Girl power has prevailed in Bishopthorpe this season.

The ever popular Summer Evening Series for the junior members of Bishopthorpe and Acaster Angling Club has been won for the first time in its long history by a girl.

As a winner of the title myself nearly 20 years ago I can vouch for the highly competitive nature of the contest.

The longevity of the event demands high praise for stalwarts of the club such as Roger Baker, who have devoted hundreds of hours to grooming the area's young talent over the last three decades.

Christine Lewis was the history-maker, topping the league with 48 points, well ahead of her male adversaries. Ben Jemison was second with 32 points ahead of Jim Hudson on 27.

The season's matches were rounded off with last Wednesday's all-day event, fished as ever on the Bridgefield section of the Ouse at Bishopthorpe. Mike Dall won with a creditable net of perch scaling 4lb 4oz to restore some male pride.

He beat Lewis into second as she had 3lb 2oz. Other competitors to break a pound were: Dave Waiting 2lb 13oz; Joshua Dyson 2lb 6oz; Mark Pooleman 2lb 2oz; James Mullhall 1lb 14oz and Ben Jemsion 1lb 2oz.

In addition to plenty of perch, Roger Baker reported that skimmers, roach, tommy ruffe, chub and bleak were all in abundance, once again illustrating the Ouse is alive and well.

Acomb WMC did their best to dispel my theory at Poppleton on Saturday when they struggled in the bright conditions.

Kev Harrison led with a 3lb 14oz all-perch net. Carol Jamieson, with 2lb 10oz, and Adrian Goodwin on 2lb 8oz, had mixed nets of eels, perch, roach and odd skimmers.

CIU have been hitting the ponds for the last two three-a-side events where skimmers and bream have been to the fore. Dennis Murray won last week at Claxton with 9lb 13oz from Bob Hutchinson on 7lb 7oz and Al Whithead with 6lb 15oz.

This week at Park View, Al Whithead was top with 14lb 9oz from Al Watkinson on 7lb 3oz and Mal Pearson with 5lb 4oz.

Tang Hall visited the former pond this week and old stager Col Hibbard scored another well-deserved win.

His 14lb 9oz net of bream and skimmers was well clear of Andy Vardy, who had 5lb 3oz, and Al Martindale, who weighed 3lb 8oz.

Cat meat continues to dominate at the Oaks with the feline fodder taking all the top spots in Sunday's 55-pegger on Maple Lake.

Andy Hampson (Hirst Tackle) led from peg 47. Fishing small pieces of meat down the track at seven metres, he took lots of pasties, plus odd better fish to 3lb, for his level 44lb.

The same ploy worked on peg 24 for Simon Wood (MAP Elton). His cause was greatly aided by the capture of the lake's largest resident, a mirror of 11lb, that boosted his bag to 42lb 10oz.

Others: Dave Pimlott (Keenest Elton) 41-14-0; Mark Coyne (MAP Elton) 40-5-0; Dave Mulheir (Whizzo Last Cast) 36-2-0; Mark Lucas (Ted Carter Preston) 35-0-0.

The Bank Holiday Monday open saw records tumble at Woodlands where 56 of the 80 entry weighed 30lb or more.

Despite being the first angler to weigh over the ton in an open at the North Yorkshire complex, Gordon Poole (MAP Elton) had to settle for second. Darryl Taylor (MAP Elton) took the spoils as he weighed in 109lb 8oz after his team-mate. Drawn on Skylark 20, luncheon meat and Swimstim paste fished over the same groundbait proved effective at six metres. After five hours of hectic hauling the historic net included carp to 6lb.

Unlucky Poole was on Partridge 25 where he used paste over pellets at three metres for quality carp in his 102lb 3oz.

Others: Ian Thompson (Elton Tackle) 92-10-0; Dave Owen (Knaresborough) 80-8-0; Mark Lucas (Ted Carter Preston) 77-7-0; Peter Close (Darlington) 74-4-0.

Saturday's 70-pegger saw all the top weights taken from the down wind end of Partridge Lake. Brian Sowerby (Knaresborough) led from peg 20 with 67lb 4oz. Fishing the same meat paste over groundbait tactic as Monday's winner, he netted a smaller stamp of fish with carp to 3lb. Nigel Hargreave (Elton Tackle) used a more traditional pellet and paste attack from peg 17, where he found 66lb 13oz of carp to 6lb at five metres.

Others: Keith Kotchie (MAP Elton) 59-8-0; Mark Calvert (MAP Elton) 52-4-0; Steve Raper (Normark) 49-13-0; Andy Hampson (Hirst Tackle) 45-1-0

The Wednesday open was attended by 74 anglers with Dean Smith (MAP Elton) notching successive victories.

Pegged on Partridge 24, he drip-fed pellets and meat to get the fish boiling under the surface. A small cube of meat fished six inches deep took carp to 6lb, plus chub and ide, for 95lb 1oz.

Graham Skirrey (Turners Tackle) was on Kestrel 17 and had a real mixed bag.

Pole and caster at ten metres accounted for 35lb of silver fish before a switch to meat found carp to 11lb for his 88lb 4oz total.

Updated: 12:02 Wednesday, September 04, 2002