Shakespeare Junior and Intermediate Championship
Saturday 22nd August
55 pegs
With the river very low and clear it was the youngsters who got the festival underway and it was soon apparent that the record weights of last year wouldn’t be repeated.
Many of the young anglers decided to sit it out for a big fish on either maggots or pellets and feeder gear but at the final whistle not one had been landed.
It turned out to be a day for targeting tiny fish with either pole or whip approaches and top junior on the day was Ben Sharratt from Derby at Peg 22 on the Town stretch with 2-11-8 of gudgeon, perch and bleak. Top intermediate was Simon Pickering with another small fish catch of 1-14-12 from Peg 45 on the Hampton Ferry length.
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Match Fishing/Shakespeare Ladies Championship
Sunday 23rd August
35 pegs
The river was still very low and clear for the fourth Ladies Championship and the ladies soon realised they were in for a tough day after very little was caught in the first hour.
Just like in the junior and intermediate event some of the ladies went all out for barbel while others tried to winkle out everything they could with pole gear.
Last year’s champion Samantha Sim proved her class once more by winning again and picking up the £500 top prize, this time with a much lower weight of 3-6-0 of roach and perch from Peg 11. Second place and £300 went to Kim Merry with 3-2-0 of perch and eels and third, winning £200 was Rita Bell with 2-13-0 of small fish.
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Match Fishing/Shakespeare Veterans Championship
Wednesday 26th August
72 pegs
This was the third Veterans Championship and it attracted a record entry of 72 anglers over 60 years of age. Once again there were some who set out to catch a big fish from the off with feeder gear and some going for small fish on pole and waggler gear.
At Peg 45, Cardiff angler Richard Candy worked hard with a five metre pole throughout the event to win the £500 top prize with 6-1-0 of gudgeon and small perch all taken on pinkie or red maggot over small balls of groundbait laced with pinkies.
Second was ex Shakespeare Superteam member Tony Davis who fancied his chances of catching a few chub on waggler and maggot when he drew Peg 35. No chub showed so he ended up changing tactics completely and caught 5-13-0 on the straight lead and maggot fished down the middle.
With Richard having already qualified for the final in a previous qualifier at the start of the season that meant a delighted Tony had booked himself a place in the Shakespeare Championship on the following weekend as well as £300! Third place and £200 went to Alan Stephens with 5-6-0 of dace, bleak and gudgeon from Peg 24.
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Shakespeare Championship
Saturday 29th August
70 pegs
The river was the lowest and clearest it had been all season for this match and many of the competitors had made up their minds to go all out for a big fish to win the £6,000 top prize before they’d even drawn! As a result the spectators that turned up to watch were treated to the majority of the anglers looking skywards watching motionless quivertips.
For a long time though no big fish were landed and many people had Wayne Swinscoe down to win again from Peg 7. Wayne had landed a couple of good chub plus some perch on the waggler and was also picking up odd fish on the straight lead going into the last hour.
With half an hour to go Darren Cox at Peg 17 had ounces in the net but a 12lb barbel, taken on a halibut pellet, changed everything and he ran out winner with 12-8-8. Second place went to long time leader, Wayne Swinscoe who weighed in with a level 7-0-0 from Peg 7, a result worth £2,000. Third, picking up £1,000 was the ever-consistent Simon Willsmore who turned in a brilliant small performance at Peg 41 by shipping back 6-15-8 of bleak on a short line at 13 metres.
Fourth spot and £800 went to Italian visitor Milo Columbo with a pole caught 5-1-4 of small roach, gudgeon and dace from Peg 50 and completing the frame was Rob Middleton who picked up £500 with a level 5-0-0 of small chub from Peg 54.
RESULT
1. Darren Cox (Shakespeare) 12-8-8 (Peg 17)
2. Wayne Swinscoe (Trabucco) 7-0-0 (Peg 7)
3. Simon Willsmore (Milo/ Daiwa Dorking) 6-15-8 (Peg 41)
4. Milo Columbo (Milo) 5-1-4 (Peg 50)
5. Rob Middleton (Shakespeare) 5-0-0 (Peg 54)
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Abu Garcia Wychavon Championship
Sunday 30th August
70 pegs
If everyone thought Saturday had been hard little did they realise at the draw for this match just how much harder the venue was about to become.
The river fished terrible all the way through but one man who wasn’t complaining was Wayne Swinscoe who added £3,000 to the £2,000 he’d won the day before. Wayne drew Peg 27 in an area where most people had spent all the previous day fishing for barbel. As a result he was one of the few who could get bites on the waggler all through from tiny dace and bleak. At the weigh in his 6-10-8 was way out in front with his nearest challenger Dave Kirk, at the next peg number 29, three pounds behind with 3-10-8 of waggler caught small fish.
Down at Hampton Ferry Simon Willsmore was amazed to learn that his 3-2-0 of eels was enough for third and another £1,000.
Tony Skinner picked up £500 for his waggler caught 2-13-8 of gudgeon and small dace from Peg 2 and the final main prize of £250 went to Alan Stephens with 2-12-4 of small fish from Peg 22.
RESULT
1. Wayne Swinscoe (Trabucco) 6-10-8 (Peg 28)
2. Dave Kirk (Fox Match) 3-10-8 (Peg 29)
3. Simon Willsmore (Milo/ Daiwa Dorking) 3-2-0 (Peg 56)
4. Tony Skinner (Shakespeare) 2-13-8 (Peg 2)
5. Alan Stephens (Alcester Sports) 2-12-4 (Peg 22)
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Match Fishing Team Championship
14 teams of five
70 pegs
After two dismal days of most anglers struggling for ounces it was generally felt that day three, with bloodworm and joker allowed, would be better. It was, and even with the river at its lowest level in months roach made all the leading catches and Hadrian Whittle turned in a brilliant long pole performance at shallow Peg 27 to win with 15-1-0.
Second, at Peg 7, was Michael Buchwalder with 14-1-0 and third was last year’s individual winner Gary Miller with 13-15-0.
In the team stakes the in form Shakespeare Superteam turned in yet another solid five man display and continued its fantastic run with 58 points, ahead of Fox Match Trentmen with 55 and England Ladies with 50.
RESULTS
1st Shakespeare Superteam 58 points
2nd Fox Match Trentmen 55
3rd England Ladies 50
4th= Daiwa Gordon League 45
Van Den Eynde 45
6th= Daiwa Dorking 39
Kamasan Starlets 39
8th Maver Barnsley 38
9th Drennan Oxford 35
10th Quorn VDE 30
11th Saints 27
12th Shakespeare Mach 3 26
13th Evesham & District AA 21
14th WB Clarke 18
INDIVIDUALS
Top three
1st Hadrian Whittle (Kamasan Starlets) 15-1-0 (Peg 27)
2nd Michael Buchwalder (Shakespeare) 14-1-0 (7)
3rd Gary Miller (Van Den Eynde) 13-15-0 (50)
Sections (outside top three)
A – Darren Bickerton (Fox Match Trentmen) 10-11-0 (10)
B – Dean Barlow (Van Den Eynde) 6-14-0 (18)
C – Helen Dagnell (England Ladies) 9-15-8 (36)
D – Gary Pook (Daiwa Dorking) 7-12-0 (51)
E – Pete Scott (Fox Match Trentmen) 8-11-8 (75)
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Note – The Match Fishing TV cameras were at Evesham to capture all the festival action. Check out the exclusive action and interviews at: www.matchfishingmagazine.com
