News

The 2013 Midland Angler Of The Year is Graham Beckwith from Coventry.

Forty anglers contested the event on a tough Barston Lake chilled by the previous day's heavy rain. The contest was split into two three-hour sessions (feeder only in the morning; pole only in the afternoon) with anglers fishing the same peg for each heat.

No-one scored a perfect two points so it was a tie for first between Graham and Steve Wilson, both on three points. Weight was the decider and Graham's 66lb 4oz total was just enough to steal the victory. Drawn on Peg 28 on the riverside bank, he managed a second in section in the morning thanks to a 19lb 10oz bag of F1s and skimmers on a pellet Method feeder with boilie hook bait.

The venue warmed up considerably for the afternoon session, although strong winds hampered anglers wanting to fish the long pole. Graham wasn't fazed, though, as he fished paste tight in down the edge over corn and micro pellets to bag five big carp to 15lb and a decent 46lb 10oz section-winning effort.

Graham is enjoying his successful return to fishing this season after spending the last 10 years living in Spain. Even though he has only fished less than a dozen matches this year, he has managed to win his last two visits to Barston!

Result

1 Graham Beckwith (Oakwood Angling) 3pts

2 Steve Wilson (Barston) 3pts

3 Andy Edgington (Tusses) 4pts

4 Simon Deakin (Barston) 4pts

5 Dan Hull (Hull's Aerials) 5pts