1st Steve Barraclough (Frenzee / Bait-Tech) 239-12-00 peg 110 (Moat Outer)
2nd Jon Arthur (Maver Midlands / Pole Fishing) 134-12-00 peg 16 (Canal)
3rd Andy Christie (Hallcroft) 121-12-00 peg 20 (Canal)
4th Richie Hull (Garbolino) 118-04-00 peg 5 (Bridge)
5th Mick Brownell (Hallcroft) 108-12-00 peg 18 (Canal)
Glorious sunny conditions with temperatures in excess of 25°C greeted the 73 anglers for this latest Maver Mega "Match This" qualifier at Hallcroft Fishery, Retford. After a week of fine weather and the fish having been spawning heavily in the lead up to the match, the resident carp were in a tricky mood with some anglers sacking up while many others struggled in the heat.
Winner on the day, and another name from the 2011 event returning to the Mega "Match This" final in 2012, was Steve Barraclough. Drawing hotly fancied end peg 110 on Moat Outer, Steve made no mistakes pole fishing meat shallow at 14 metres to finish with 29 carp and a massive 239-12-00 - the biggest recorded weight of the competition so far! Steve won the match by a margin of 105lb to reclaim his place in this year's big money final. A truly impressive achievement considering Steve was up against arguably the strongest field of the competition yet.
Second place on the day was Maver Midlands / Pole Fishing rod, Jon Arthur. Jon drew Peg 16 on Canal and fished worm over casters to the far bank to finish with over 100 carp up to 2lb for a total 134-12-00.
Andy Christie (Hallcroft) books his place in the Maver British Pole Championships after a strong third-placed finish. Andy drew end peg 20 on Canal and fished meat and pellet to good effect, finishing with 121-12-00 of carp up to 2lb.
Garbolino's Richie Hull also qualifies for the British Pole Championships after finishing with 118-04-00 from peg 5 of Bridge Outer.
Fifth place on the day was Mick Brownell (Hallcroft) who weighed 108-12-00 from Peg 18 on Canal. Mick will now take part in this year's Pole Championships at Maver Larford Lakes.
