John on a hat-trick in the wind – Damson, Decoy

My old mate John Smith nearly got blowed off his box on Damson, but managed to hold on to his pole and all his necessaries to win his second Spratts match in a row. Oops, that’s probably put the kybosh on completing the hat-trick...sorry, John, I just didn’t think! 

I didn’t fish this match, cos I was saving myself for two matches in the next two days. But John reckoned he had never fished in just windy conditions. He was on Peg 13, first on the far bank, and found fish in the margins for about an hour – as you usually do here- on cat meat. They inevitably went off, and he managed to find more by fishing to his left (the gale was coming from the right) to the corner. Even then he caught next-to-nothing in the last two hours, but finished top with 84 lb 2 oz.

Smiling Peter Barnes took second with 71 lb 6 oz fishing a feeder close in with pellet and maggot from Peg 10. And organiser Trevor fished meat and pellet on the margins for 63 lb 15 oz, with Peter The Paste  fourth.