KEITH Mottram came out on top as an encouraging entry of 120 contested the Ouse Championship, fished on York waters above the city on Sunday.

The good turnout suggested the decline in match angling on the North-East's rivers may have reached a turning point.

With the river carrying around two feet of coloured water, a bream encounter was expected and so it transpired as good numbers of slabs filled the top dozen places. Despite some good weights and big bream banked, it was a fish that was lost which was the main talking point.

Leeds rod Vince Greaves got off to a great start at his peg below the little sand beds at Killingbeck with a 5lb bream on his first cast.

His second cast saw him do battle with something much bigger. Assuming a barbel was on the end, he took his time and played the fish carefully and was surprised to find an estimated double figure catfish surfaced at the net.

Worse was to come as the fish shed the hook and escaped, although Greaves did land a smaller specimen of 6lb later in the match - the first recorded catfish caught in the Ouse. He also added six more bream for a net of 31lb 13oz to finish in second place.

Mottram (Aireborough) won after bagging eight bream from his peg above the pipe hole at Poppleton.

Offering worm and red maggot beneath a caster feeder, he netted an early fish, then had five more at intervals, before two last-gasp slabs pushed him over the winning target with 32lb 3oz.

Third place went to Dave Hardy (Waterline Wibsey), who was pegged three above the winner.

Like most of the top anglers on the day, he too found bream showing a liking for a caster feeder. Six fish to 5lb, plus a couple of small chub, contributed to his haul of 22lb 6oz.

Others: Noel Speight 21-14-0, Colin Hardy 18-14-0, Ricky Gaunt 18-6-0, Paul Bennett 17-10-0, Vic Rookes 17-2-0, Tony Stevenson 13-12-0 and Roy Barraclough 13-8-0.

The pairs contest went to match winner Mottram and his partner, Nick Smith, with a combined haul of 39lb 11oz.

The 56-peg Poppleton Ponds Winter League saw Dave Wright take the second round and with it record a perfect start to the series.

After winning last week's opener, Leeds-based Wright netted a level 58lb from peg 28 on Horseshoe Lake. Using his customary long pole tactics, he found carp and barbell fishing shallow with pellets and meat at 16 metres.

Other leading weights were recorded by Peter Cressey with 48lb and Steve Hawkins, who bagged a straight 31lb.

Tommo top

TOP rod Alan Thompson retained Burton Stone Lane WMC's angling section's Aggregate Cup and Points trophy.

He completed the treble in the last match by picking up the Nidd Shield.

Leo Brow finished the season strongly to be runner-up in the Aggregate Cup. He teamed up with Jim Thompson and Barry Coombs to carry off the Team trophy. Coombs also won the cup for the biggest fish.

Dave Craven, although out of the prizes, landed one of the best fish of the season, a 17lb pike.

Other successes were: Roy Thompson (most improved angler), Dave Bargewell and Michael Thompson (Pairs Trophy), Al Whitehead (Reg Stubbs Memorial Trophy), Brian Atkin (Veterans' Cup) and the club's oldest angler, John Bargewell, father of Dave, took the Derwent Cup.

Updated: 11:38 Wednesday, November 02, 2005