Keen match anglers representing town clubs are gearing up for the first of this season's big freshwater tournaments on the tidal rivers.This is the first round of the Broads Summer League staged on the River Bure at St Benet's Abbey and the Thurne at Cold Harbour, Ludham on Sunday.

Keen match anglers representing town clubs are gearing up for the first of this season's big freshwater tournaments on the tidal rivers.

This is the first round of the Broads Summer League staged on the River Bure at St Benet's Abbey and the Thurne at Cold Harbour, Ludham on Sunday.

Teams from four local clubs will be competing for top honours, two representing Browning Pownalls and one each carrying the flags of the Sportsmans and Jolly Boys.

At the time of going to press, a total of 22 teams had entered and organiser Tony Gibbons said he was delighted that this was the highest number for some years.

Lee Arnold, the team captain of Jolly Boys, said the competition would be fierce with so many more teams lining up. “Some of the sections on the River Thurne are unknown quantities but we know there are considerable number of bream and roach spread along the match length. The Bure is more predictable and I think the dominant species there will be bream,” he predicted.

However, this is an event where the key to unlocking the doors to success is the ability of teams to gain vital section points from low-weight swims.

So what are the real prospects in this contest, scheduled to run from 7.30am to 12.30pm, with the draw at 6am?

According to the tide charts there will be a split tide with the river running up during the first phase before switching to a brisk ebb towards the estuary for the last three hours or so.

What the angler decides tactically during that first period could spell the difference between success and failure.

On the specimen carp waters Hall Farm, Burgh Castle produced numbers of double figure fish, especially for Steve Aldous, a Gorleston regular who netted 36 mirror and commons estimated at over 180lbs. Fish of the week was a 21lb leather carp for Yarmouth rod Alan White.

The weekend results on the Yarmouth stretch of the River Yare were encouraging with Nigel Knights winning Saturday's open at the Beauchamp Arms with 75lbs

of bream.

In the Suffolk Summer League staged on the same venue the following day Yarmouth bream king Brian Weavers headed the card with 22lb 12oz and his team finished runners-up to Deben with Browning

Pownalls third.

Other match results. Browning Pownalls Open, Cobble Acre: J Randell 34lb 12oz, B Burlton 29lb 4oz, A Craig 19lb 13oz.

Great Yarmouth Freshwater AC, Decoy Broad: D Ransome 34lb 12oz, K Brown 13lb 8oz, K Hodgins 7lb 12oz.

Stalham, Willow Lake: D Dearman 53lb 9oz, J Hehir 40lb 15oz, D Agass 25lb 8oz.

Martham, Melton Ponds: R Boyce 55lb 6oz, R Hall 44lb 12oz, P Sparks 37lb 4oz.

Sportsmans, Burgh Castle: C Leonard 28lb 12oz, R Silverwood 18lb 14oz, D Grimwood 16lb 12oz. Lacons, Burgh Castle: K Barfield 28lb 14oz, P Nicholls 21lb 12oz, A Zagdon 15lb 1oz.