Black Country team back on top
Maver Tipton re-instated themselves as league leaders at the third round of the Shropshire Winter League, staged at Hampton Springs, near Whitchurch.
They put in a strong all round team performance to end the day with 22 penalty points, while the leaders going in to this match, Rod & Gun, suffered a bad day and finished fifth.
Not far behind Tipton on the day were Phoenix MG, who won more sections than the winners, but had two low scores in the ten sections, and finished on 27 points.
Mosella Strike are finding their form after a poor start, and finished third, quite a way behind Phoenix though, with 42.
Dorset AC continued their improvement, taking fourth, only one point behind Strike on 43.
Rod & Gun knew Tipton would be strong at Hampton, but expected to be closer to them than 23 points behind on 46.
Phoenix Tackle had 48 points in sixth place, and Hodnet were seventh on 51.
With the arrival of colder weather (and overnight rain) the carp were beginning to shoal up, and were impossible to locate in some areas, but Chris Hill (Phoenix Tackle) found plenty between the islands at peg four on the Meadow Pool, and plundered a shoal to the tune of 124-0-0 with shallow fished caster.
Simon Richardson (Tipton) tackled the Poplars Pool with meat, close in and at 8 metres, to net some quality carp, and blitzed the pool with 105-10-0.
Phoenix skipper Steve Thorpe led the way in E section on the Meadow and finished third overall with 54-4-0, taken mostly on maggot close in.
He was followed in the frame by Dave Brown (Tipton) whose 47-7-0 was the top weight on the new Willow Pool.
Tipton are back at the top of the league table with five match points, Rod & Gun are second on eight, Strike stay third, but are now only one behind Rod & Gun on nine. Phoenix are fourth, and have reduced the gap between themselves and third to two points.
They have 11, Dorset have 14 in fifth place, Phoenix Tackle are sixth on 16 and Hodnet seventh on 21.
The fourth round is at Boldings Pools this Sunday, draw from 8.00 am on.
l Duncan Newton (WB Clarke won the big weight Sunday open at Boldings with the top catch of the week, 150-3-0.
He was on Sycamore 33 and caught on corn and pellet at 10 metres. Paul Cartwright (OB Wolves) was second with a Chestnut best of 97-8-0 from peg 37.
Not far behind him was Colin Reynolds (Bilston B&T) on 94-7-0 at Sycamore 24, and a Larch best of 91-13-0 gave Jason Elwell (MB Angling) fourth.
