ADVENTURE AS went to New Barlow’s Lake last Sunday, where Tony Holdsworth took the honours with a barbel and skimmer bag of 26lb 8oz, all falling to pole, chopped worm and caster. Dave Stratford-Way fished with pole and pellet for his even 20lb of carp. Graham (Shaggy) Shadwell caught 12lb 8oz of mixed on pole and maggot, while Steve Palmer’s 12lb 6oz was a pole and corn affair.

Sixteen fished a cosy match and all caught.

Kennet Ospreys’ match on a virtually waterless Greenridge Farm saw Steve Hunt in the driving seat, netting 125lb of carp on the pole, dead red maggots, and pinkies.

Venue ace Pete Newman made second place his from the adjacent peg to winner with 118lb of carp on pole and maggot. Glen Wills put pole and paste to good use by catching 84lb of carp down the edge. Simon Couling continues his match rehabilitation with a creditable 67lb of carp on pole and maggot.

Fifteen fished and all caught.

Camrose AC fished a sensible pole only match at Cheriton Farm, where Paul Bassinder ran out the winner with 10lb 12oz of carp on pole and pellet. Chris Hopgood’s pole and meat approach gave him 69lb 8oz of carp and second spot, just squeezing out match secretary Pip Seeny, whose 69lb 6oz was a pole and bread affair. Pete Morris made up the frame on 58lb 10oz of pole and meat caught carp. Ten fished and all caught.

Basingstoke Railway piscatorials (there’s posh) were at Soke Road on Sunday last, where I managed a rare win with 17lb of tench and bream on paste.

Alan Wells sprinted into second place with 13lb 6oz of carp on pole corn and pellet. Match secretary Dave Edwards put 11lb 8oz of carp on the scales for third place, while Ben Truman hopped into fourth spot on 11lb 6oz.

Thirteen fished a difficult venue.

The Barney Barrington Memorial match will be held on the Beale Bird Park stretch of the Thames this year on Sunday, September 28.

Reading Fishing Club have kindly donated the water for the day and Alan Clarke, of Thames Valley Angling, will give you all the information you need to know about the venue.

To book on this match, and I hope you will, contact André Grandjean on 01256 412680.

The Basingstoke Championships are due to take place on Sunday, September 21, at Gold Valley Lakes.

Match secretaries must submit the lists to André Grandjean as soon as possible as the numbers have to be finalised expediently.

Moaning was taken to new height a couple of matches ago when, as usual, a pre-match visit to “Lidl”

supermarket saw Ian Jones buy the usual tray of sweetcorn. I followed him in and purchased a tray of corn. I opened my first tin prior to the start of the match and filled a bait box with the yellow stuff. Jonesy opened his and filled his bait box with green stuff, he had purchased 12 tins of processed peas – boy did he moan.

Catch me next week.