Just about every young match man's dream is to beat a world champion at his own game.And for one young local rod man that dream became reality on Tuesday.

Just about every young match man's dream is to beat a world champion at his own game.

And for one young local rod man that dream became reality on Tuesday.

Daniel Bradford from Belton found himself pegged alongside five-times world champion Bob Nudd at the silverfish open event at Barford Lakes.

Nudd, born at Caister many years ago now, retired from the international scene. But his recent results can testify he has lost none of the skills that won him those gold medals at international level.

To 29-year-old Daniel Bradford the prospect of competing against such a distinguished angling celebrity was, to say the least, a trifle daunting. But after the whistle sounded for the start this member of the Yarmouth Browning Pownalls team refused to allow thoughts of being hammered by the awesome presence in the adjacent peg to put him off his stroke.

For the whole of the five hours it was fascinating fishing between the hardened veteran and the up and coming talent from the local flood plains.

Nudd, who now resides in Cambridgeshire, surged in front, but a bonus tench for Bradford clinched him the top money with a total weight of mainly skimmer bream, small roach and that lucky tench of 40lb 13oz.

Nudd, sponsored by the fishing tackle trade, but always a gentleman finished with 38lb 13oz and patted the winner on the back, wishing him well before he drove back to the fens.

Young Bradford who said he was “over the moon” accepted it was the tench that made all the difference.

“To beat Bob Nudd in an adjacent peg came out of the blue and I'm absolutely delighted,” he told the Pownall's squad team boss Barry Burlton.

“Anglers like Bob Nudd have dominated our local open match scene but just recently young talent like Tony Anderson from Suffolk and now Daniel Bradford have shown that these international stars are not unbeatable, and that can only be good for local match fishing,” declared Burlton.

In Sunday's Barford Winter League the top Pownall performer was Mark Eales, who was sixth individual with 52lb 14oz, but the team finished well down the list.

The fifth round of the East Anglia Division of the National Sea League was staged at Kelling and Gorleston's Paul Tovell boosted East Anglia Baits into top spot on the day with his third placed catch of 4lb 15oz. As it stands now the league is: EA baits 39 penalty points, North Norfolk Lads and Angling Direct Beccles both 45.

Stalham AC staged two club matches in the Richardsons boatyard and the results were: C Jonas 4lb 14oz, M Brown 3lb 12oz, C Timms 2lb 11oz and match two resulted in W Watts 5lb 11oz, D Dearman 3lb 9oz, C Jonas 2lb 3oz.

Martham Angling Club are preparing for the national inter club knock-out tournament, their first opponents the Gipping Angling Club from Ipswich on February 24.

Martham have selected the prolific stretch of the River Waveney on Falcon Meadow as their chosen venue. “We did well there last season so we are going there again rather than on our own pits at Martham where we got knocked out last term,” explained team boss Gary Maddison.

Lacons AC annual meeting is on February 22 at the Archery public house, Bradwell 7.30pm, new members welcome.