Match Report 8/12/19 - Xmas Cup

The Xmas Cup match had to be moved at the last minute as Cuddesdon was unfishable. The match was hastily rearranged as a "rover" at Drayton where the banks of the river are much higher. The Xmas match was fished on Sunday 8/12/19 from 9.15am to 2.15pm with nine anglers in attendance. A swollen pacey river with 40 mile per hour gusts of wind meant bites were at a premium & bite detection was virtually impossible at times as the rods were being blown out of their rests! Julian Rayment showed the rest of us how it should be done with two chub of 3lb 6oz & 2lb 9oz on legered bread early in the match from downstream Peg 20 to record a winning weight of 5lb 15oz. Bryan Ball started in Peg 13, moved to Peg 12 & finally found a shoal of tiny gudgeon sheltering in the cattle drink above Peg 12. Bryan proceeded to catch over 3 dozen of them for the princely weight of 3oz which was enough for joint second with Kevin Smith. Kevin started in Peg 6 & moved up to Peg 4 after an hour. Both pegs were massively exposed to the wind so after two uneventful hours he moved to the relative shelter of Peg 2. Two missed bites just after 12 noon left Kevin in danger of blanking but the fish finally came on the feed at 2pm with just 15 minutes of the match left! Four bites on legered maggot resulted in a very welcome 3oz roach which was enough for joint second!