fisherman of renowned quality. As a tackle consultant James's expertise is highly sought and he is delighted to advise beginners through to experts on the finer detail of the sport. An exceptionally knowledgeable angler in any discipline, James is as happy in the river as he is bobbing around on a Stillwater or wading the flats in search of bonefish.
Married to the lovely Joy, who shares his passion for angling, they regularly spend their week-end afloat at Mentieth with the dogs enjoying 'friendly' competition. A very modest man, James has won many events over the years including the SANA Open and Fishtec Top Individual, to name but a couple. Not only did he win the Fishtec Top Individual Prize over the 2 days of competition, he was also Top Rod both Days - a truly remarkable achievement considering the quality of the field. To have an angler like James in your team is absolutely essential, as he has the innate ability of inspiring the team, no matter what the conditions. Away from fishing James is a highly accomplished artist and has a superb portfolio ranging from abstract to original. The latest addition to the Gardiner Clan is a wee grandson who gives James & Joy a great deal of pride and pleasure.
Ronnie Glass
Ronnie Glass is a very well known and highly respected figure within the fishing world, both North & South of the border. With numerous International Caps to date, he has Captained both the Scottish Rivers and Loch Style teams, and en route has won the Phoenix Salver and the Scottish Rivers Championship. You may therefore get an idea of the wealth of knowledge and experience that Ronnie brings to the team.
Ronnie is a professional Game Angling Consultant for Orvis in their shop in Kelso and is an expert in his field. He is as happy to chase the Grayling in the winter months as he is catching the Wild Brownies and Rainbows in the summer and is delighted to pass on his vast experience to the many visitors in Kelso.
His attention to detail is renowned and not only does he have the ability to recall every fine detail down to weather conditions, depth, fly pattern, size, how the take was etc….. he also remembers how many pints you have in the bar afterwards!
As you may imagine, even away from the river, Ronnie's thoughts are on the fish and he is well known for his expertise in trophy fish casts, carvings and creative drawings. A cracking bloke, you will be guaranteed a memorable day out with Ronnie; whether you catch many fish or not, you will certainly leave having learnt a great deal.
Paul Garner
Paul Garner is again a Scottish International Angler of renowned quality and has represented his country 3 times is succession.
Paul and Jimmy have been team mates for many years and have had notable success with 3 top 3 team finishes in Major International Finals at Rutland Water. They have fished in the Hardy’s, Anglian Water/ Fulling Mill, Today’s Fisherman European Opena and most recently Lexus International events winning a Silver in 2001 and Bronze in 2004 and again Bronze in 2009.
Paul’s occupation is a Radio Engineer therefore as you may imagine his communication skills are excellent – Not! It’s his part-time job that makes Paul our ‘prized asset’ As an assistant to Quint and Doug at the Lake of Menteith, Scotland’s premier Rainbow Trout Fishery, Paul knows every Trout by name and can regularly be found feeding and chatting with his ‘Pets’ Paul is a naturally gifted angler and his other passion is Salmon Fishing. Paul runs a syndicate on his local river Teith, and can often be found skiving off work early for a cast on the way home. He also fishes the Earn and is now a tenant on the' World Famous' Kinermony beat of the Spey. He is married to the lovely and very understanding Claire.. Another 'Top Bloke' Paul, in addition to his proven angling ability, adds that extra bit of humour to the team and lets face it, as a follower of Scottish Football, has to have a great sense of humour.
David Bonnington
David Bonnington is a very genuine guy and is well known and highly respected on the Competitive Fly Fishing scene. He is a very consistent angler and unlike a few fellow team-members is very partial to the odd pint of Guinness and the occasional bottle of ‘old claret’ and can handle his drink! Indeed, his pool skills seem to improve with lubrications whilst others fail!
Davie has had a great run in the Scottish Clubs 3-man team event and has been in the winning team on 2 occasions, the last in 2006. He has also proved his versatility by winning the Loch Leven championship in 2002, a fantastic achievement. This year Davie set a new record at the Lake of Menteith, catching 25 trout in the Scottish Final of the Lexus International. A truly remarkable catch considering that the lake was slowly recovering from a pretty traumatic period.
Davie, a joiner by trade, runs the very busy family business in Edinburgh as well as being a 'reel' family man. In the winter Davie packs away the rods and dusts off the gun. With a keen eye and an ever sharper wit, he certainly holds his own in the field. A regular Spey visitor Davie leads the Alba boys with regard to catches and flexibility certainly proves to be the key to his success!
Jock Royan
My passion is competitive trout fishing, and I have been competing, mainly in England, since 1988. Over the years, I have been most fortunate to have won every RAF competition at least once, including the coveted Inter-Services Individual Top Rod. I have also had notable success on the civilian circuit, fishing in 11 International finals of major competitions, where I have finished in the top 10 individuals on 6 occasions.
2003 was quite a year and I was most fortunate to win the RAF Championships, Partridge Invitational at Bewl Water in Kent, followed quickly by the Top Individual Rod over 2 days in the 2003 Today’s Fisherman European Open International Final. Apart from my first Scottish cap, this has been my greatest individual highlight so far, as the majority of the 150 Anglers competing had represented their country at some stage. I firmly believe that in the Orvis Alba Flyfishers, we have a team capable of great things. 6 Scottish International Anglers with a passion for Competitive Game Angling, where most importantly, friendship, trust and mutual respect come well above any personal agenda. Our experience and friendship linked with a desire to win is a perfect balance and we look forward with eager anticipation to the season ahead and improving on our Bronze place in last year's Lexus International Final.
