A decent drive up, apart from that bloody bizarre M42 where you do 60mph, come to a stop, get to 60 again, stop again and so on.... never see a reason for the bunching, except perhaps the variable speed gantry signs.
It was a shame to see the numbers supporting this match down on previous years, its a good cause as the ladies have to fund themselves in the World Championships and it's a good match, well run by Julie Abbott.
I was early into the big silver trophy that is used for the draw and wasn't too disappointed to see 56 on the ticket It's and area that usually throws up a few fish, so hopefully I'd have a few.
Four rods set up and 2 topkits. The rods were a 12' Titan 2000 with a 2SSG waggler, a 13' Maver Reactorlite 2 with a 4G Drennan pellet waggler, both with 6lb TDR line, to 0.17 hooklengths and a 16 PR36. Two Daiwa Tournaments, an 11' with a Guru elasticated bomb and a 12' with an elasticated Guru hybrid feeder. Hooklengths were 12" on the bomb and 3" on the method, both 0.20 and a 14 QM1. Topkits had two similar rigs, one on 0.16 and a 0.14 hooklength, with a 18 LWG and a band for skimmers, the other on 0.20/0.16 with a 16 B960, again with a band, this was in case the carp moved in.
Match organiser Julie rocked up on the next peg and I was ready before she called the all-in. I started on the pellet waggler but it took 20 minutes to get a bite, which turned out to be an F1. In the next 40 minutes I had 2 small carp and anther F1, it wasn't hectic and Julie wasn't catching either, she'd started on the method long.
The next 3 hours were spent scratching around for bites, I kept feeding the 8mm pellets and had the occasional look on the bomb and waggler, with nothing to show for it. I fed the pole line (I only had 7 sections out of the bag) and left it for 30 minutes, dropping in with 8mm banded pellet, I hooked a fish that took off for the middle of the lake, obviously not a skimmer, the 10 solid bottomed out and next the 0.14 hooklength parted - bugger!! I had a 4lb bream and then a run of smaller fish, it died off pretty quickly though, so I refed and had another fish straight away, but felt that if I wanted to catch skimmers, I'd need to add sections, so back on the rod and line it was.
I started up the feed and went on the straight lead and with 90 minutes left, started to catch fish, with 40 minutes left the bites had slowed and the fish were evident on the surface, so back on the waggler and I had a few more F1's and carp - not sure if the run at the end was 100% down to me upping the feed or a combination of that and the time of day. as Julie had started catching now, including one that brought a few comments on its size (22.08 when weighed).
The match ended all too soon, as I was catching well at the end, especially given the fairly barren middle, a couple of lost fish cost me, the one on the pole and frustratingly one on the bomb, I had forgotten to move my pole from across the footpath and was playing a double figure fish under the rodtip, when an impatient looking couple were on the path, very near my pole, as I juggled to move the pole and keep in touch with the fish, it lunged and snapped the 0.20 hooklength - convinced I would have landed it had I not had to move the pole. As it was my 121.08 was joint 3rd in section, with Julie taking second spot with 127.12, if my negative feeding was why I struggled in the middle, maybe I could have pushed section winner Mark Poppleton who had 175lb - a lot more than he admitted to!!
A couple of 200lb+ weights took first and second overall, well done to Mark Wynne and Pete Bailey, already looking forward to my next trip to Barston - whenever that will be. Hopefully Julie raised a decent sum from the match and raffle.
