Match Report

A hard overnight frost and bright sunshine led to a very slow start for the 90 competitors on the Angling Trust Winter League second Southern Semi Final on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Marlborough on Sunday 1st April 2012. 

It took a few boats to stir things up and get the fish moving and for the last 3 hours of the match it was a fish a chuck for most with some fabulous nets of fish bought to the scales.  The anglers averaged over 7lb a man and the top 22 anglers all had over 10lb, fantastic weights for a small canal.  But the day was all about the teams, and again the favourites won through, Daiwa Dorking stormed through to the final, 4 section wins and no one finishing below fourth saw them drop only 15 points giving them a 75 point total.

Maver Image were best of the rest with 58 points, and joining them in the final are Preston Innovations Thatchers who scrapped through with a better total weight  after tieing on points with Garbolino Blackmore Vale whom both had 56 points. In the Individual stakes Lee Edwards (Daiwa Dorking) took a very similar weight to that which won him a recent practice match on the venue.  Drawn on the end peg of the competition reach, Lee caught skimmers and bream to 3 lb on bloodworm and pole to record a storming victory with 37-5-0.  The first peg at Church was good for Preston Innovations Thatchers rod, Nick Chedzoy who caught 21-13-0 of skimmers also on pole and bloodworm.  Another end peg, this time at Beeches produced the third place win for Gary Pook (Daiwa Dorking).  Gary’s luck had picked up for the semi final after he had all his tackle stolen recently by weighing in with 18-13-0 of skimmers and roach.

Individual Placings:

1st    Lee Edwards  (Daiwa Dorking)  37-5-02nd

Nick Chedzoy  (Preston Innovations Thatchers) 21-13-03rd

Gary Pook (Daiwa Dorking)                                    18-13-04th

Matt Herbert (Drennan Banbury Gunsmiths)       15-10-05th    

Barry Chapman (Sensas South East)                   15-2-06th    

Simon Willsmore (Daiwa Dorking)                        14-13-07th    

Lee Farmer (Sensas Chilterns Bait)                      13-5-88th    

Nigel Greenwood (Sensas South East)                13-5-0(Weights recorded in lbs)

Team placings:

1st           Daiwa Dorking               75 points2nd          

Maver Image                                    58 points3rd          

Preston Innovations Thatchers    56 points (85-2-8)4th          

Garbolino Blackmore Vale            56 points (72-10-0)5th          

Drennan Banbury Gunsmiths      50 points6th          

Sensas Chiltern Bait                      48 points7th          

Tubertini South                                40 points8th          

Sensas South East                         37 points9th          

Browning Wickford                           33 points