Dartford's Rob Tough helps England win the 2009 World Carp classic

Rob Tough, a Dartford accountant, joined Tom Duncan-Dunlop from Sutton, Surrey, in overcoming an international field to win the 2009 World Carp classic.

Tough, 45, and Duncan-Dunlop, 36, produced a stunning effort to beat off competition from 126 pairs from 21 different countries to claim the £10,000 first prize from the £70,000 prizetable at the six-day event at Lac de Madine in north-east France.

Surviving on 12 hours’ sleep throughout the marathon non-stop competition, the duo bagged an event-record 26 fish, weighing a total of 347.5kg to easily beat their closest rivals headed by Dutch pair Koos Walters and Bert Teuben.

Tough and Duncan-Dunlop completed a clean sweep of major prizes as they also helped England’s Team Mainline Carpworld clinch the best team prize for a third year in a row.

Tough said: "This is the highlight of my angling career. The number of fish we caught and their size were staggering."