Ringer Baits are a team not to be trusted to lay down and stay down when they’re seemingly dead.
Three disastrous rounds into the Meadowlands 16 teams of three, they were sinking in ignominy – then came howling back to top the league with two wins on the bounce!
And just to rub it in to the also-rans...it all came down to one 9lb carp landed by Steve Ringer in the last two minutes of the last match – which put them top overall, rather than fourth.
Bad weather had already shortened the series to five rounds, and with water temperatures of just 1 degree on Sunday, most wondered if anything would be caught at all.
Yet Team Guru’s Mark Griffiths won with carp and bream for 51-8, followed by Baileys’ Simon Cordingley 49-8 and Ringers’ patriarch Geoff, 29-8.
Series top six: Ringer Baits 93, Team Guru 97, Swanny 102, Scone Zone 114, Cherry Pie Trio 118, Milton Keynes 120.
Think it has been cold? White Hart Flore’s Tom Griffiths remembers when he was a lad (LoL) back in ‘64: “When we had bonfires on top of 18 inches of ice on Abington Park lake.”
Sunday saw him stick his car in a snowdrift in the entrance to Spring Pools...
The rest called their match off.
Carpin Capers’ Dougie’s three-month quest for a 4lb river perch brought him an Ouse 3-15 the week before the end of the season.
Days later he went back for the magnificent 4-1 new PB he’s pictured with.
Andy Bazely did an all-nighter (REAL extreme fishing) at Stanwick for a 13lb carp and 6lb tench.
Lee Farmer has won the Makins individual A league, finishing six points ahead of Jason Lobosquet.
Andy Edgington won Sunday’s last leg with 32-4. Ian Hughes had 31-6.
Castle Ashby: Midweek on Scotland, Phil Wintle 32-4, Steve Abo 26-8, Bob Reed 22lb; Sunday, Grendon, Chris Garett 10-6, Reed 5-14, Alan West 3-14.
County vets’ silverfish sweep, Wednesday, Canons: Jeff Rice 16-8, John Lewis 10-2, Bob Spencer 10lb.
Finedon, Wold Farm: Barry Lawrence 6-6, Mark Clement 6-4.
Fish were so few and far between in Flore & Brockhall’s cut do that they measured them instead of weighing-in.
Steve Smith had 3 inches (a perch), Paul Humphries 2 and Rob Rawlins almost 1. That east wind shrinks everything...
FIXTURES: Tomorrow, Rutland opens for trouting, brrrr; April 7, Carpin Capers re-starts opening Sunday mornings (hopeful?). April 8, Nene AGM, 7.30, Yeomen of England, Wootton, proposals in by April 1. April 12, Olney AGM, 8pm, Two Brewers, Olney, proposals in by April 12.
April 14, MK teams of 4 canal league start 07703 556788. April 17, Castle AGM, 8pm, Far Cotton WMC.