Three cheers for the river Thurne.That was the enthusiastic response form anglers after last Sunday's third round of the Broads Summer League where the county's shortest river relinquished stunning catches of bream, writes Roy Webster.

Three cheers for the river Thurne.

That was the enthusiastic response form anglers after last Sunday's third round of the Broads Summer League where the county's shortest river relinquished stunning catches of bream, writes Roy Webster.

Top rod on the day was the highly respected veteran and former Great Yarmouth national team member Jim Randell who weighed in a sparkling net of skimmers totalling 36lb 6oz.

Randell, now a senior citizen and team captain of the SENSAS Big Hits outfit and with a distinguished tournament career at home and abroad, was drawn at peg 44 on the famous Ludham Cold Harbour reach of the Thurne. It was brought into the league venue for the first time this season because of boggy conditions along two sections of the St Benets River Bure.

Other than club events Cold Harbour had not been subjected to any serious tests this season so the question was: How would the river respond to the demanding techniques of expert of match anglers?

In short it was brilliant. Randell netted skimmer bream from the start, offering worm and maggot on the the feeder rig. And just to confirm the quality of sport along this reed-fringed waterway it produced three of the four top catches on the day.

Runner-up Rod Finch (Reggie's Boys) lifted out 33lb 8oz of bream from the river Bure, then it was back to the Thurne for the next two, Mick Browne (Stalham Veterans) with 27lb 7oz and Ian Reynolds (Anglers World) 26lb 6oz.

The fact that every section was won with more than 20lb of fish is the rich testimony to the astounding high quality of Broads fishing, by far the best this correspondent has ever witnessed during any period since the end of world war two.

Teamwise the destination of the championship appears to be hanging on a gossamer thread, the trophies ready to tumble into the hands of the anglers who maintain their nerve in the final round.

Anglers World head the yellow division on Sunday with 56 section points and they head the table with 21 league points with Big Hits and DAIWA AD black snapping at their heals a point adrift.

Reggie's Boys headed the greens with 48 section points and they top their table with a more comfortable 22 points followed by Wymondham with 19 and DAD gold 18.

The Sportsmans team, plagued by absenteeism, appeared on the radar for the first time by finishing runners-up in the green division. But having dropped far too many self-inflicted points they have no chance.

The form of the Great Yarmouth controlled match length of the tidal river Yare continues to impress.

Last Saturday's NISA Feeders match was won by Robert Hubbard (DAD) with a mixed bag of 48lb 7oz followed by two other DAD rods Mark Pollard with 44lb 9oz and Nigel Knights with 42lb 5oz.

Other match results. Hill Farm (Banham): S Rouse (Martham) 123lb 4oz, J Burrows (Tibbenham) 53lb 2oz, D Chadwick (Wymondham) 43lb 4oz.

Stalham (Melton Ponds): R Wilkinson 46lb 5oz, B Burlton 34lb 14oz, D Hunt 18lb 3oz.

Caister Carols (Melton Ponds): A Waldron 69lb 8oz, Carol Waldron 59lb 9oz and Kay Dyball 52lb 8oz.