Angling latest

The annual Bridgnorth AS’s August Bank Holiday open team event attracted ten squads of eight who competed along the right bank of the River Severn above the town.

Carrying an influx of cold dam water it proved a hard nut to crack and catches were very disappointing.

Winner with 69-9-0 was Rob Griffiths (Total Angling) who caught 17 barbel from peg 49 on the Linley section.

Second placed Simon Henshall (Rosa’s Rebels) caught a mixture of chub and barbel weighing 47-13-0 using the same tactics, but from the Wren’s Nest section further upstream.

Barry Cooper (Phoenix) 41-2-0 was third over Steve Slade (Rowley Regis) 28-3-0.

Top team with 69 points was Sensas Tackle Angling. Maver Wolves were second on 64 over Bridgnorth A S 57, Rowley Regis 56 and Willow Creek 47.

The club’s previous Saturday open fixture in the same area produced a much better result topped by a 78-7-0 haul.

Chris Harrison Bailey from Warwick made the catch of 15 barbel and four chub from peg 28 above the island.

Organising club members Dave Short and Eric Bancroft weighed in 51-8-0 and 51-5-0 over North West club visitors Rob Oliver 51-2-0 and Chris Simmonds 48-13-0.

• The Bratch sections of the Staffs Worcester canal at Wombourne produced some unexpectedly large catch weights and a new Wolverhampton A A record of 49-8-0 in the Sunday open fixture.

In-form Bert Simmill was behind the rod at a peg opposite the moored black boat just above Bumble Hole lock.

He hooked a score of chub, the largest weighing 4-12-0 plus a few small fish with chopped worms and casters.

Steve Broome (Black Country Tackle) was second with 22-7-0, again all chub.

Walsall’s Steve Cope was third with 11-10-0 over Kevin Berry (ZLT Products) 9-6-7, John Hall (Bilston Angling) 7-12-0 and Chris Hatton (Black Country Tackle) 6-6-0.

• The Wolverhampton Over 55s fixture was held on the Staffs Worcester canal above the lock at Gailey where Willenhall’s Dennis Lewis was the winner.

His 6-12-0 catch was made up with skimmer bream, roach and perch from peg No 14 in the middle of the small bay above the lock.

Colin Cole (Bilston Angling) was second with 5-2-4 from peg seven.

Bilston Tackle dealer John Hall was next with 5-0-0 of roach caught with casters over Tony Wordley (Gailey) 4-8-8, Barry Lewis (Black Country Tackle) 3-12-2 and John Bickley (West End( 3-10-10.

• Cradley Heath Labour club team won the annual Black Country Championship but they only just made it with two points to spare over Rowley Regis.

The match was held on the River Severn at Bewdley where nine teams were spread along the Birmingham AA’s waters on the right bank above the town.

Individual winner with 35-9-0 was Mark Jones (Durmech) who caught barbel at peg 11 on the Hawkesbatch section.

Second placed Keith Russell (Bell Otters) was close behind with 33-14-0, Rowley Regis’s team man Neville Bailey was third with 32-4-0 over two more Bell Otters team men, Matt McGinnis 31-2-0 and Paul Pountney 16-0-0.

• The third round of the Dams & Lock Summer league took place along the Birmingham Fazeley canal at Tyburn where Darren Massey (Shakespeare) led the individual catches with 14-13-0.

Tipton’s Martin Owen was second with 11-11-0 from the Forge Lane section; Next was Rob Chambers (Dams & Lock Revived) 11-6-0 and John Fowler (Dams & Lock Gold) 7-12-2.

Team penalty points were Maver Tipton VDE 14, Maver Tipton Gold 17, Shakespeare 18, Dams & Lock Gold and Silver both 27. League points to date are Maver Tipton VDE 46, Shakespeare 57, Maver Tipton Gold 67 and Sensas Dams & Lock Gold and Daiwa Trentmen both 86.

• Wolverhampton based Tipton VDE team ace Paul Turner got back on the winning trail in style after a lean spell when he won the Stoke City AA’s open match with an outstanding18-11-4 top catch.

Favourably pegged on the Shropshire Union canal at Norbury he hooked a 2 lb 8 oz hybrid plus skimmer bream to 8 oz and one or two small roach all taken with casters.

Dave Richards (Midleisure) was second with 8-8-2 over Eric Gardner (Eclipse) 8-2-2.

• Junior contests have been in full swing on Walsall’s Arboretum lake and it was good to see Charlotte Gough win a Sunday fixture quite easily with a creditable 8-10-0 catch.

Daughter of well known Dave, she caught four bream with sweetcorn at a peg behind the bandstand.

Jay Wooley was second with 2-6-0 over Ashley Sylvester 1-8-0 and Josh Stead 1-4-0.

A midweek event for seven to 15-year- olds saw David Dale from Wolverhampton win quite easily with 8-8-0.

He too hooked bream from near the boathouse but with a long pole and casters.

Jordan Sanders (Willenhall) and Liam Arrowsmith were joint second both with 2-8-0 over Paul Davies (Walsall) 1-8-3.

• Bank Holiday contests at Patshull Park produced a best catch of 81-5-0 for boat angler Wally Pennington while the heaviest haul from the bank was 55-9-0 taken by Alan Murray.

The Legend Fires overall results were Steve Beast 3 points (109-13-0), Bryan Nessbit 3 (80-1-0) Dave Windsor 3 (65-15-0) and Alan Murray 4 (119-9-0).