Roy Webster on AnglingTHE first round of the Broads Summer Angling League staged on the Rivers Bure and Thurne was a cracking contest in the balance until the final whistle ended the five-hour session.

Roy Webster on Angling

THE first round of the Broads Summer Angling League staged on the Rivers Bure and Thurne was a cracking contest in the balance until the final whistle ended the five-hour session.

The total of more than 80 anglers including reserves was the best entry for years, lined up along the Thurne at Cold Harbour and the Bure at St Benet's Abbey.

A fair representation of match angling talent from Yarmouth, Gorleston and the local rural communities attended and the best of them to emerge were the members of the Browning/Pownalls squad. Without a man in the top six list, they fished superbly in every section to make third spot with 31 points, three short of winners Daiwa Angling Direct and two adrift of runners-up Reggie's Boys.

Stalham Veterans also put in a creditable performance to make fifth, their top performer John Beck who was fifth overall. Another Stalham clubman wearing the colours of the past and present team Dave Egerton finished fourth. The Sportsmans team were sixth, Jolly Boys 13th and Browning/Pownalls B 14th.

On a day when the big bream refused to feed the individual card was headed by Ian Cochrane (Suffolk Angling Direct) with 18lb 2oz of mainly skimmer bream from the River Bure opposite the South Walsham pumping station. Lewis Murawski (Anglers' World) was runner-up with 18lb of roach from the Bure in front of the old abbey, then came Dave Egerton with 16lb 11oz from the first Cold Harbour section on the River Thurne.

Twenty-eight anglers beat double figures and another 40 put more than seven pounds on the scales. And that, declared organiser, Tony Gibbons, was team fishing at its best. “This was a very fair contest and a close finish,” he declared. “This Sunday we have the Norfolk Broads Championships on these banks and I suspect that the new champion will need considerably more than 20lb.”

The draw is in the Ludham King's Arms pub where breakfast will be served at 9.30am and fishing is from 11am to 4pm. Competitors can expect an ebb tide for the majority of this event where the winner will be the man who catches the most bream.

Other match results. Browning/Pownalls Series (Cobble Acre): B Burlton 25lb, J Randell 21lb, D Dearman 18lb 12oz.

Great Yarmouth Individual Series (River Yare): A Moss 32lb 14oz, B Gooch 26lb 12oz, K Gosling 21lb 15oz.

Lacons (Abbey Waters): K Barfield 101lb 5oz, P Nicholls 72lb 9oz, D Lees 37lb 14oz.

Sportsmans (Decoy): K Hodgins 53lb 4oz, M Bunn 12lb 6oz, G Hunter 10lb 12oz.

Caister Corals (Melton Ponds): T Carter 121lb 1oz, A Waldron 108lb, Carol Waldron 98lb.

On the specimen carp waters Jason Stamp, Caister fished Taswood to end with a brace of ghosties scaling 24lb 4oz and 24lb 2oz to which he added a mirror of 25lb 4oz. At Hall Farm, Burgh Castle Bradwell's Royce Dorova bagged up with 34 carp to 15lb and Gorleston's Steve Aldous winched out 21 fish headed by a common carp of 22lb 11oz.

There is seriously bad news from the popular Barford Fishery where the lethal Koi Herpes virus has been confirmed. The waters so far unaffected by the deadly organism are the Barford Top Lake, the Willow, Railway and Abbey. The Match Lake has now reopened and others are expected to come on line again within days. Day permits are still available to fish the untroubled waters.

Strict precautionary measures are in force to prevent further spread of the disease with anglers obliged to dip landing and keep nets in a powerful anti-viral chemical and then drying them out before use.

Fishery boss Sarah Thomson said they were now on top of this problem, a limited number of events would go ahead this weekend but the Maver Pairs qualifier is cancelled.

Gorleston Tackle Sea League

Orford Island results: 1 P Tovell 7lb 4.5oz, 2 K Morley 3lb 2oz, 3C Leggett 2lb 13.5oz.

Fish caught included dogfish, soles dabs and whiting.

Overall standings for the league this year: Joint first Paul Tovell and Clyde Leggett, Second Gary Medlar, Third Mark Gooch. There is now a summer break with the new league starting off again on September 7.

New members will be most welcome, we are intending to fish a series of matches throughout the coming winter and once you join the club you can come along to as many matches as you like. We fish a league system for points which carries on for the year or you can turn up and fish for a weekly pool on an individual basis.

Call Gorleston Tackle Centre on 01493 662448 for more details.