Ladies National, Hallcroft Fishery

LINDA Cooke is the first angler ever to win three Nationals following her success in the Ladies event at Hallcroft Fishery.
The Wirral angler weighed in 13.800kg on Moat Pool, to take the crown and add to her successes in the same event in 1998 and 2001.
And just for good measure Linda, 54, also led her team, Warrington AA Gold, to gold for the second year in a row following victory on the Stainforth and Keadby Canal last year.
In red hot conditions it was never going ot be a big weight match for the 102 competitors, as anglers tried to catch fish cruising high in the water with little success.
However Linda stuck to her guns with pole, meat, pellet and chopped worm at 10 metres to take six carp to 5lb, two bream and a roach.
“I was shaking all over at the end of the match. People were telling me I had won again but I knew it was going to be close,” she said.
It was close too, with silver medal winner Pat Geary finishing less than a carp behind on 12.100kg, and third placed angler Helen Dagnall weighing in 12.080kg.
The team event was close too, with silver medal winners Doncaster AA finishing just 600gr behind the Warrington AA Gold team of Linda, Lynda Lythgoe, Wendy Lythgoe and Wendy Locker.

Ladies National, Hallcroft Fishery, 102 fished
Individual: 1 L Cooke, Warrington AA Gold, 13.800kg; 2 P Geary, Ashford AS, 12.100kg; 3 H Dagnall, Starlets AS, 12.080kg; 4 J Warner, Swindon Isis AC, 11.840kg; 5 S Scotthorne, Doncaster AA, 11.500kg; 6 R Bell, Tang Hall Match Group A, 9.600kg.

Teams: 1 Warrington AA Gold, 26.100kg; 2 Doncaster AA, 25.500kg; 3 Starlets AS, 20-860kg; 4 Ashford AS, 20.740kg; 5 Swindon Isis, 19.280kg; 6 Tang Hall Match Group A, 19.020kg.