SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Sam Hughes (pictured) won the biggest prize in junior angling on Sunday, the Fish O'Mania final.

This win puts Sam firmly at the top of the national ladder, and came with a £2,000 cheque.

Torrential rain at the Cudmore Fishery in Stoke-on-Trent tested the competitors, who had the Sky Sports cameras following their every move.

Sam, from Berry Hill, fished the match of his life to calmly accumulate fish after fish, leaving his rivals in his wake.

Not even a quiet spell after an hour (when his nearest challenger landed a big carp) could unsettle him. His determination to win was obvious and it did not go unnoticed in the TV commentary box.

Former world champion Tom Pickering said he was 'amazed' how cool Sam was under pressure, particularly as he played his biggest fish – a carp of more than 7lbs. With the stakes so high most experienced anglers would have wobbled, but not Sam.

Sam started the match fishing a long pole and at the first weigh-in he had around 13lbs in the net, but a switch to cubes of meat as hook bait brought real dividends.