KIERON Rich (pictured above with his final day’s catch) added a second festival win to his portfolio when he headlined the 180-angler White Acres Keenets Spring event with a 36-point clean sweep collecting the £2000 winners cheque and a voucher for a £1899 pole from the sponsors.
Mosella and Tricast backed Kieron from Dudley, West Midlands posted three lake wins and a lake third on his way to a victory only threatened by a third day section 4th, a result he was able to discard.
With the other contenders all failing to record four wins the 27-year-old did not need to rely on his dropped result either but ironically he had to relinquish his year old White Acres match record to Daiwa Trentman Chris Jenkinson who scorched to 238 lb 10 oz on the second day at Pollawyn peg 20.
Incredibly Kieron went to Pollawyn on the last day knowing he needed a section win to guarantee victory and he drew peg 20!
It gave him a crack at regaining the record too and after a power bagging 80 minutes he looked to be on his way having landed no less than 25 carp for over 100 lb.
Then gusting gales and heavy rain hampered feeding and casting reducing his catch rate and he ended with 209 lb 6 oz for a lake win and that necessary section maximum.
Waggler shallow at 20 metres baiting cubes of Tulip luncheon meat and loose feeding the same saw him bag carp to near doubles.
Kieron¹s surge started at Trelawney¹s peg 23 where he had 94 lb 9 oz of carp first to chopped worm feeder then shallow pole and casters for a lake win.
Gwinear 31 saw another lake win with 146 lb of carp to poled baits on the bar before an uncharacteristic slip at Porth saw him finish a section 4th.
Peg 34 on Bolingey feedering meat saw him bag 66 lb for another section win and a lake third before that final day double ton-up bag. Kieron added another £850 in pools prizes.
Last year despite breaking the record on peg 20 during the Dynamite festival Kieron was gutted because he¹d just lost out on what would have been his first festival win.
This time losing his record was not a concern. “I thought after that incredible start I was going to break the record again but the conditions worsened. However I’d rather have the festival win than the record and no festival win like last year.”

Kieron managed to bag an incredible 527 lb over the five days.


The top two, Tommy Pickering (left) and Kierron.


TOMMY PICKS UP AGAIN
Kieron¹s mentor Preston Innovations backed Tommy Pickering made it a one-two to remember finishing in second place with 35 points relying on a dropped fifth result of 8 points to edge out Jamie Hall.
That brought him a cheque for £900 plus a voucher for a pole worth £1299 in a week when he felt he had good matches and bad ones too.
Tommy¹s first day saw him draw Pollawyn 10 and weigh-in 37 lb for a section second a result he claims cost him the festival.
”I changed tactics with 45 minutes to go and that cost me the section by 1lb,” he admitted.
Trelawney on day two and he drew mate Kieron¹s peg 23 from the first day so he had the best information and plundered 147 lb of carp, 25 on feeder and 33 to the pole for a lake win.
Gwinear¹s 29 saw Tommy fish what he felt was a good match on a peg not regarded as strong in section. He had another 147 lb bag of carp to come second in section with 22 carp to pole in the margins and five on the feeder.
Porth’s 71 and again Tommy felt he fished poorly and was surprised when he won the lake with 14 lb 14 oz of skimmers and roach.
Finally Bolingey 22 and he returned a 91 lb haul on peg 22 to a positive feeder attack.
Like Kieron Tommy had waited a long time for his first ever festival win which came last year in this event but his prediction that Kieron would make a regular habit of it seems to be coming true.
”He taught me how to catch carp and I taught him how to win. There’s a knack to it,” said Tommy.

JAMIE HAULS ‘EM IN
DAIWA Goldthorpe star Jamie Hall took the third placed £800 cheque and a voucher for a £799 pole posting 35 points and a fifth section 5 pointer that left Rob Brennan in fourth with 34 points heading a clutch of anglers with similar score fifth results then weight deciding the result.

NET GAINS
KEENETS donated around £6500 worth of prizes in total including the pole vouchers the rest in nets, handles and umbrellas providing the top 20 anglers with goodies. South West representative Vic Bush was on hand to present the prizes.

RECORD BREAKER
Chris Jenkinson (Daiwa Trentmen) blasted away Kieron’s old record when he plundered 238 lb 10 oz at Pollawyn 20 on day two that came to long poled meat shallow.
The magnificent effort earned him a  cheque for £100 for the biggest individual match win of the week.

 

Chris Jenkinson (left), who set a new match record, with Clint Elliott

PRIZES GRANTED
Fish of the week went to Calvin Lemon (ALS Van Den Eynde) landing a 19 lb 2 oz Bolingey ghostie.
Mystery weight winner was Nigel Goddard with 135 lb 12 oz while man of the match went to Clive Hancock who finished 13th over all.
There was a special prize donated by Keenets sponsored Grant Albutt who gave the prizes he won to junior Billy Grover who finished 174th.

 

Happy man: Kieron steps up to take his prize.

TOP TEN
Kieron Rich (Mosella Tricast) 36 points
Tom Pickering (Preston Innovations) 35 points dropping 8
Jamie Hall (Daiwa Goldthorpe) 35 points dropping 5
Rob Brennan (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 34 points dropping 6
Dave Bruton (Team Sillybait) 34 points dropping 5 177 lb 4 oz
Wayne Nolan (GT Rogers) 34 points dropping 5 176 lb
Colin Mayor (Drennan NW) 34 points dropping 3
Stu Conroy (Kamasan) 33 points dropping 7 300 lb 8 oz
Harry Billing (Drennan NW) 33 points dropping 7 258 lb 13 oz
Darren Walters (Angling Man) 33 points dropping 7 201 lb 1 oz


LAKE WINNERS

Day 1 Pollawyn Mick Wells (Polegate) 73-2-0; Python/Trelawney Kieron Rich
(Mosella Tricast) 94-9-0; Gwinear Mick Dagnall (Sensas Midland Match)
127-11-0; Porth Danny McGuire (Mosella NW)14-9-0; Bolingey Jason Le Bosquet
(Notts AA) 68-15-0.
Day 2 Pollawyn Chris Jenkinson(Daiwa Trentmen) 238-10-0; Python /Trelawney
Tommy Pickering (Preston Innovations)135-3-0; Gwinear Kieron Rich(Mosella
Tricast) 146-7-0; Porth Jamie Hall (Daiwa Goldthorpe) 17-6-0; Bolingey Tim
Rowe (Thatchers 2000) 86-15-0.
Day 3 Pollawyn Jeremy Attwood (Goldvalley) 113-5-0; Python/Trelawney Adam
Rooney (MAP Garbolino Starlets)  99-2-0; Gwinear Simon Abbott  (Ipswich)
188-8-0; Porth Adrian Marshall (Stubpond) 19-6-0; Bolingey John Taylor (Team
Hounslow) 66-4-0.
Day 4 Pollawyn Alex Murray (Team Sillybait) 156-4-0; Python /Trelawney Steve
Perran (RAF) 87-15-0; Gwinear Neil McKinnon (Shakespeare) 146-13-0; Porth
Tom Pickering (Preston Innovations) 14-14-0; Bolingey Rob Brennan (MAP
Garbolino Starlets) 85-10-0.
Day 5 Pollawyn Kieron Rich (Mosella Tricast) 209-6-0; Python and Trelawney
Andy Lloyd (PA Megabait) 64-5-0; Gwinear Mick Hughes (Simon¹s 2000) 169-5-0;
Porth Mike Dedman (Reading AC) 20-14-0; Bolingey Mick Webb (Armley AC)
93-15-0.