Match Report

Match:  Milliard Cup 2nd Leg
Venue:  Bethwins Lower Pond
Winner:  S Simmonds
1 - 11 - 0
Runner Up:  K Hughes
0 - 8 - 0
Third:  

 

Well after our last experience at Bethwins we hoped for some better weather this time round but we were again faced with heavy rain for the first few hours of the match although it did brighten up for the last couple of hours.
Ray, Keith and Steve who had all fished the top pond previously were drawn on the bottom pond this time and after the last match had all decided that the perch should be targeted. So fairly light gear and maggots were going to be the order of the day.

Ray and Steve were drawn at the top end of the pond with Keith in the swim immediately under the top pond. After 45 minutes or so and just a few perch in the net it was fairly obvious that it was just not going to happen as it did last time and thoughts began to turn towards the carp.
There were plenty of bubbles coming up all round the pond and carp could be seen scudding about on the surface. Various bait and methods were tried but all to no avail it seems as if us matchmen just can’t get to grips with the carp that are obviously in the pond and nobody had anything that approached any sign of interest let alone a bite.

At various times all of us reverted back to try to get the perch going but you would pick up a couple of fish and then it would go dead. On other waters when the small fish stop biting it is often a sign that something bigger and better has moved in so it is worth fishing the same area with beefed up tackle again this proved fruitless.

By the end of the match all of us were thoroughly frustrated, Ray to the degree that he put his fish back without having them weighed. Keith was quite thankful as this gave him an extra point towards the club championship as if he had weighed he would have undoubtedly beaten him. First on the pond was Steve who had a fairly measly 1 – 11 – 0, which, given that Vince on the previous match had weighed over 10 lb of perch was very disappointing.

So as far as Keith, Steve and Ray are concerned Bethwins remains as a bit of an enigma. Keith and Steve want to have another go next year and Ray has vowed never to visit the place again – but I’m sure he will mellow!