Angling: With Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs having fished so well in recent weeks, it was an expectant field of 120 that lined the banks for the annual water industry national contest between the water companies and the Environment Agency.
Despite rising water levels and gusty conditions, rod averages were still over five in a great contest won by the EA.
Adrian Evans (EA South West) took top honours with a 17-fish bag scaling 26-15-0. Most fell to traditional wet fly tactics on an intermediate line.
Peter Thirnall (EA Wales) led a team that boasted three Welsh internationals to victory with second individual place. Although taking one more fish than the winner, his rainbows were of a lightly smaller stamp scaling 26-12-0.
Other leading rods: David Mee (EA Wales) 23-9-0, Paul Frapwell (Anglian Water) 19-6-0, Neil Gleeve (Water Companies) 18-7-0, William Crookshank (EA North West) 17-5-0. Teams: EA Wales 79-2-0, EA South West 69-12-0, Anglian Water 56-11-0.
A 40-peg charity event in aid of cystic fibrosis raised nearly £3,000, which will be matched by sponsors Yorkshire Water. Mal Rawton (Sherburn) won on his local Bacon Factory Pond with 14-10-0. Fishing pole and caster tight to the reed beds, he extracted five tench.
Ronnie Purdy (Castleford) netted a brace, plus a bream, for second with 7-12-0. Organiser Adrian Broomhead (Wheatsheaf) took a deserved third place with 7-8-0.
Other weights: Barry Wright (Allerton Bywater) 7-2-0, Mick Brind (Acomb Tackle) 6-12-0.
The field of 74 in a qualifier for the Browning Pole Championships had to be accommodated on all five lakes at the Woodlands complex. It was a day for the long pole men, all the leading contenders fishing 16 metres and beyond.
Ken Ovenden took top spot from Dragonfly 19 with 47-13-0. Fishing 16 metres to the corner of the island, he took carp to 7lb on maggot over a steady trickle of groundbait and pellets.
Nigel Johnson (Cleveland Angling) had to settle for the bridesmaid's berth for the second time in a week.
Pegged on Mallard eight, he also fished at 16 metres with maggot over groundbait. His catch of 43-8-0 was made up of much smaller specimens averaging 6oz. He would have finished a place higher but for the loss of three bigger fish when his line became snagged around his pole cup.
Nick Garbutt (Headingley Angling) took third with a mixed net of carp, tench and barbel from Swallow five. Other leading weights: Danny McGuire (Preston Innovations) 38-14-0, Mick Herrington (Headingley Angling) 38-0-0, Pete Nixon (Middlesborough Newman Scotts) 36-14-0. Qualifiers: Ken Ovenden, Nigel Johnson, Pete Nixon, Jez Bennett (MAP Elton).
The meat men did the damage in the 32-entry Raker Open. Nick Garbutt (Headingley AC) fished at 18 metres on peg eight, and netted carp throughout to finish with 46-13-0.
Runner-up Rob Want (Boston Spa) took the easier option of fishing a waggler to the far bank for another all-carp net scaling 38-9-0.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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