ENGLAND youth international Peter Thomas raised eyebrows with a stunning victory in the 174-entry White Acres Dynamite Baits Spring Festival to win a cool £ 2000. With older experienced heads all around cracking under the pressure Peter, nicknamed ‘the ice’, remained cool and produced a super controlled display of festival-winning long pole and groundbait work to win his section at Porth on the final day. That gave him 35 points, one clear of a clutch of anglers on 34. Going into the last day no one had achieved a maximum score and Team Sensas B AS rod Steve Burgess was the leader with Nigel Plumbe in second with several anglers poised to overtake them should they slip up. Making no mistakes Peter completed his third section win to add to a second in section for that big cheque winning return. The Brentwood, Essex based youngster is in the middle of a year out before continuing his education and it’s doing his fishing no harm at all. Fishing his third festival at White Acres – he was 67th in last weeks Sensas- and reckons that experience helped him warm up for this weeks stunning show. Bolingey was his first port of call and peg 7 in the first arm produced a fine 78 lb 4 oz haul thanks to no less than 51 pastie carp on poled corn at 14.5 metres but he fed the full quota of Crazy Bait Gold. The second day at Pollawyn saw him finish a disappointing 5th with 19 lb from peg seven that became his dropped result. On Trelawney things were back on track with a lake and section second from peg 26 taking carp on both feeder and margin pole gear for 52 lb 10 oz. Gwinear peg 1 saw him bag seventeen carp at 5 metres on corn and caster for a crucial 110 12 oz to keep him in touch with the leading pack. Lying 6th going into the final match he drew the fancied 30’s on Porth’s meadow bank and set about his task feeding six balls of groundbait initially and a ball every fifteen minutes he was soon into roach on maggot, worms and casters hook baits. Pike were a problem and he lost ten hook lengths and fish to the snappers but he kept his cool. Adding a bonus 2 lb skimmer late on he was a comfortable section winner with 13 lb 11 oz to cap a week he will never forget: “It goes without saying really this is the best thing that has happened to me in angling.” “Those pike were a problem but I just got on with it and used a long landing net handle and reached forward to scoop the fish quickly,” he went on. “I would like to thank Lee Kerry and Tim Nash for their support and my sponsors Browning and Wickford Angling,” continued Peter. “I’ve won plenty of matches but this is on a different level to anything I’ve achieved before,” he declared. PETER’S GEAR PETER praises the backing he receives from Wickford Angling Centre and also the personal help from tackle giants Browning. His pole is the Browning Champion’s Choice Club France model while for running line work he relied upon a Daiwa Connoisseur X tip rod and Browning Syntec waggler rod.
He used a lot of groundbait over the week, mainly Crazy bait Gold on the carp waters and a mix of Sensas Lake, River and Roach at Porth. Corn, worms, meat and a lot of hemp also featured. “The big moment for me was that result at Gwinear on the fourth day. Peg 1 hasn’t been noted for a result so far and the 110 lb I had is apparently only the second highest bag off the peg ever!” Peter’s efforts added a further £ 600 in pools monies and he admitted that he is not a betting man so once again the bookmaker was a happy man too. RICHIE FRAMED EVERY DAY! BIG Richie Hull hoisted himself into the runner-up slot heading a clutch of anglers on 34 points after lying third overall ahead of the last match. MAP Garbolino Starlets grouped Richie pushed hard at Trelawney 23 for the section win that would have given him the points he needed but his 39-5-0 was eventually squeezed out by Browning Hotrods Tim Nash’s 43-9-0. Agonisingly Richie lost a match winning carp on a rare snag mid way across the lake. Twenty-four hours earlier he had been going nowhere on Pollawyn match lake when photo-journalist Brian Gay arrived at his peg with 20 minutes to go. Richie, bemoaning his chances, promptly hit and landed a 15 lb ghostie followed by an 8 lb mirror to complete a narrow section and lake win with 66-2-0! A super mid-doubles ghost carp twenty minutes from time backed up by a second 8-pounder landed after time won Pollawyn lake on the fourth day for MAP Garbolino Starlets star Richie Hull. Amazingly Riche picked up an envelope every day finishing in the top three on all his lakes winning one match and finishing second three times and third once for a total pay day of £ 1700 including £ 140 off the bookie! Richie reflected: “I had a couple of chances to win but it wasn’t to be…framing on the lakes every day and still not winning what have I got to do?” NEARLY A PLUMBE DRAW A decade’s association with White Acres culminated in a frame place and the third place cheque of £ 800 for Lichfield, Staffs plasterer Nigel Plumbe. The Shimano Portway grouped 36-year-old had a real chance of winning on the final day lying in second at the start of the final five hours. Drawing Gwinear peg 52 was a tall order, a peg yet to hit form in a section of fliers, yet somehow he managed third in section, a result better than many predicted. That tied him on points and fifth section scores with richie Hull but Nigel lost out on weight pitching 186-13-0 against the big feller’s 293 lb. His previous festival best in four attempts was 15th and his big leap for the top started with a section second at Porth, then a win at Bolingey with 57 lb. He regarded a brilliant 37 lb of meat tempted skimmers from Pollawyn 1 as his best effort of the week then winning on Trelawney with 52 lb at peg 29. Another £ 70 from the bookmaker and other pools took his tally to around £ 1200 for the week. It’s been a great week for me whatever the final outcome was although I was peeved to lose out on a section win at Porth by just two ounces,” he confided. SPECIMEN’S GALORE BOLINGEY kept up its specimen carp reputation with Frampton RBL star Chris Davis pulling off a Bolingey match win that included a superb 20 lb 2 oz carp to earn the £ 50 fish of the week award.
WEIGHTY SURPRISE THE £ 100 mystery weight cheque was gratefully received by Kevin McDonald with 93-11-0. Biggest weight prize of £ 100 was Steve Burgess’s reward for a 191-7-0 bag at Gwinear’s peg 25 where he fished shallow with meat for carp to 10 lb. SWIMMING AWARDS FOR some reason several anglers decided it was a week to go swimming, falling in off their boxes. With that in mind the management decided to award MM club swimming certificates and prizes including goggles, hats and arm bands to the individuals concerned. Step forward Geoff Ringer, Alan Barker, Skip McCabe and Mick Wilkinson. ROBIN IS MAN OF THE MATCH THE cut glass crystal man of the match award went to Robin Flowers, a popular choice, as Robin (Maidenhead Bait) has been a White Acres regular for many years but recorded his best performance scoring 30 points to finish in 28th place. NO FROSTY RECEPTION DESPITE several consecutive and very hard overnight frosts the sport held up with some big fish and big bags still required to win money. EXPLODING PRIZES BOXES of sponsors Dynamite Baits products were supplied to the top ten anglers who also received cash prizes too. In fact the top five each won £ 150 worth of Dynamite products and the next five anglers £ 90 worth. Pete Chandler, Marketing director of Dynamite Baits said, “this is our second year of sponsoring this event and it’s been another great success. We really enjoy giving something back to the anglers.” In addition every competitor received two bags of groundbait and a tin of frenzied hemp. Top five 150 worth the next five 90 worth of product. TOP TEN 1. Pete Thomas (Browning Wickford) 35 points, 2. Richie Hull (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 34 points dropping 7, 293-0-0, 3. Nigel Plumbe (Shimano Portway) 34 points dropping 7, 186-13-0, 4. Steve Burgess (Sensas BAS) 34 points dropping 6, 284-9-0, 5. Phil Ringer (Essex County Van Den Eynde) 34 points dropping 6, 201-6-0, 6. Martin Greene (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 34 points dropping 5, 232-1-0, 7. John Cockayne (Tipton Van Den Eynde) 34 points dropping 5, 151-3-0, 8. Paul Taylor (White Acres) 34 points dropping 2, 9. John Chapman (Drennan NW) 33 points dropping 8, 10. Dale Lynch (Middy Matchmen) 33 points dropping 7, DAILY LAKE WINNERS DAY 1 Pollawyn Lee Harrison (Van Den Eynde Scunthorpe) 71-4-0; Carleon / Trelawney Will Raison (Daiwa) 96-11-0; Gwinear Gary Skerritt (Browning Cudmore) 170-14-0; Porth Dave Lewis (Team Sillybait) 23-14-0; Bolingey Steve Trevett (Pewsey) 103-14-0. DAY 2 Pollawyn Martin Greene (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 107-5-0; Carleon / Trelawney Steve Fowler (White Acres) 45-13-0; Gwinear Steve Cooke (Ringer Baits) 151-14-0; Porth Tony Wynnick (Frame  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community.
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