Drennan Bordon captain, Steve Barnett, reflects on his team’s eventful campaign in the Avon Valley Winter League.

The Angling Trust Avon Valley Winter League began last year on the first Sunday in October. It is an excellent and well run league organised by Ian Snook who does a fantastic job, along with Chris Gillot and Jeff Maye. Having run leagues in the past, I know that it’s a thankless task and you can never keep everyone happy, but full credit and our thanks go to them, as well as Geoff Ball who runs the practice opens on the natural venues and does a lot of the pegging for the rounds.

It’s a very competitive league which my Drennan Bordon team were fortunate enough to win last season, just scraping past Arun Angling to win the last round and become champions at the first time of asking.

Round One – Broadlands Fishery

This year there were 8 teams of 10 anglers, so we knew from the start it wasn’t going to be easy. With this in mind we knew it would be important to get a good start. First round was at Broadlands Fishery near Romsey, with seven sections on Main Lake and three sections on Running Track, so we organised two main team practice sessions on the Main Lake, as we felt this was where it was most needed.

During practice we sorted out the best areas but more importantly the poor areas, which obviously would be attacked less aggressively. The night before the round saw the first frost of the autum/winter, which really hampered sport. On a very tough day for some the Bordon team managed to take the victory ahead of Arun Angling. This was headed by individual winner Rob ‘Weasel’ Deacon catching 39-11-0 from noted peg 113 on the Main Lake. This was made up of skimmers and bream on a mixture of Method and conventional feeder and hair-rigged corn.

Rd1 Individuals:
1. R.Deacon, 39-11-0, Drennan Bordon
2. A.Flint, 28-9-0, Sensas Oakwood
3. N.Stunt, 27-5-0, Browning Crowsports

Rd1 Teams:
1. Drennan Bordon 62pts
2. Arun Angling 49pts
3. Shakespeare Homestores 48pts

Round Two – Gold Valley Lakes

Going into the second round at Gold Valley, with the weather staying mild and the sun out, everyone was expecting the venue to fish well and few were disappointed. This could have easily been a ‘banana skin’ for the team, but we recorded 57 points which was enough to take top spot on the day.

Individual honours went to our own Andrew Quarmby with 154-9-0. Andrew was pegged on Middle Lake, peg 96, and caught carp to 12lb at 5 metres on 8mm pellet and down the edge on corn. The Middle Lake fished extremely well on the day with five out of the top six weights coming from there.

Rd2 Individuals:
1. Andrew Quarmby, 154-9-0, Drennan Bordon
2. Eddie Green, 146-14-0, Arun Angling
3. Gavin Millis, 126-2-0, Tubertini Apollo Blue

Rd2 Teams:
1. Drennan Bordon 57pts
2. Browning Crowsports 52pts
3. Arun Angling 51pt

Round Three – Kennet & Avon Canal

The third round was fished on the Kennet & Avon Canal from Little Bedwyn to Great Bedwyn, which is a brilliant piece of water. The practice open the week before offered us a really good insight into how it would fish, with big perch and skimmers the order of the day.

Drennan Bordon anglers faired well with three in the top four. Joey Clark won with 16-4-0 of skimmers and perch, drawn on the noted bush peg at Frog Lane. Second was Simon Kiefer with a similar catch for 15-4-0 with Justin Mabere coming fourth with 13-13-0.

With the weather wet and windy for the actual round, the canal performed well with good colour and flow. Team-wise, we did enough to win the round with 54 points, just ahead of Crowsports. With three rounds fished and three remaining, we were holding a commanding lead but there was still along way to go!

Individually first overall was the ever impressive Gavin Millis of Tubertini Apollo Black, pegged near the lock at Potters. He fished with chopped worm and caster down the middle for perch at and tight across at 14 metres to catch skimmers for 18-11-0. Well done Gavin.

Second was Drennan Bordon’s Justin Mabere, pegged at Little Bedwyn near the outfall who fished chopped worm to catch perch and skimmers for 13-5-0. Team mate Simon Kiefer continued his good run taking third with a mainly perch net of 11-1-0. Together with section wins from Joe Clark and Ben Mcgrath.

Rd3 Individuals:
1 Gavin Millis, 18-11-0, Tubertini Apollo Black
2 Justin Mabere, 13-5-0, Drennan Bordon
3 Simon Kiefer, 11-1-0, Drennan Bordon

Rd3 Teams:
1 Drennan Bordon 54pts
2 Browning Crowsports 52pts
3 Sensas Oakwood 48pts

Round Four – Gold Valley Lakes

On to the fourth round and it was back to Gold Valley on Gold, Middle and Bat Lakes. Yet again this could have easily been a proverbial ‘banana skin’ for the team, as it’s one of those venue where if you’re on them, you’re on them and if you’re not… well there’s little you can do!

Alex Clements took top honours on the practice open from an end peg on Middle with 159-8-0, which showed just how crucial those end pegs, or pegs with room, would be. As a team we had to make these pegs count because, as with any draw, there was always going to be a few bad ones where we had to get the best out of them; three points is better than coming back with just one!

Bordon Angling Centre Rive took top team honours on the day to ‘scalp’ us by one point, 59 to 58! So close, but they all fished well to be honest and I was the first to congratulate them. No doubt I would get some stick in the shop during the week for that and Dave Johnson didn’t disappoint!

Individual winner on the day was Drennan Bordon youngster Tom Arnott who is fishing for the Bordon Angling Rive shop team at present. Pegged on Middle Lake peg 99, Tom had 77-12-0 comprising of 12 carp on pellet at five metres and down the edge. Second was Andrew Quarmby on Gold peg 45 with 73-1-0, taking 13 carp plus bream/skimmers on pellet Method feeder, then pellet and long pole. Drennan Bordon team mate Tyrone Hull was third with 72-15-0 from peg 23, which included one carp over 18lb taken on big waggler.

Rd4 Individuals:
1. Tom Arnott, 77-12-0, Bordon Angling Rive
2. Andrew Quarmby, 73-1-0, Drennan Bordon
3. Tyrone Hall, 72-15-0, Bordon Angling Rive

Rd4 Teams:
1. Bordon Angling Rive 59pts
2. Drennan Bordon 58pts
3. Sensas Oakwood 53pts

Round Five – Wey Navigation Canal

The practice open, the Sunday before the fifth round, on the Wey Navigation saw 62 anglers fish in less than perfect conditions with heavy rain all day, topped off with cold conditions and a carpet of continual leaves rolling along! Despite these conditions our own Drennan Bordon angler Andy Gregory (pictured) managed to rustle up a lovely net of roach for 13lb 11oz, which earned him 2nd overall. As always this was an important practice, not just to note down the good areas but, more importantly, the harder areas where feeding would be tailored to suit fish and conditions!

With round five on the Wey Navigation from Parvis Bridge to Black Boys Bridge, we knew that a top four finish at the start of the day was going to be good enough to ensure the Drennan Bordon team would retain the league title, for the second consecutive year! Ultimately, our joint first place on points, but not on weight, cemented this for the lads, despite the canal carrying extra water and extra colour.

Individual winner John Southgate was pegged E4 above White Hart lock. John caught down the middle at 6m on bread and across at 11m on bunches of bloodworm, for roach and big skimmers, for a total weight of 14-4-0. Second was Bordon Angling Rive’s Simon Duke, with 13-9-0. Simon was pegged at G5 below the scout hut, where he caught roach on punch down the middle. Drennan Bordon’s Peter Kay was third with 13-0-0, again made up of bream/skimmers taken on punch down middle and bloodworm over joker at 11 metres.

Rd5 Individuals:
1. John Southgate, 14-5-0, Sensas Oakwood.
2. Simon Duke, 13-9-0, Bordon Rive
3. Pete Kay, 13-0-0, Drennan Bordon

Rd5 Teams:
1. Sensas Oakwood 55pts (67-2-8)
2. Drennan Bordon 55pts
3. Arun Angling 54pts

Round Six – Basingstoke Canal

The Friday night before the last Sunday open practice on the Basingstoke Canal saw the first true frost of the year. This was certainly going to knock out what little colour remained in the canal and the fishing was likely to be a grueller for most. A surprisingly mild day greeted the 52 anglers but, as expected, the fishing proved hard with one particular section being won with a miniscule 6oz!

Having already booked our place on the final in July, we entered the last round of the Avon Valley Winter League a week later still full of confidence. A good performance saw the team press home their advantage by taking top honours on the day with 63 points, which even included one blank! There were three teams still contesting the runners-up spot. Newcomers to the league, Sensas Oakwood, finished in second, courtesy of a greater weight than joint point scorers Arun Angling.

This final round on the Basingstoke Canal was from Swing Bridge at Chequers to Pondtail Bridge. With the canal looking like tap water from the storms and frosts earlier in the week, and another frost the night before, it really put paid to many of the participant’s hopes.

Individual winner was our England U23 International, Alex Clements. Pegged in C section, Alex caught steadily for 15-11-0 of roach and six big perch. He fished down the middle with punch and 11m across with chopped worm. Second was his Drennan Bordon team mate, Simon Kiefer, pegged in B section, who took 15-7-0. This included eight big perch on chopped worm down the middle.

Rd6 Individuals:
1. Alex Clements, 15-11-0, Drennan Bordon
2. Simon Kiefer, 15-7-0, Drennan Bordon
3. Richard Hicks, 13-8-0, Tubertini Apollo Blue

Rd6 Teams:
1. Drennan Bordon 53pts
2. Sensas Oakwood 50pts (weight)
3. Arun Angling 50pts

Final League:
1. Drennan Bordon 8pts
2. Sensas Oakwood 18pts
3. Arun Angling 23pts
4. Browing Crowsports 25pts
5. Shakespeare Homestores 28pts
6. Bordon Angling Rive 35pts
7. Tubertini Apollo Blue 36pts
8. Allan’s Marine 43pts

Drennan Bordon – Avon Valley Winter League Champions!

I would like to say well done to all the Drennan Bordon squad for all their effort and hard work. You all deserve what we set out to do and that’s to win the league. Our thanks also go to our team sponsors, Drennan and Bordon Angling Centre for their continued support.

A final thanks must go to Ian Snook, Chris Gillott, Jeff Maye and the rest of their admin team, for a league organised with such a professional approach, along with Geoff Ball for pegging. In this day and age, it’s a pleasure to see such dedication. Our congratulations also go to all the teams competing for making this such a friendly and competitive league. Long may it continue!