There was no shortage of fish for the midweek Over-60s angling match at Langwith and in one of the best contests of the season at the Heslington complex the top six all beat the ‘ton’, while winner Dave Richardson had nearly half as much again.

Drawn at Anya’s peg 25, Richardson offered meat in the margins to pick up carp to 3lb as he worked his way to a 149lb 4oz finish.

At 19 on the same lake, Mick Webb used maggot across to the island for 137lb of carp and second place.

John Smiles completed the top three, again from the in-form Anya’s Lake. Fishing pellet at 13 metres his bulging net pushed the scales around to 131lb 2oz.

Roger Moverley, with 122lb 4oz, and Albert Evans on 121lb 8oz were the other centuries on Anya’s, while Pete Webster took the best weight from Emma’s with his 118lb 15oz from peg 19.

Simon Bewick made a return to winning ways at Langwith with a net-straining 142lb 12oz from peg 30 on Kevin’s Lake.

The Tri-Cast Rochdale man used the tried and tested pellet to the island approach to find carp to five pounds. Second place went to Hull DAA’s Julian Griffin, who used pellet and caster at Bethany’s peg 29 for 125lb 13oz of carp taken against the island.

On a river yet to reach peak form, Leeds rod Stewart Thompson scored a comfortable victory from the Beal length of the Aire, where he found a trio of big skimmers along with around 7lb of hybrids taken on the groundbait feeder.

Thompson’s final 12lb 14oz put him well clear of runner-up Keith Ashmore of Barnsley, who used maggot and caster below Beal Weir for a tidy 8lb 12oz waggler-caught net of roach, hybrids and gudgeon.

Wibsey’s Keith Hartley completed the top three with 8lb 10oz.

Pond four turned out to be much harder than expected at Oaktree Leisure, where only winner Gary Pawlett, with a level 80lb, really got to grips with it. He used caster and corn at peg 49 to take carp mainly from the eight-metre line.

Second man home was Barry Richardson, who alternated meat with corn at peg 29, to take 39lb 8oz of carp to 12lb, leaving Rich Cook to complete the top three with 27lb 8oz.

Peg 60 netted both weekend opens on Cedar Lake at the Oaks with venue regulars Joe Carrass (Dynamite Baits) and Bert Poole (Oaks) taking full advantage of the plum draw.

Carrass started the double when he offered maggot at 13 and six metres for a mixed net of carp, barbel and ide totalling 72lb 1oz.

The following day Poole opted for an all-out pellet attack targeting the island at 14 metres where he was rewarded with carp to 5lb in a 79lb 3oz bag.

Earlier Chris Hall (Oaks) captured both Tuesday and Thursday opens. On peg 2 on Thursday, he fished pellet at 13 metres for a mixed net of carp and small F1s for 139lb 8oz.


Gary shakes off boggy blow for second clout

Gary Dunn was the first Thirsk and Sowerby Harrier to finish in the James Herriot 14k Trail Race starting from Castle Bolton, but could only manage second place, in 54 minutes and 32 seconds.

But Dunn lost his running shoe in a bog when well in the lead. He had to stop and retrieve it, by which time two runners went past him.

Though he managed to overtake one, he couldn’t catch the other, and finished more than a minute behind.

Cameron Choules came 17th in 61.18, Charlotte Sanderson 25th – and first lady – in 63.07, Brett Edgeworth 31st in 65.09, Jill Knight 94th in 74.23, Pat Kirby 162nd in 82.47 and Alan Wikeley 168th in 83.49.

The Harrogate Town Centre 10k, with its earlier start and shorter distance, was completed by most runners before the rains came, and there were 606 finishers of the two-lap race through the streets of Harrogate.

Stephen Hepples, of Newham and Essex Beagles, won in a time of 30.53, with Thirsk & Sowerby’s Ernie Huck running well to finish 182nd in 45.03 followed by team-mates Ian Codling 468th in 56.01 and Marian Codling 587th in 66.56.

Sam Bye had a tough start in the recent Harrogate League Handicap, because of his excellent performances throughout the season and finished 128th, taking only 33 minutes and 39 seconds to complete the testing course.


Match bookings

Tomorrow
Laybourne Brown’s (pegs 16 -36): York Railway Institute Angling Section.

Laybourne Marley (pegs 1 to 27, 37 to 53): Acomb WMC AC.

Sunday
Acaster: White Rose AC.

Beningbrough (Park): Bishopthorpe & Acaster AC.

Goldsborough: Pudsey Royal AC.

Laybourne Marley (pegs 20 to 53): Burton Stone Lane WMC AC.

Tuesday, August 4
Laybourne Marley (pegs 22 to 53): Tuesday Anglers.

Saturday, August 8
Laybourne Marley (pegs 1 to 10, 37 to 53): CIU Saturday League.

Sunday, August 9
Donkey Woods: Acomb WMC AC.

Laybourne Marley (pegs 1 to 20, 37 to 53): Seahorse AC.

Poppleton (above village): Cygnet AC.

Widdington: York Angling Association.