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 (
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.
