| DARREN COX enjoyed the birthday of a lifetime by winning the White Acres Skol masters 12-angler grand final in a dramatic end to clinch the winner-takes-all £ 25,000 big prize cheque! Jenny’s lake on the Cornish holiday park provided a thrilling and evenly poised fishing match in which the identity of the winner was in doubt until the final hooter and in Darren’s case after the whistle.
‘We play fish like that everyday but I knew it was important so I had to get it in,’ said Darren who let his feelings show when he shouted ‘Yes’ as the fish slid into the landing net. The late fish proved decisive giving him 50-6-0, less than the 8 lb that ghostie provided above the 43-1-0 effort of runner-up Steve Ringer. ‘It’s an absolutely unbelievable feeling, what a birthday,’ said Darren speaking immediately after the result was confirmed. ‘I can’t believe it,’ he said as he cuddled daughter Charlotte and was joined by wife Julie. ‘It’s up to Julie what happens to the money, I’m in it for the prestige,’ said Darren who revealed that Julie is expecting their second child. It’s been a superb season for Darren winning the Kamasan British Open, being capped for England at Six Nations level and now adding the Skol Masters title. However his match didn’t go exactly to plan and it was an inspired change of tactics that paved the way for the win. At the start of the match Darren fed a blend of liquidised meat and Sensas Crazy Bait Gold topping up regularly and fishing punched Plumrose garlic meat on the hook but despite plenty of signs of feeding fish in the peg struggled to catch at full depth. Changing to a shallower rig and presenting the hook bait at half depth sorted out a succession of brown goldfish averaging around the 1 lb mark to keep him in contact with the front runners. Moving into the last hour he turned up the heat adding a couple of 2 lb carp before the crucial ghostie came along. DEBUTANTS AND OLD HANDS THE dozen finalists fought out a true battle royal in a real fishing match with plenty of bites mostly from the smaller carp and hybrids in Jenny’s lake to keep the watching crowd entertained to the end. Making the final for an incredible third consecutive time were 2000 champion Alex Murray and Daiwa Dorking’s skipper Steve Sanders while Shakespeare grouped Mark Warren and Preston Innovations and Sensas backed Des Shipp were there for a second consecutive year.
Debutants Kevin Arathoon and Wayne Mellings proved that it’s not only the big names who make it to the final and while Coca Cola backed Kevin found peg 5 tough ending with 13-8-0 for tenth place, dog handler Wayne’s magnificent 41-9-0 effort on the feeder from peg 6 took third place. Runner up, former Fish’O’Mania champion Steve Ringer had built an early lead on the feeder at peg five but his 43-1-0 total was edged out by that dramatic last gasp carp for Darren Cox. The field was completed by Drennan backed Paul Yates, ninth on 15-3-0 from the unfancied peg 12, Tricast Mosella’s Kieron Rich seventh with 21-10-0 off peg 9, and Keenets Northwest duo Paul Keeley and Gary Powell 12th and 11th respectively with 7-0-0 and 10-9-0 from pegs 21 and 22. SKOL WILL BE BACK THE Skol Masters will be back next year once again as the officials from the events joint backers St Austell Brewery, Skol and White Acres announced that the original three year deal would be extended to next year. SKOL MASTERS GRAND FINAL RESULT Darren Cox (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 50-6-0 peg 16 WAYNE ARRESTS THE REST WALSALL West Midland’s based police dog handler Wayne Mellings laid down the law in the five day 165-entry White Acres Skol Masters Festival winning £ 2000 and booking his place in the final with a 35 point return. While several star names dropped points Wayne was alone in dropping just one point from four counting scores efforts that also earned him Bill Knott’s Man of The Match prize of Preston Innovations gear. Walsall domiciled Wayne started his bid with a 24-12-0 of carp section win at Bolingey peg 7 employing a crumb feeder approach. A second day lake win came at Pollawyn’s peg 22 after he poled meat at 16 metres to the island for 64-13-0 of carp to 9 lb. The 35-year-old constable stationed at Wednesbury, struggled for three hours on Canal lake’s peg 11 but eight late pastie carp scored a section second with 20-0-0. Gwinear’s peg 57 on the penultimate day proved tough, slipping to a section fourth with three carp for 15-3-0 forming his dropped result. At Porth on the final day he pulled off the required section win with 14-9-0 of skimmers on the tip, his week’s efforts adding another £ 300 in pools monies to his main cheque. ‘I have had a brilliant week,’ said Wayne, ‘I don’t think I could have done any more than I did in the final even though I lost two big carp that might have proved decisive, they just tore off round the island before I could release the line clip,’ he reflected.
Bottles of champagne were provided in addition to the cash prizes for the top 15 anglers in the festival and another six lucky recipients received cheques for £ 100 in the mystery weight draw. BEN’S BAG UP BEN Leach, the first man to surpass the 200 lb barrier on White Acres Pollawyn pool, nearly became the first man to break the 300 lb barrier when he blasted away the Gwinear match record with 294-0-0.Bagger Ben drew fancied peg 31 on the end of the island and hooked carp from start to finish in the 5-hour contest on day three of the Festival winning a special £ 100 cash prize. BIGGEST FISH Keith vaughan claimed the £ 50 cheque for the biggest fish of the festival with a 13 lb 7 oz Bolingey beast. SKOL FESTIVAL TOP 15 1st Wayne Mellings (Foster Tipton Van den Eynde) 35 points £ 2000 DAILY LAKE WINNERS Day 1: Pollawyn Rick Johnson (Team Hounslow) 30-7-0 peg 27; Trelawney and Canal Simon Willsmore (Milo D and A Tackle) 34-15-0 peg 22; Gwinear Kieron Rich (Tricast Mosella) 103-7-0; Porth Darren Cox (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 13-8-0 peg 23; Bolingey Steve Clarke (Daiwa Trentmen) 101-7-0 peg 26. Day 2: Trelawney and Canal Steve Keyworth (Daiwa Trentmen) 49-9-0 peg 24; Gwinear Darren Bickerton (Daiwa Trentmen) 178-13-0 peg 31; Porth Gary Gibson (Stockport AC) 20-8-0 peg 73; Bolingey Dave Lewis (Sillybait) 78-3-0 peg 11; Pollawyn Wayne Mellings (Fosters Tipton Van Den Eynde) 64-13-0 peg 22. Day 3: Gwinear Ben Leach (Daiwa Dorking) 294-0-0 peg 31; Porth Martin Cocks (Thatchers 2000) 17-8-0 peg 82; Bolingey Steve Hemingray (Drennan Sensas) 124-13-0 peg 20; Pollawyn Chris Davies (Frampton RBL) 94-12-0 peg 30; Trelawney and Canal Alex Murray (Carbotec Select Sillybait) 74-13-0 peg 24. Day 4: Porth Tony Skinner (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 12-6-0 peg 83; Bolingey Steve Mayo (Daiwa Dorking) 93-2-0 peg 10; Pollawyn Adrian Marshall (Stubpond) 127-5-0 peg 28; Trelawney and Canal Darren Cox (Garbolino MAP Starlets) 114-4-0 peg 24; Gwinear Steve Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) 233-7-0 peg 16. Day 5: Bolingey Ben Leach (Daiwa Dorking) 89-4-0 peg 26; Pollawyn Carl Eland (PA Megabait) 63-6-0 peg 28; Trelawney and Canal Gary Gibson (Stockport AC) 65-5-0 peg T23; Gwinear Barry James (Christchurch) 169-3-0 peg 31; Porth Alex Murray (Carbotec Select Sillybait) 19-12-0. All images  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our community.
|
Welcome!Log into your account
