Zac Brown Wins 2013 Maver Match This Final

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Zac Brown Wins 2013 Maver Match This Final

Saturday 31st August 2013 marked the conclusion of another chapter in the Maver Mega ‘Match This’ success story. A gruelling five month qualification heat, beginning at Woodland View in Droitwich on 6th April and ending at Barston Lakes on 18th August, produced another incredibly talented field for the 2013 final with twenty four of the UK’s finest going head-to-head in a bid to be crowned the next Mega ‘Match This’ Champion and win angling’s biggest prize.

Glorious weather conditions and the largest recorded crowd in the competition’s three year history made for a memorable spectacle for the 2013 Mega ‘Match This’ Grand Final fished on the prolific match lake at Maver Larford Lakes. For some, this was their second or even third final in as many years, but the prospect of winning a life-changing £50,000 is an opportunity that even the country’s most experienced match anglers find sobering.

Thanks largely to the format of the Mega ‘Match This’ competition, a large proportion of the competing field were venturing into the unknown with many new faces lining the banks – all equally focused on winning the richest final in match angling history.

A number of anglers started the match well finding fish early on. Quickest out the blocks was Middy man, Marc Rodger, who made a great start from end peg 13 on the burr bank (permanent peg number 43) finding carp on his short pole line. James Dent also made a good start finding quality carp early on from the next ‘Match This’ peg number down on peg 14 (permanent peg number 45).

Stephen Openshaw made his presence known early on catching F1 hybrids steadily during the opening stages. Andy Power, who is in top form having won the UK Champs the previous weekend, found himself on the burr bank for the second year running also made a good start. However, as with all matches of this stature, bank side presence from the ever growing crowd of spectators soon began to have an effect with many anglers having to follow the fish out as the match progressed.

Unfortunately for some, however, the draw the night before had not been kind. Glen Butler (Bowlers), who showed fantastic form during the many open matches held on the match lake leading up to the final, found himself at the wrong end of the lake on peg 1. Current Fish O Mania Champion Jamie Hughes (Maver), who drew Match This peg number 3, also found himself at the mercy of the day’s conditions on peg 3, as did three times Match This finalist Andy Geldart (Garbolino) on Match This peg 5.

Midway through the match, much of the attention was focused around the island with Larford regulars Ray Lamb (Maver) and 2011 finalist Andy Kinder (Maver) drawing alongside each other beginning to find the fish, as was Preston Delcac rod, Zac Brown on permanent peg 28 – the very peg that produced last year’s Champion, Les Thompson.

The final hour of the 2013 Grand Final was to prove the most exciting in the event’s three year history with Stephen Openshaw putting together an incredible run of fish from off the burr bank on peg 16. The man they all fear when it comes to ‘Match This’ finals, Andy Power, had also started to catch well during the final stages fishing shallow when most had turned to their margins and looked capable of winning his second final in two years! Simon Skelton (Middy) who had managed to escape the attention of most for the duration of the match all of sudden found quality carp in the margins leaving both Andy Bennett (peg 6) and John Brogden (peg 8) trailing and began to look like a real contender from out of nowhere! Preston’s Tommy Pickering had also staged a late run of fish from ‘Match This’ peg 19 on the burr bank and also looked a possibility.

However, Zac Brown had also started to catch well by this time in the match with his margins suddenly coming to life. The Preston Delcac rod enjoying a frantic last hour taking carp up to 11lbs to turn his match around after a very unproductive first couple of hours. Going into the final half of the match, it didn’t look as though Zac would even frame despite a great draw. However, keeping a cool head, Zac stuck to his gameplan confident that the margin fish would eventually show.

The tense atmosphere was suddenly shattered by the final air horn with five anglers potentially in the running for the prize that all anglers want to win. The scales started with Glen Butler on peg 1, who’s struggle was confirmed with just 8.200 kilos registering on the scales. John Mills had an equally difficult day deciding not to weight followed by Jamie Hughes putting just 6kg on the scales.

Simon Skelton’s late charge returned 45.580 kilos, which put him into a convincing lead by the time the scales had reached midway down the grass bank. Ray Lamb, who struggled during the opening half of the match weighed in 31.160 kilos compared to Andy Kinder’s 34.760kg before Zac Brown took the lead weighing in 52.460 kilos. The scales eventually made their way round to the burr bank where Stephen Openshaw’s challenge was confirmed as having fallen just short with a weight of 43.880 kilos before Andy Power began emptying his three keepnets.

A tense weigh in was witnessed by all as fishery staff carefully verified each weigh before confirming 51.520 kilos – just 940 grams short of winning his second ‘Match This’ final – an unbelievable finish to another fantastic final.

Angler’s Name Weight (kilos) Peg #

Zac Brown (Preston Delcac) 52.460 12
Andy Power (Preston Innovations) 51.520 18
Simon Skelton (Middy) 45.580 7
Stephen Openshaw (Lingmere Fisheries) 43.880 16
Tom Pickering (Preston Innovations) 40.820 19
James Dent (MAP) 37.600 14
Andy Kinder (Maver / Marukyu) 34.760 11
Ray Lamb (Maver) 31.160 10
Mark Goddard (Daiwa Dorking) 26.600 21
Lee Wright (Matrix / Dynamite Baits) 24.460 17
David Stockton (Haines Angling) 21.760 20
Andy Bennett (Daiwa / Guru) 17.180 6
Tom Scholey (Match Fishing magazine) 16.800 24
Krzysztof Frackowiak 16.780 9
Andy Geldart (Garbolino) 15.940 5
Marc Rodger (Middy) 15.360 13
John Brogden (Ted Carters Southport) 14.040 8
Mark Stainsby (Fishing Republic) 13.760 15
Andy Oldham (Frenzee) 11.540 23
Steve Mazza (FP1 Baits) 10.380 4
Peter Bennett (Banbury Gunsmiths) 9.240 22
Glen Butler (Bowlers) 8.200 1
Jamie Hughes (Maver / Bag ‘Em Baits) 6.000 3
John Mills DNW 2

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