| The
2001 White Acres Skol Masters winner take all 12-angler Grand Final -
Cornwall's biggest sporting payout - saw Manchester's Harry Billing take
the £25,000 winner take all cheque thanks to a big carp in the closing
stages at the holiday park near Newquay boosting his catch to 36 lb 5 oz.
With twenty minutes to go in the four-hour event Harry, a 47-year-old
engineer from Manchester who fishes for Keenets Northwest, was one of
several anglers engaged in a nip and tuck battle for the big money cheque
when he hooked and landed an 11 lb 10 oz ghost carp! If that wasn't enough
he dropped back in and immediately added 5 lb carp that sealed the fate of
his rivals and he was able to smile and look forward to the final hooter
in some comfort. 'I knew when I hooked the big ghostie it was the match
winner and when I netted it after playing it for ten minutes I was shaking
like a leaf,' said a beaming Harry. The event backed by the local St
Austell Brewery regional representatives of Skol produced a strong final,
all twelve anglers having won through from the preceeding five day
180-angler Skol Masters festival including last years winner Alex Murray
from Yeovil Somerset and runner up in 2000 Grant Albutt from Halesowen,
West Midlands.
Alex |
|
Grant |
To
qulaify for the festival anglers had already won a weekly residents match
at the UK's top angling holiday complex or finished in the top 50 during
one of the Spring or Autumn festivals. Up until Harry surged ahead last
years runner up Daiwa Dorking's Grant Albutt looked like he was edging it
after opening with six small carp on feeder before tempting others to 6 lb
on the pole, but after losing a couple of foul hooked carp his swim died
ending with 24-11-0. Second place - worth nothing - was once again no
consolation for the Halesowen data cable layer just ahead of a strong peg
5 challenge by Leicester heating engineer Steve Hemingray who teased out
21-11-0 of smaller carp, tench and roach. After the final fishery manager
Clint Elliott said: 'It's been the most exciting match I've seen, very,
very tight until the end, and a most popular winner'. After presenting the
big cheque Ian Blunt of sponsors Skol said: 'We have been very pleased to
once again sponsor this great event and look forward to doing so again
next year'.
Victorious Harry Billing
SKOL MASTERS GRAND FINAL
RESULT.
1st Harry Billing (Keenets NW) peg 21
36-5-0
2nd Grant Albutt (Daiwa Dorking) peg 16 24-11-0
3rd Steve Hemingray (Daiwa Leicester Sensas) peg 5 21-11-0
4th Des Shipp (Preston Innovations/ Daiwa Dorking) peg 19 17-7-0
5th Dave Lewis (Team Sillybait) peg 13 16-8-0
6th Darren Bickerton (Daiwa Trentmen) peg 18 14-0-0
7th Mark Warren (Shakespeare) peg 6 12-8-0
8th Steve Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) peg 15 12-3-0
9th Richie Hull (MAP Garbolino Starlets) peg 12 9-14-0
10th Simon Gould (Trabucco / Simon's 2000) peg 8 8-9-0
11th Alex Murray (Team Sillybait) peg 9 8-3-0
12th Craig Evans (Keenets NW) 6-10-0
SKOL MASTERS FESTIVAL.
The
preceding five day 180-angler Skol Masters Festival deciding the finalists
was won with maximum 36 points by MAP Garbolino Starlet's ace Richie Hull
who earned a cheque for £2000 plus £562 in pools notching up his first
White Acres festival win. A bet with bookmaker Bill Knott added another
£300 to the Hull coffers and went some way to his dissappointment in the
final itself. 'It was just a bonus to fish the final as soon as I drew peg
12 I knew I was out of it. What I really wanted to do was win the festival
and that's what I did,' said 37-year-old Coventry courier Richie. Harry
Billing and Steve Hemingray were both one point behind but Harry took the
£900 runner-up cheque with a better dropped result. The battle for the
lower end of the twelve final places was intense with ten anglers from
ninth to eighteenth tying on 32 points dropped scores then weight
deciding the outcome.
Festival Result
1st Richie Hull (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 36 £2000
2nd Harry Billing (Keenets NW) 35 dropped 8 £900
3rd Steve Hemingray (Daiwa / Leicester Sensas) 35 dropped 5 £800
4th Dave Lewis (Team Sillybait) 34 points dropped 7 £700
5th Mark Warren (Shakespeare) 34 points dropped 6 £600
6th Des Shipp (Preston Innovations / Daiwa Dorking) dropped 4 £500
Daily Lake winners
Day 1
A section Pollawyn Steve Clarke (Daiwa Trentmen) 71-8-0; B section
Trelawney,
Nelson, Eery Rick Haynes (West Mids) 60-9-0; C section Gwinear Paul Newell
(Redditch) 113-9-0; D section Porth Barry James (Ringwood Tackle) 25-6-0;
E
section Bolingey Des Shipp (Daiwa Dorking/Preston Innovations)121-13-0.
Day 2
A section Trelawney, Nelson, Eery Gary Powell (Keenets NW) 96-7-0; B
section
Gwinear Steve Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) 119-3-0; C section Porth Paul
Medcroft
(Delcac) 26-6-0; D section Bolingey6 Pete Wild (Bristol) 94-9-0; E section
Pollawyn Dave Lewis (Team Sillybait) 87-13-0.
Day 3
A section Gwinear Will Raison (Daiwa) 174-6-0; B section Porth Sean
Clifford
(South East) 22-14-0; C section Bolingey Neil McKinnon (Shakespeare)
128-5-0;
D section Pollawyn Tim Rowe (Keenets Team Milo) 52-11-0; E section
Trelawney,
Nelson, Eery Paul Keeley (Keenets NW) 85-5-0.
Day 4
A section Porth Alex Murray (Team Sillybait) 21-8-0; B section Bolingey
Steve
Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) 111-6-0; C section Pollawyn Paul Newell (Redditch)
42-14-0;D section Trelawney, Nelson, Eery Grant Albutt 113-2-0; E section
Gwinear Des Shipp (Daiwa Dorking/Preston Innovations) 151-0-0.
Day 5
A section Bolingey Craig Evans (Keenets NW) 91-14-0; B section Pollawyn
Eddie
Wynne (Anchor Bristol) 53-7-0; C section Trelawney, Nelson, Eery Neil
Tappin
(Cormorants) 96-7-0; D section Gwinear Paul Hamlyn (PI Delcac) 120-5-0; E
section Porth Richie Hull (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 25-12-0.
Brian Gay |
