THE Saturday open at Woodlands was reduced to a four-hour afternoon evening contest with amazing results.

Not only was a new four-hour match record carded, the five-hour record came close to being toppled too.

In a fantastic face-to-face battle Mark Lucas (Ted Carter Preston) won the battle of the Red Rose from Skylark 34.

Offering worm over groundbait he targeted the boards and the willows for a mixed net of carp to 6lb plus tench, barbel, ide, skimmers and chub totalling 126lb 10oz.

Pegged directly opposite on Skylark 3 was Mark Vanderkamp (Sensas Garbolino) who fished up in the water with worm for another mixed bag of 126lb 8oz.

Others: Andy Geldart (Daiwa Goldthorpe) 94-2-0, Mark Longhirst (Elton Tackle) 89-10-0, Paul Bendilow (Elton Tackle) 82-12-0 and Andy Bridge (MAP Elton) 80-4-0

Another excellent match at the Oaks saw 50lb or more winning most sections in Sunday's 60-pegger on Maple Lake.

Daryll Taylor (Daiwa Goldthorpe) led from peg 62 where he used his usual paste attack.

Fishing four-feet deep down the track at seven metres he netted a string of fish to 3lb for a winning 70lb 1oz. Dave Pimlott (Drennan Elton) included quality fish to 8lb in his second-placed net of 61lb 1oz from peg 49. Most of the fish fell to small pieces of meat fished tight to the island at 13 metres.

Others: Derek Willan (Sensas Garbolino) 57-10-0, Addie Mitchell (Harrogate AS) 54-8-0, Dean Smith (Trabucco Elton) 54-4-0 and Dave Templeman (Merlin Baits) 53-12-0.

Acomb Tackle were at Oaktree on Sunday when 28 tackled Pond One. Top rod was Dave Rollinson (Acomb Tackle) with a level 61lb carp to 7lb at 13 metres on cat meat and worm.

Steve Hodson (RSPS Tekneek Trabucco) was second with 42lbof small carp taken on the far shelf with pellet and bread.

Others: John Haw (Acomb Tackle) 41-0-0 and Alan Atkinson (Acomb Tackle) 40-12-0.

The Bob.Co open at the Willows was held on Goldrush on Saturday when 36 fished. Steve Raper (Hirst Tackle) took the honours with 62lb 8oz of carp, ide and tench to 4lb on pole and paste fished to the sunken island from peg 54.

Others: Neil Stead (Colmic Ossett) 57-12-0, Stuart Thompson (Armley Angling) 54-12-0 and Mat Seale (Harrogate) 53-8-0.

A total of 41 fished Pond Four at Oaktree on Sunday. Gerald Chalk (Oaktree) was victorious with 53lb 4oz of carp to 8lb on cat meat at seven metres.

Dave Lumb (Oaktree) took second place with his net of 50lb 12oz. Fishing maggot up in the water at eight metres he bagged carp, ide, bream and tench.

Others: Colin Hardy (Waterline Wibsey) 45-8-0 and Andy Middleton (Oaktree) 45-0-0.

Fishery owner Chris Jewitt (Tollerton Ponds) came out tops at Heron Pond on Saturday with 80lb 12oz of carp to 6lb on pole and pellet and floating bread. Runner-up was Terry Carlton (Acomb Tackle) who used pole and pellet for an all carp 44lb 10oz.

Bishopthorpe and Acaster juniors were in action at the Bridgefield on Friday night with the river in difficult mood.

The only fish caught were small perch, roach and bleak with several big perch hooked and lost.

The winner was Oliver Cropper with 1lb 10oz ahead of Ben Jemison and Mike Johnson, who both had 1lb 4oz. The Anglers Corner special prize went to Ryan Carlyle who had 9oz.

Local AC tackled Redhouse Top at the weekend when the only angler to contact a bream was winner G Miller who had a single slab of 5lb 6oz from next to the big barge.

Updated: 09:41 Wednesday, July 23, 2003