Garbett makes his mark with an opening win

The contest took place on the Staffs & Worcester Canal in Wombourne with the Dudley postman striking from peg 37.

The top three all caught on pole-fished caster, but it Garbett (Dynamite Maver Midlands) who led the way when he tipped an impressive 23-0-0 haul of chub and skimmers onto the scales.

Kingswinford-rod John Garbett (Team Eclipse), no relation to Ben, secured second with 14-14-0 of chublets from peg 33, ahead of Bloxwich’s Martin Owen (Sensas Black Country) who weighed in 13-7-0 of chub to 2lb at peg 28.

Dean Williams and Kevin Perry had cause for celebration in the sixth and final round of the Staffordshire Individual Winter League.

Penkridge-based painter and decorator Williams (Sensas Lifestyle MG) followed up his success in round four with another win on the Shropshire Union Canal at Little Onn, but it was Dudley-rod Perry (Cadence Superteam/Bait-Tech) who claimed the overall league honours.

Williams took the win by pole-fishing squatt and pinkie over groundbait off peg two for 9-14-0 of roach and skimmers.

Wolverhampton’s Paul Murrin (Sensas Black Country) followed from peg three with 8-5-6, ahead of Perry’s 6-10-10 from peg eight.

After heading the league since round three, Perry topped the charts with a near perfect seven-point score. Williams took second place overall with 13 points.

The top three at the Sportsman AC Open on the Bull Lane Section of the Walsall Canal in Wednesbury all caught roach on pole-fished bread punch.

First home was match organiser Dave Arnold (Sportsman AC) with 3-9-2 from peg 15.

Dave Sheaf (Canal Kings) followed with 2-12-8 at peg 11, leaving Kev Clark (Old Hill Labour AC) in third on adjacent peg 12, where he scaled 2-1-6.

Conditions were wild and windy at the Rough Hay AC bout on a clear Shropshire Union Canal in Brewood but that didn’t stop Jez Meredith claiming the spoils and family bragging rights.

Runner-up in the previous match, Great Wyrley-based Meredith upped his game to land the match with 3-5-8 of gudgeon and small roach snared on poled squatt and pinkie at peg 12.

His dad Alan followed from neighbouring end peg 13 with 1-13-4. Third place went to Derek Owen on peg six with 0-12-6.

It was also a family affair in the Goodyear AC contest on the Shropshire Union Canal in Rye Hill.

Penkridge-based club treasurer Steve Thomson had cause for a double celebration when he topped the match with a golden peg win on peg four having poled bread punch to net 87 small roach for 2-5-0. Wolverhampton’s Wilf Kneller followed with 1-14-0 from peg three, ahead of the winner’s son Michael Thomson with 0-14-0 from peg nine.

Kidderminster’s Craig Jones claimed an impressive victory in the eighth and final round of the Moorlands Farm Winter Pairs Series.

The Silver and Meadow Pools at the Hartlebury fishery saw action for the contest and the place to be for the top three was Silver Pool. Jones (Old Bear) topped the individual stakes on peg 32 with a rewarding 157-11-0 of F1s to 2lb tempted on poled maggot.

The next two framers used the same bait tactics. Moorlands’ Steve Rocke took second on peg 38 where he weighed in 138-3-0, leaving Wombourne-rod Colin Pace (CPA) in third with 117-11-0 from peg 20.

Rocke and Neil Colcombe (Moorlands) took the pairs’ prize on the day with a perfect two-points score.

But it was Pace and his sidekick, Bewdley’s Mal Watson (DGL) Watson, who topped the series on 23 points from Rocke and Colcombe with 25.