When Andy Power drew Peg 4 at the café end of the Grass Bank on Match Lake for the Mega Match This Final on Saturday 20th August, he could have cried. Other favoured anglers such as Lee Kerry and Andy Kinder had drawn more fancied pegs, but Andy still went to his peg with an open mind on Saturday morning, hoping that his angling skills would hold him in good stead.

They did and resulted in him taking home the staggering first prize of £50,000. Andy, the youngest in the field at 23, beat current UK champion Grant Albutt into second place, winning by just over 2kgs.  Grant was unfortunate enough to lose a big fish in the last moments of the five hour match, leaving Andy to celebrate by taking the traditional winners ‘bath’ in the lake.

Andy said: “I simply can’t believe I’ve won it and it’ll only properly sink in when I go to a cashpoint and check my balance and it says £50,000.”

“I’ve won a few £1,000 matches before but this is something else completely – it sounds obvious but I’ll never have a day’s fishing like it again!”

Maver Managing Director and competition organiser, Phil Briscoe said: “Andy Power has proved that on the day, you don’t have to be an England International to win this competition – any good angler stands a chance. I’m delighted for Andy; he’s a great lad and a deserving winner for the first Maver Match This competition.”

“I’m very grateful to the likes of The Daily Mirror, DHP Publications, Angling Times and Sky TV for supporting this event.  Maver and the team are in this for the long haul and so we’ll be making plans for Match This 2012 where I fully expect to be handing over a cheque for £100,000 to another deserving winner.”

Maver Match This Results:
First Place: Andy Power, Preston Innovations Thatcher’s, 39.420 kilos;
Second Place: Grant Albutt, Garbolino/Bait-Tech, 37.100 kilos;
Third Place: Jamie Hughes, Maver/Bag ‘Em Baits, 34.440 kilos.