Dave makes Shaw of a home 1-2-3

The top two fished the Method feeder with pellet and Shaw was the first man home with seven bream for 17-15-0 from point peg 54.

Shaw’s Blackfords team-mates Bob Harris and John Burns followed. Harris bagged five bream on next peg 53 to take second with 15-9-0, ahead of Burns who weighed in 13-5-0.

Bentley’s John Parker took top spot in the Rough Hay AC match at Greenhills Farm in Grimley.

Stationed on peg two, Parker poled corn at five metres out and down the edge to net carp averaging 5-6lb plus his best fish which was 16lb.

Norton Canes-rod Roger Hunter took second with 88-0-0 while Cheslyn Hay’s Arthur Shaw was third with 47-0-0.

It was a tight tussle for top spot in the Patshull Park Open held on the Hotel Bank (Deeps) Section of the Great Lake in Pattingham.

Brian Clarke (Vespe Telford) claimed victory on peg 26 with 12-14-0 of perch, roach and small skimmers. On neighbouring pegs 27 and 28, Wolverhampton duo Dave White (Dynamite Maver Midlands) and Rob Brennan (Garbolino) followed with 12-9-0 and 12-2-0 respectively.

Fifty seven countrywide anglers lined the towpath of the Staffs & Worcs Canal in Wombourne and Awbridge for Sunday’s fourth Wolverhampton AA Canal Challenge 2018 Qualifier. Chris Morris (Team Les ‘O’) led the way with a hearty 23-12-0 net of chub to 3lb caught on poled caster at peg 21 in Awbridge. Runner-up on next peg 22 was Derby rod Ben Sharratt (Shakespeare Superteam/Bait-Tech) who bagged five chub; the largest being 4lb 4oz plus skimmers taken on poled caster and maggot for 21-14-0, ahead of Crewe-based Simon Preece (Cresta Gamakatsu) who poled caster off peg 77 near the Round Oak PH in Wombourne to return 16-8-8 of chub to 2lb 8oz. The top twenty five in the match qualify for the two day final on the 15th and 16th of September on the Staffs & Worcs Canal at Wombourne and Penkridge respectively, where the winner will receive over £1,000 in prize money.

Forty two anglers set up along the Linley Bank stretch of the River Severn in Bridgnorth for Saturday’s Bridgnorth AS Open incorporating the latest Jim Burton Prostate Cancer Screening Fund Match. Bromsgrove rod Chris Taylor clinched the win in a very close contest with five barbel and a few chub taken on the pellet and caster feeder at peg 47 for 24-10-0. Wolverhampton anglers followed with Danny Ashington (Kamasan Starlets) gaining second on peg 72 with 24-8-0 of roach, chublets and perch caught on whip, stick and pole with maggots, pipping Pete Cartwright into third on peg 77 where he fished the waggler with luncheon meat and maggot netting one barbel, chublets and a few roach for 23-8-0. A total of £411 was raised on the day for retired Matchbox company director Jim Burton’s target of £4,500 to £5,000 for the Prostate Cancer Screening Fund which is hosting an event at Kings Norton Golf Club (B48 7ED) on 20th October 2018 offering FREE PSA blood tests to 300+ men.

Some big weights were recorded at the 18-peg Quarry Pool Three Day Festival in Aston Eyre. Telford-based Steve Roberts (OAC) was certainly in for a cracking few days’ sport, he began by topping Bank Holiday Monday’s day one opener with 181-8-0 of carp to 15lb caught close in on poled maggot at peg 22. Keith Miller (Greenman AC) followed on peg 7 where he poled pellet for 143-4-0 of carp to 13lb, ahead of Cannock’s Simon Richardson (Dot’em Down/Fatty’s Bait & Tackle) who rotated both a pellet line and maggot down edge of peg 4, to scale 132-8-0 of carp to 14lb. In all a dozen ‘ton-up’ weights were returned. Roberts had cause for celebration again when he headed Tuesday’s day two with a superb 237-6-0 of carp to over 12lb using the same tactics as before on peg 31. Richardson upped his game to take second this time with 198-0-0 of carp to 14lb sticking to his original technique on peg 28, leaving Nigel Clark (Quarry Pool) in third with a pellet-tempted 150-0 of carp to 14lb at peg 27. There were ten tons out in this match. Richardson then went on to top Wednesday’s day three, deploying the same strategy which had stood him in good stead at peg 16 to tip 189-12-0 of carp to 13lb onto the scales. Clark finished one fish adrift with 182-8-0 of carp to 14lb caught on poled pellet just out in front of peg 14 and Roberts had to settle for third on this occasion with 161-12-0 of carp; the largest of which was nudging 20lb at peg 6. Eleven tons came out on the day. Richardson topped the festival podium on a perfect 3 point score, Roberts secured second on 4 points and Wayne Harris (Ironbridge AC) came third on 7 points. Roberts and Richardson’s coup was complete when they also won the pairs’ prize with a combined weight tally of 1,101-0-0.

The top three at Sunday’s Meadow and Middle Pools Open at Moorlands Farm in Hartlebury all banked carp to 10lb and Meadow Pool produced the best three weights. Northfield-based Pete Mace (Autism B’ham) trounced his rivals on peg 16 with a terrific 221-5-0 which fell to poled pellet. Moorlands’ own Paul Nash followed with another pellet-enticed 175-6-0 from peg 58, leaving Wombourne’s Colin Pace (CPA) in third with a paste-tempted 153-11-0 at peg 55.

Stone-based Norman Hughes (Bibby’s AC) left the others standing at Sunday’s Three Team Challenge Cup final round three on the Trent & Mersey Canal in Stone. Pole-fishing single red maggot off peg 1, Hughes netted two bream, skimmers, roach and perch for 11-8-8. Hughes’ teammate Richard Pedlar used the same tactics on peg 10 for second with 5-10-0 made-up of four skimmers, perch and bits, ahead of Mark Wilton (Stone AC) who poled pinkie over groundbait off peg 3 for 5-0-0, consisting of one skimmer, one perch plus small roach, Bibby’s AC took the team prize on the day with 5 points and Gomms Mill topped the league on 22 points ahead of Bibby’s AC on 23 points.

Fishery owner Ben Stanford (Monkhall/MH Floats) notched up another success when he topped Sunday’s Owl Pool Open at Monkhall Fisheries in Monkhopton, nr. Bridgnorth. Pole-fishing paste short and down the side of peg 1, Stanford slid 123-4-0 of carp to 5lb and F1s to 3lb into his keepnets. Drawn on peg 18, Monkhall’s Kev Hayes poled paste close in and pellet over for 114-2-0 of carp to 4lb and F1s in the 3lb class, leaving Walsall’s Jordan Hall (Middy/Bag’em) in third on peg 3 where he poled pellet well across and maggot short to scale 108-0-0 of carp to 6lb and F1s to 2lb.

Wolverhampton’s Kev Williams emerged the victor at the Bank Holiday Monday Open on the Match Pool at Wassell Grove Fisheries in Hagley. Pole-fishing maggot and pellet at 10 metres into open water off peg 42, Williams banked carp to 8lb, stockies and silvers for 55-14-0 to pick up £60 in prize money. Drawn on peg 38, Andy Cleaver (WMP Maver) followed with 39-8-0 of stockies and silvers captured on poled caster and pellet fished into open water and across to the island to pocket £40, leaving fishery owner Paul Padmore (Phoenix AC/Wassell Grove) in third with 37-14-0 comprising of five carp to 10lb and one barbel caught from the margins of peg 17 on pole-fished luncheon meat for a £20 reward. Andy Morrison (Moorlands) rose to the fore at Saturday’s Match Pool Open. Pole-fishing worm, caster and maggot to the island off peg 38, Morrison brought 56-3-0 of carp to 2lb 8oz, stockies and silvers to the scalesman to collect £80 in prize money. Next came Dave Johnson Jnr. (Steven’s Tackle) who poled paste at 10 metres out from peg 12 for 36-7-0 of mainly stockies with a few silvers and carp to 3lb to pocket £55, ahead of Mark Hingley (Wassell Grove) on peg 5 who caught a few stockies near the island but predominantly carp to 8lb on his edge line, all gathered on poled pellet and paste to return 32-13-0 and accept £30 for his efforts.