ANGLING: Patton finishes second after saving birds

Pete Patton took a freezing dip to save birds and still came second

By the time the whistle went he’d netted 24lb – way clear of John Price, 15-9, and not so far short of winner Richard Lattimer’s 26-9 – but that was after taking time out to go in to rescue a swan and seagull tangled together in lost line.

“That swan was pretty annoyed,” said Pete, “The seagull looked dead so I put it under my coat to warm it up, and after an hour or so it flew off.

“I’m sure it cost me the win, but there are more important things...and I was a happy second.”

DESPITE all around him blanking, Geoff Ringer (Guru) clocked up his second big Meadowlands teams-of-three weight in a row, bagging 94-12 as Wayne Sharman (Lanes) won with 106lb and Guro’s Andy Pell had 94-6.

Guro won on the day and are third overall (40 points) with four rounds left as Garbolino and Carpetbaggers share top spot on 32.

ASHBY opens, midweek, Brickyard, Frank Pizamenti 15-4, Nigel Baxter 9-7, Chris Camplin 5-8. Sunday: Brickyard, Nick Boddilly 26-4, Mark Moody 19lb, Courtney Hewlett 6-8; Grendon Andy Jones 16-8, Mick Hewlett 13-12, Martin Hughes 7-8.

SEVEN lined up for Abington’s Ringstead Nene do. Russ Coleman had 0-13, John Gamble 0-5, and the rest...

NENE/Towcester, canal, Stoke end of Blisworth Tunnel, all caught roach: Andy Kimpton 3-5, Paul Minney 2-10, Chris Howard 2-4.

TOWCESTER Vets, canal, Cosgrove, midweek: Les Goodridge 3-8, John Balhatchett 2-1, Graham Martin 1lb.

IF you are seriously frustrated by the amount of otter damage to fish stocks in some areas, you may be interested in a Barbel Society petition ‘shared’ to MKAA’s facebook page.

Few seeing the problems on the local Ouse, for instance, will deny that while otters have their place in the scheme of things, there are areas where they have multiplied way beyond levels compatible with sustainable stocks of some fish species.

The petition calls on Parliament to legalise ‘non lethal’ means of controlling the apex predator, and follows recent legalisation of their removal from fisheries enclosed by otter fencing.

Do other ‘non lethal’ methods exist? Perhaps capture and long-lasting contraceptive jabs could impact on their numbers?

FIXTURES: Feb 4 Lakeside open, book Tove Valley fb page, ALSO, Black Horse Pit open 01908 690969; ALSO MKAA individual league, 01234 713144.