WALSALL West Midland's based police dog handler Wayne Mellings laid down the law in the five day 165-entry White Acres Skol Masters Festival winning £2000 and booking his place in the final with a 35 point return.
While several star names dropped points Wayne was alone in dropping just one point from four counting scores efforts that also earned him Bill Knott's Man of The Match prize of Preston Innovations gear.
Walsall domiciled Wayne started his bid with a 24-12-0 of carp section win at Bolingey peg 7 employing a worm feeder approach. A second day lake win came at Pollawyn's peg 22 after he poled meat at 16 metres to the island for 64-13-0 of carp to 9 lb. The 35-year-old constable stationed at Wednesbury, struggled for three hours on Canal lake's peg 11 but eight late pastie carp scored a section second with 20-0-0. Gwinear's peg 57 on the penultimate day proved tough slipping to a section fourth with three carp for 15-3-0 forming his dropped result. At Porth on the final day he pulled off the required section win with 14-9-0 of skimmers on the tip his week's efforts adding another £300 in pools monies to his main cheque.
'I have had a brilliant week,' said Wayne, 'I don't think I could have done any more than I did in the final even though I lost two big carp that might have proved decisive, they just tore off round the island before I could release the line clip,' he reflected.
Preston innovations star Des Shipp nicked the runner-up slot and £900 cheque with 34 points edging Kieron Rich into third with a superior weight of 254-15-0 to 216-3-0 Bottles of champagne were provided in addition to the cash prizes for the top 15 anglers in the festival and another six lucky recipients received cheques for £100 in the mystery weight draw.
BEN'S BAG UP
BEN Leach, the first man to surpass the 200 lb barrier on White Acres Pollawyn pool, nearly became the first man to break the 300 lb barrier when he blasted away the Gwinear match record with 294-0-0. Bagger Ben drew fancied peg 31 on the end of the island and hooked carp from start to finish in the 5-hour contest on day three of the Festival winning a special £100 cash prize.
BIGGEST FISH
Keith vaughan claimed the £50 cheque for the biggest fish of the festival with a 13 lb 7 oz Bolingey beast.
SKOL FESTIVAL TOP 15
1st Wayne Mellings (Foster Tipton Van den Eynde) 35 points £2000
2nd Des Shipp (Preston Innovations Sensas) 34 points dropping 7 254-15-0 £900
3rd Kieron Rich (Tricast Mosella) 34 points dropping 7 216-3-0 £800
4th Darren Cox (Garbolino MAP Starlets) 34 points dropping 6 £700
5th Steve Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) 34 points dropping 5 355-15-0 £600
6th Paul Yates (Drennan Van den Eynde) 34 points dropping 5 231-2-0 £500
7th Gary Powell (Keenets Northwest) 34 points dropping 5 159-6-0 £400
8th Paul Keeley (Keenets Northwest) 34 points dropping 3 £300
9th Steve Ringer (Shimano Van den Eynde) 34 points dropping 0 £250
10th Alex Murray (Carbotec Select Sillybait) 33 points dropping 5 194-13-0 £200
11th Mark Warren (Shakespeare) 33 points dropping 5 102-3-0 £150
12th Kevin Arathoon (Coca Cola) 32 points dropping 6 220-7-0 £100
13th Harry Billing (Bill Knott Bookmakers) 32 points dropping 6 119-15-0 £100
14th Paul Hiller (Daiwa Dorking) 32 points dropping 6 111-1-0 £100
15th Paul Reynolds (Sportsman's Lodge) 32 points dropping 6 82-8-0 £100
DAILY LAKE WINNERS
Day 1:
Pollawyn Rick Johnson (Team Hounslow) 30-7-0 peg 27; Trelawney and
Canal Simon Willsmore (Milo D and A Tackle) 34-15-0 peg 22; Gwinear Kieron
Rich (Tricast Mosella) 103-7-0; Porth Darren Cox (MAP Garbolino Starlets)
13-8-0 peg 23; Bolingey Steve Clarke (Daiwa Trentmen) 101-7-0 peg 26.
Day 2:
Trelawney and Canal Steve Keyworth (Daiwa Trentmen) 49-9-0 peg 24;
Gwinear Darren Bickerton (Daiwa Trentmen) 178-13-0 peg 31; Porth Gary Gibson
(Stockport AC) 20-8-0 peg 73; Bolingey Dave Lewis (Sillybait) 78-3-0 peg 11;
Pollawyn Wayne Mellings (Fosters Tipton Van Den Eynde) 64-13-0 peg 22.
Day 3:
Gwinear Ben Leach (Daiwa Dorking) 294-0-0 peg 31; Porth Martin Cocks
(Thatchers 2000) 17-8-0 peg 82; Bolingey Steve Hemingray (Drennan Sensas)
124-13-0 peg 20; Pollawyn Chris Davies (Frampton RBL) 94-12-0 peg 30;
Trelawney and Canal Alex Murray (Carbotec Select Sillybait) 74-13-0 peg 24.
Day 4:
Porth Tony Skinner (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 12-6-0 peg 83; Bolingey
Steve Mayo (Daiwa Dorking) 93-2-0 peg 10; Pollawyn Adrian Marshall (Stubpond)
127-5-0 peg 28; Trelawney and Canal Darren Cox (Garbolino MAP Starlets)
114-4-0 peg 24; Gwinear Steve Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) 233-7-0 peg 16.
Day 5:
Bolingey Ben Leach (Daiwa Dorking) 89-4-0 peg 26; Pollawyn Carl Eland
(PA Megabait) 63-6-0 peg 28; Trelawney and Canal Gary Gibson (Stockport AC)
65-5-0 peg T23; Gwinear Barry James (Christchurch) 169-3-0 peg 31; Porth Alex
Murray (Carbotec Select Sillybait) 19-12-0. |
