15 December 2024 Christmas Match - Grove Pond
Tough going
Eleven anglers fished and 8 weighed-in. Matt Andrew was top weight with 2lb 15oz from peg 15. Prolific is was not! Matt's catch consisted of an early roach and a late F1. Bob Steele was second with 12oz and Nathan Steele came third with just 6oz.
I would like to extol the virtues of the pond at this time of year but it can fish hard when the weather is bad.
20 October 2024 10th Aggregate - Grove Pond
The winner is Ashley....
The storm, that is! Not a person called Ashley. The first named storm of the winter hit on Saturday evening and brought strong winds and heavy rain through the match.
Derek Wilby took top spot with 3lb 14oz from peg 7, he was well clear of Matt Todd on the next peg 8 with 1lb 3oz. Matt was just a single ounce ahead of Phil Mansbridge with 1lb 2oz on peg 10.
Matt Andrew failed in his attempt to add another win to his impressive performance this year, but still managed 172 points for his best 8 matches in the aggregate trophy, dropping just 4 points from a possible maximum of 176.
Matt was well clear of Tony Brooker with 157 points and Derek Wilby on 143.
22 September 2024 9th Aggregate - Grove Pond
And Matt takes the aggregate trophy (again)!
This was a hard match, all anglers caught but only four weighed more than a pound. Matt Andrew took top honours again, he had 5lb 10oz from peg 7. Bob Steele made a welcome return to the leader board with 3lb 8oz from peg 10 for second place, his catch included a lovely one pound crucian. Third was Tony Brooker in peg 18, his 2lb 13oz earning third place and 20 points.
And the winner is.....
With a match still to go we offer our congratulations to Matt Andrew for taking the aggregate trophy for the second year running. He has an unassailable 172 points, showing a level of dominance not seen before only dropping 4 points from a maximum possible of 176 (even Jim Routledge in his prime didn't come close), Matt has taken top place on five of the seven matches at the pond so far - backed with a second and a fourth plus a win at Whitehouse).
Second in the aggregate trophy is Tony Brooker with 157 points (he has 170 points in total but drops his lowest points (13 from aggregate 3). As far as I can see Tony can't be caught.
Derek Wilby is currently in third place with 136 points but he could be caught by Phil Mansbridge who is just 2.5 points behind.
15 September 2024 8th Aggregate - Grove Pond
The unstoppable Mr Andrew
Once again Matt Andrew took the top spot (winning five of the eight matches so far). This time with 13lb 12oz from peg 21. He was followed by Ray Rolfe who took 8lb 6oz next to Matt in peg 20, third was Joe Bowman fishing peg 4 has just 3lb 5oz.
All thirteen anglers weighed in but only five had more than one pound.
What is Matt's secret?
You may well ask what is the secret behind Matt's apparent dominance at the pond. Well, I can revel all! During an exclusive interview with Matt he revealed his secret ingredient, it's something we can all use and need to have. It is not complex but difficult to obtain, it is an unshakeable belief that what he is doing is right.
When he puts his rig in the water he remains convinced that a fish will take it, there is no doubt in his mind - and that gives him an edge even before the all-in is called.
As for the aggregate league, Matt Andrew and Tony Brooker are tied on 150 points. However, it is from the next match (No. 9) when the effect of dropping the lowest points matches to make the best 8 from 10 that will be telling, and here Matt holds the upper hand. But who knows what will hapen on the 22 September and 20 October.
Phil Mansbridge is third with 129.5 points but it looks unlikely he, or anyone else, will be able to chase down the two front runners at the moment.
1 September 2024 7th Aggregate - Grove Pond
It's the Matt and Tony Show
Back on the pond after a couple of away matches and the usual pattern this year of Matt Andrew and Tony Brooker battling it out at the top of the leader board.
Top honours on the day went to Matt Andrew with 7lb 6oz from peg 20 (from where he won the committee cup the week before). Second place went to Derek Wilby in peg 2 with 6lb 11oz. Third was Tony Brooker who took 5lb 9oz from peg 9.
Tony Brooker is currently top of the leader board with 133 points, ahead of Matt Andrew who has 128 points. This all suggests a tight finish where the two lowest points dropped at the end of the ten match series will play an important role. Phil Mansbridge, in third position, remains in touching distance of the leaders
25 August 2024 Committee Cup - Grove Pond
Oh dear! If the memorial match was poorly attended then this was worse! Just five of the invited anglers attended!
Top honours went to Matt Andrew who took 10lb 2oz from peg 20. That was followed by Martin Bennet with 3lb 7oz, just one ounce ahead of Peter Powell, 3lb 6oz.
This is not much of a report, I know, but there wasn't really much of a match to report on.
17 August 2024 Memorial match - Grove Pond
Only half a dozen anglers turned up for the annul memorial match and the pond was not at its best. Bob Alder took first place with 7lb 1oz from peg 7, second was Matt Todd with 5lb 14oz and third was Andy Moody with 4lb 2oz.
A few years ago the club consolidated the various memorial matches into one match due to low attendance at each. This worked for a while but if attendance continues to decline we'll be holding a memorial for the memorial match.
10 August 2024 6th Aggregate - Whitehouse
"Woe, woe and thrice woe" - thrice times
Oh! There were so many one liners i could have gone with here. "From hero to zero" would have been one as Matt Andrew, who romped home uncontested a few weeks ago managed a glorious blankety blank this time around. "A close run thing" would have been another as only three ounces separated the top two anglers.
However, I chose to use Frankie Howerd's line, but multiplied three times to reflect the fact that Derek Wilby managed to lose no fewer than nine carp! Yes, not a typo, 9. On the pole, two broke his elastic, three totally trashed his rig, and a couple came unhooked. Even on the method feeder there was no success, the two fish hooked managed to slip the hook.
The winner on the day, and taking 22 points, was Peter Powell who drew carp corner, he took 27lb 15oz to the scales with four carp and a few small perch and roach. The successful tactic was groundbait in a method feeder to the margins of the island. He managed to scrape home by just 3 ounces despite losing four carp. Second was Tony Brooker with 27lb 12oz (from the same peg that Matt won from last time) also mainly carp. Tony managed to break his landing net pole, and lose a carp in the process, right at the end of the match.
Third, and quite a long way behind, was Phil Mansbridge with 13lb 9oz for his 20 points. With barely quarter of an hour to go Phil had a pound or so of bits when he took an 11lb 11oz carp.
The carp all seemed to be in one corner of the lake, the winner and second were almost opposite each other and Derek, for all his woes with lost fish, was pegged next to the winner and opposite second.
The aggregate leader board has changed with this match, Matt Andrew has slipped to second place with his zero points but that is fairly meaningless at this stage as that will be one of his dropped matches at the end when the best 8 from 10 count. Tony Brooker has now moved to top spot with 113 points to Matt's 106. Third is Phil Mansbridge who has put in a consistent set of results so far.
28 July 2024 Wantage and Grove Vs. The Plough - Round 1 - Grove Pond
The old rivalry resumes
The teams assembled on a fine dry, still morning and at the all-in the fish must have spooked at the sight of all those lengths of carbon waving above their heads and played unusually hard to get. As usual, bream played a key in the weights backed up by the roach and occasional crucian.
Top weight on the day was Matt Andrew who picked up 16 points for W&G with 23lb 1oz from peg 18 (Matt is proving difficult to beat on this venue at the moment). Second overall was Stuart Harrop, he added 15 points for W&G with 19lb 8oz from peg 14.
Top scorer for The Plough was Matt Cramp with 11lb 1oz from peg 19 and 14 points, in fourth place was Les Teale, also for The Plough.
Bob Steele did have a tench as part of his 7lb 7oz during which he gave us all a lesson in how to ineffectually chase a fish with the net and make three or four unsuccessful netting attempts before it finally succumbed.
The team match results after this first round are closer than they have been for a few years, Wantage and Grove have 73 points to The Plough's 63.
With a lead of just 10 points to take in to the second round on 6th October there's all to play for.
The team results as published are sorted by team first then position within each team.
20 July 2024 5th Aggregate - Whitehouse
A one man show
Just ten anglers made the trip to Tadley and what is normally a good fishery, but (and I'm sure you could see a "but" coming) the fish didn't play fair.
Matt Andrew was the clear and run-away winner with 39lb 11oz from peg 11 on the island. He started on the pole under a tree to his left but after getting completely wrecked by a couple of big carp he switched to the method feeder in the same spot, that allowed the fish to run past the tree without the danger of crashing an expensive piece of pole against the tree trunk.
Second, and a long way behind Matt was Steve Ferris, he was on peg 7 and took 10lb 4oz to the scales. Gerry Austin was almost opposite Matt on peg 6 with 9lb 13oz for third.
The carp were firmly in Matt's swim and his weight was more than all other anglers put together, also, his biggest fish on it's own would have won!
The win for Matt Andrew has strengthened his position at the top of the leader board, he now has an impressive 106 points having dropped only 4 points from the 5 matches so far.
Tony Brooker remains in second place 14 points behind Matt on 92 points and Phil Mansbridge is third with 85 points.
13 July 2024 New Forest Challenge - Orchard Lakes
Lovely day for a swim!
With dry weather forecast seven of us headed to the new forest on the Friday for a friendly fish-in and evening meal prior to the main event on the Saturday.
Friday was cool and breezy and (mainly) dry, just a couple of very light showers passed through. The fish came steadily through the day until the peace of the fishery was disturbed by a stragne body seen in the water. Was it a seal? Was it the Loch Ness monster's long lost relative? No, it was none other than Matt Andrew going for a swim, there's a video on the WhatsApp and Facebook pages. He been slapping shallow and the sections had worked loose, upon hooking a reed on the far bank the top 5 sections parted company from the rest of the pole. Given that his pole is a Daiwa Air I suppose going in for it was understandable.
Saturday dawned and the seven overnighters were joined by three more. Pegging was the usually generous double spaced, the swims are well spaced anyway so this gives everyone loads of room. The exception being at the top end where there is more space in front of each peg. In addition to the usual overall weight there's a sub-match for silvers. No aggregate points for this match.
Congratulations go to Bob Steele, on end peg 30, who took not only the overall match with 34lb 6oz but also topped the silvers match, his overall weight included 20lb 2oz of silvers taken on worm over pellet.
Second was Phil Mansbridge with exactly 30lb from peg 16, he had a lot of his fish by chucking a method feeder down the channel opposite him, almost all his fish were carp or F1s, he only weighed 8oz of silvers.
Third was Nathan Steel in peg 24, he took 28lb 11oz including 6lb 9oz of silvers.
There was a "committee" battle between your honourable correspondent on peg 18 and Matt Andrew on peg 20. This one went to Matt by just a single ounce! 26lb 14oz to 26lb 13oz. Matt was assisted by deciding not to go for a swim this time.
The timing of the match was just right, it had been dry through the day (apart from one light shower), the weigh-in had been completed by about 5:15 and then, as we were driving away, the skies opened, it came down in torrents.
This venue is great fun, loads of fish and, if you look at the results, an incredibly fair venue. As we were having breakfast in the on-site cafe we "old-codgers" were discussing our ailments, it was pointed out that when we were young the conversation would revolve around cars, sport, beer & sex. We'd love to see more younger anglers on this trip, we'd change our conversation back 40 years (although maybe avoid sex).
30 June 2024 4th Aggregate - Grove Pond
There's just no pleasing some.
In order to quell complaints about pegs being left out our match secretary, Andy Moody, decided to put all pegs in (except for a couple not in for safety reasons). This resulted in parts of the pond being relatively empty whilst other anglers felt crowded. Whatever is decided it will leave some complaining.
Anyway, onto the fishing, 13 anglers wet a line with the top spot and 22 points going to Bob Alder with 19lb 2oz from peg 21. Second was Steve Ferris who was less than a pound behind Bob, he took 18lb 6oz out of peg 7. Third was Peter Powell, who was pleased with his best match weight to date of 15lb 8oz from peg 20.
Overall, the pond fished reasonably well, 5 anglers took more than 10lb to the scales. We did have a new member fish the match, unfortunately Philip Copley didn't bother the scales but it is hoped we will see him again as well as any other new members.
Matt Andrew managed 19 points for this match towards his aggregate total now standing at 84 points. However, none of those in the following pack could beat that so he has extended his lead over Tony Brooker in second with 73 points. Phil Mansbridge's 16 points on the day has moved him to 67 points and pushed him up two places to third overall.
The next club match isn't part of the aggregate series but is the annual New Forest Challenge - a social fish-in at Orchard Lakes on Friday 12 July followed by a match on Saturday. Overnight at a local hostellery for a meal and a pint or two (but not too many - serious fishing to be done)!
16 June 2024 3rd Aggregate - Grove Pond
The glorious 16th
For those of us old enough to remember, this was the start of the fishing season after an enforced three month layoff (and still is for river anglers). It was always met with huge expectations only for these to be snagged-up on the lily bed of reality.
And so, to the match, where the dreams of the anglers were met by the indifference of the fish.
First, once again, was Matt Andrew who took a mixed bag of 16lb 9oz from peg 17. Give that man some deep water (and some room - pegs 16 & 18 were empty) and he'll catch well. Second on the day was Bob Steele with 9lb 11oz from peg 19. Two ounces only separated Ray Rolfe in peg 9 from Danny Dance in peg 7. Ray's 7lb 7oz pushed Danny into fourth.
Tony Brooker was tied on points with Matt Andrew before this match but Tony only managed 2lb 5oz and tenth place for 13 points, this meant that Matt's win and 22 points on the day has opened up a gap at the top. Matt now has 65 points, Tony is second on 56. Bob Steele's second place on the day, giving him 21 points, has moved him up to third on the leader board, just a single point behind Tony.
Greetings to a new member, James Ivey, who fished a match with the club for the first time. Unfortunately James only managed 7oz from peg 2, but look on the bright side - he didn't come last! Hopefully we'll see more of James at future matches.
2 June 2024 2nd Aggregate - Grove Pond
Only ten anglers but given that the night was very cold for the time of year and a bright, still, sunny day was forecast that's hardly surprising.
Matt Andrew romped home in first place with 23lb 13oz comprising eight bream and a few roach (including a lovely fish of 13oz) from peg 3. Matt fish a line at eight metres and no quarter was given, the fish were unceremoniously landed with a 3lb hooklength and a 13 elastic, heavy as that may seem there is no doubt it was effective.
Matt's weight was over three times that of second place Tony Brooker who took 7lb 8oz from peg 1, this peg is often a flier but failed to take off on the day, possibly due to the cold overnight temperatures. Third was Danny Dance, peg 9 with 6lb 2oz.
The carp did put in an appearance, that is, if it can be called an "appearance" between the float disappearing and the line breaking. This happened to Tony in peg 1 and twice to Ray Rolfe in the corner peg 15.
After two matches there are two anglers tied at the top of the leader board, Both Matt Andrew and Tony Brooker have won one and come second in one each giving them 43 points. Following them, on 34 points each are three anglers, Phil Mansbridge, Derek Wilby (oh! how he must rue those lost carp) and Bob Steele.
However, it's early days and lots can change before the final results.
19 May 2024 1st Aggregate - Grove Pond
So it begins again
Battle is once more drawn for the honour of winning the club aggregate trophy. Fifteen anglers attended the first match and there were no great dramas, I have no reports of anyone battling unseen monsters for hours on end, only to lose them in the lilies!
Taking honours on the day was Tony Brooker with a mixed bag of 13lb 11oz from peg 16, closely followed by Matt Andrew on peg 9 with 10lb 15oz. Tony managed to pip Matt with a bream almost at the end of the day.
Fishing peg 7 Vicky Knowlson was third with 6lb 8oz. There were no dry nets, a large variety of species were caught but it was noticable that the deeper end of the pond fished best.
The next aggregate match is scheduled for Sunday 2nd June.
Matches for the 2024/25 season.
After a rubbish year weather wise here's hoping that this year's match calendar will run more smoothly. In an effort to help things run smoothly the date spread of the aggregate matches this year is reduced, the last being the 20 October. This leaves some slack in the match calendar to allow for any unforseen postponements and rescheduling.
.........and so.....to business:
5 May 2024 Blind Pairs - Grove Pond
Fluff, fluff & more fluff
Finally, the water in the pond has fallen enough to allow a near normal match, however, the white fluffy stuff falling from the sky didn't help things. No! Not snow, but all the cotton-like fluff descending from the trees, it coated the water at the southern end making pegs 8 through to 16 tricky to fish.
Generally the weather was favourable (well, at least it didn't rain) and temperatures were a positively balmy 15 degrees C.
This was fished jointly with the last aggregate of the 2023/24 season (see blog for that year for details) but here we'll just deal with the blind pairs part as it is the first match of 2024/25.
Top angler on the day was Gerry Austin, who was given the run-around by a carp which, when added to a few bream and bits from peg 2, gave him 13lb 5oz, closely followed by Matt Andrew with a bream and bits bag of 11lb 13oz from peg 6. There was a bit of a drop down to third, Ray Rolfe weighing in 6lb 4oz on peg 3.
The pegs on the southern end fished poorly, filling the bottom 4 places despite there being good anglers on them.
The pairing were drawn blind from peg numbers and were:
Andy Moody & Matt Andrew, Gerry Austin & Martin Bennett, Ray Rolfe & Bob Steele
Derek Wilby & Vicky Knowlson, Matt Todd & Peter Powell, Phil Mansbridge & Tony Brooker,
Danny Dance & Bob Alder and finally, Steve Ferris & Derek Wilby.
There was a draw for points for the top two pairings, Andy Moody and Matt Andrew had 37 points (16 and 21 points respectively) as did Derek Wilby & Vicky Knowlson (19 and 18 points). It all came down to total weight, Andy and Matt took the title with a combined weight of 15lb 40z compared to Derek & Vicky's of 10lb 7oz.
Third=, on 34 points was Gerry Austin & Martin Bennett.
Next match is the first aggregate on 19th May.
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