News

Freak canal match sees top two anglers bank over 70lb.
Anglers taking part in last weeks Upper Thames Winter League enjoyed a match to remember,
with over 40lb needed to win on a very cold and clear Kennet & Avon Canal.

Suprisingly, the practice match the week before the round fished totally differently, with extremely low weights being recorded.

With the canal closed for navigation due to lock repairs, and the cold nights the canal was crystal clear. Come the round proper the following week, and the conditions were the same - with little improvement expected.

However, the top four anglers in this fifth round put over 108lb on the scales. Top on the day was Browning Andover Ben Bently with40lb 3oz of perch, bream and skimmers. Ben drew two pegs above church lock in G section and started on bread at 6m, after a slow start caught a few skimmers to 2lb.

A change to achopped worm line at 13m down the canal produce three perch for 10lb and some bream and good skimmers. At the other end of the match length on peg A1 in Crofton was Glyn Loveday (Swindon Tailisman). Starting on bread at 11m Glyn caught roach steady but an early look on a chopped worm line was a wise move. After this, Glyn caught bream and perch to 3lb on caster and bits oflobworm for a 34lb 12oz total.

It was Browning Andover who came out as top team on the day with 39 points. With one round left
to fish there are three teams (Devizes MG, Garbolino BMV & Daiwa GL) in first place with 13 points.
So it’s all down to the final round to conclude which teams will progress to the yet to be announced
AT Winter League Semi Finals.

Results: 1 B Bentley, Browning Andover, 40-3-0; 2 G Loveday, Swindon Tailisman, 34-12-0; 3 D
Johnson, Swindon Tailisman, 22-5-0; 4 S Williams, Maver Lobby's, 11-4-0; 5 B Giles, Browning
Andover, 7-1-0; 6 A Jane, Maver Lobby's, 6-1-0; 7 J Bohane, Swindon Tailisman, 5-3-0; 8 G Blunt,
Browning Andover, 5-0-0

Team Points
1 Browning Andover, 39; 2 Garbolino BMV, 37; 3 Devizes MG, 36; 4 Daiwa Gordon
League, 34; 5 Maver Lobby's, 26; 5 Swindon Tailisman, 26;

League
1 Daiwa Gordon League, 13; Devizes MG, 13; Garbolino BMV, 13; 4 Maver Lobby's, 20; 4 Browning
Andover, 20; 6 Swindon Tailisman, 26;