Francis is top rod, Barnard repeats last weeks double

John Francis (Rod & Gun) was top catcher at Boldings Pools this week, when peg 34 proved to be the number to draw in the week-end opens.

John drew 34 on the Chestnut Pool on Sunday, and put together the best weight of the week, 68-3-0, using pellet and maggot at 12 metres. The combination attracted carp to 8lbs and bream to 2lbs, which helped him to pull away from fellow Rod & Gun man Eric Bancroft.

Eric was on the Beech Pool, at peg three, and fished pellet to the paddles for carp to 7lbs, but fell behind to Francis by over three pounds an hour, finishing on 50-14-0.

A Sycamore Pool best of 46-1-0 from peg 4, gave last weeks top scorer Paul Turner (Maver Tipton) third place, leaving Paul Cartwright (OB Wolves) to collect fourth thanks to 42-3-0 from point peg 7 on the Beech.

Peg 34 had won the previous day, this time on the Sycamore Pool. Jamie Longford (OB Wolves) had the lucky number this time, and took all his fish, carp to 8lbs, on maggot fished at 14 metres.

Dave Brown (Maver Tipton) recorded the first of two runner up placings for the week-end, one here and one on the Shropshire Winter League at Larford. On this match he led the way on the Chestnut Pool, netting 57-5-0 to win the pool and take second overall. Third placed Dave Craggs (OB Wolves) was next to the winner on the Sycamore, but a slower catch rate left him 20lbs behind him on 41-9-0.

Paul Turner framed again by scaling 38-13-0 at Sycamore 16 to take fourth..

Dave Barnard (Maver Wolves) had that “been here before” feeling on the mid-week match scene, when he repeated his second on Wednesday and first on Thursday performances of last week.

On Wednesday Kevin Melville (Phoenix Tackle) was the man at the top of the list, with the only frame weight to come from the Ash Pool. He outdid the rest with a 60-1-0 catch of carp to 6lbs, which came to pellet fished at 14 metres at peg 5 on the far bank.

The rest of the “framers” were on the Hawthorn Pool, where Barnard fished to the island at peg 9, using pellet to tempt carp to 4lbs. He scaled 44-8-0, to hold off Neil Jones (Deggys Wrexham). He added a third here to his double win at Weston Pools last week-end, when he handed 40-12-0 to the scalesman at peg 13. Ed Turner (OB Wolves) completed the frame with 38-5-0 at peg 5.

The next day Barnard was on corner peg 8 on the Middle Pool and combined maggot and pellet, alternating between the 5 metre line and into the margins. Carp to 7 lbs responded to give Dave 14lbs to spare over runner up Ted Ecclestone (Maver Wolves). Dave totalled 52-10-0, and Ted, who caught on shallow fished maggot at peg 3 on the Middle, ended the day with 38-3-0. OB Wolves rods took the remaining places, both from the Deepdale Pool. Alan Weston had 35-1-0 ay peg 11 for third and Tony Foster scaled 32-6-0 at peg 14.

Ton catch by Brown at Boldings

Dave Brown (Maver Tipton) topped the list for the week at Boldings Pools with an even 100lbs to win the Saturday open. The three other opens were all won with weights in the 70lb to 80 lb bracket, to set an outstanding winter standard.

Dave was on peg 11 on one of the smaller pools, the Stock, and went out to 12 metres, where he connected with carp to 8lbs, fishing maggot, up in the water.

His 100lbs was the only frame weight from the pool, and put him 21lbs clear of Andy Bayliss-Kyte (Rod & Gun).

Andy was the top scorer on the Middle Pool, fishing pellet and maggot close in at peg one for 79-0-0 of carp from 1lb to 4lbs.

Third went to a Hawthorn Pool best of 72-11-0 from Roy Richardson (West End) and fourth also came from the Hawthorn when Pete Plant (Maver Tipton) netted 41-7-0 to finish 2ozs better off than Neil Jones (Wrexham) whose 41-5-0 was best on the Oak Pool.

The following day the Chestnut Pool provided the winning net in a close finish between Colin Reynolds (Bilston Angling) and John Wild (Team Cudmore).

Colin, at peg 10 on the Chestnut, fished into the side and the corner with maggot, to net carp to 8lbs and a total of 74-6-0.

John was in the corner on the Ash, at peg 22, and he too fished close in with maggot. His fish were slightly smaller, leaving him just short of the winner on 71-0-0.

From the same side of the Ash as Wild, Mick Williams (Rod & Gun) took third with 40-14-0 and Mick Jameson (Middy ML) was fourth, a few pegs along from the winner on Chestnut 4, where he scaled 35-15-0.

Wednesday had seen Stuart Aston (Swan Jacks) back at the top when he put 72-2-0 on the scales at peg 37 on the Chestnut.

His catch was of mainly smaller carp, in the 1lb to 4lb class, and was taken on pellet at eight metres. Runner up Ed Turner (OB Wolves) fished maggot at 3 metres, and found carp to 8lbs and bream to 2lbs, but not enough of the bigger fish, and was left needing another 9lbs, when the scales settled at 63-3-0.

Kevin Melville (Phoenix Tackle) led the way on the Oak and took third overall with 55-4-0 from peg 16. Also on the Oak, at peg 31, was fourth man Karl Haywood (Sedgeley) on 49-4-0.

Martin Harrell made it two wins in the week for the Tipton squad when he led Maver Wolves man Dave Barnard to the prize table on Thursday.

They were pegged opposite each other on the Middle Pool, Martin at peg 10, where caster and corn at 10 metres attracted carp to 7lbs for 71-2-0.

Dave was on peg three and had to alternate between three metres and eight metres, with pellet and maggot, and finished on 64-9-0.

Colin Reynolds framed again, taking third with a Stock Pool best of 61-1-0 and a Hawthorn best of 54-12-0 gave Tony Foster (OB Wolves) fourth.