Aquatics extend their advantage in the Bristol Commercial House Winter League

The rain failed to put colour into the River Avon at Keynsham but 13 competitors still had double-figure catches in the Bristol Commercial House Winter League fourth round.

Avon Aquatics topped the team sheet with 26 points and increased their lead to 2.5 points over Thatchers B, who finished second with 23.

In B Division, victory went to Cooper Avon Tyres with 22 points. Crown Road Electrical came second and their 21 points were enough to take them to the top of the table.

The individual winner was Andy Ottaway, who led Avon Aquatics home from the National peg at Frys. He fished maggot close to a willow tree on the far side and weighed in a seven-chub catch, totalling 22-11-0.

Results – Individuals: 1, Andy Ottaway (Avon Aquatics) 22-11-0; 2, Tim Ford (Thatchers A) 21-1-0; 3, Kev Dicks (Avon Aquatics) 19-8-0; 4, Steve Skelton (Cooper Avon Tyres) 18-5-0; 5, Dave Wride (D&W Builders) 16-4-0; 6, Bob Sheppard (Veals) 14-2-0.

Teams – A Div: Avon Aquatics 26 pts; 2, Thatchers B 23; 3= Veals and D W Builders, both 20; 5, Karaoke Nites Avon Aquatics 18; 5, Thatchers A 17. B Div: 1, Cooper Avon Tyres 22 pts; 2, Crown Road Electrical 21; 3, BTM Services 17; 4, Town & Country 15; 5, SWEB 13.

League – A Div: 1, Avon Aquatics 20 pts; 2, Thatchers B 17.5; 3, Karaoke Notes Avon Aquatics 15; 4, Thatchers A 13; 5, D & W Builders 10.5; 6, Veals 8. B Div: 1, Crown Road Electrical 17 pts; 2, Town & Country 16; 3, Cooper Avon Tyres 11; 4, BTM Services 10.5; 5, SWEB 5.5.

● A 29-14-0 third place in round three was enough to keep Colin Golding ahead on weight in the South West Disabled & Over-50s Series of Four, fished at Acorn Carp Fisheries, Kingston Seymour.

The top individual spot was taken by Martin Alexander with a 49-4-0 mixed bag taken from open water and the lakeside margins of peg seven with dead maggot.

Result – Overall: 1, Martin Alexander 49-4-0, peg 7; 2, Bob "The Bread" Price 46-4-0, peg 1; 3, Colin Golding 29-14-0, peg 3; 4, Ted Bethel 23-12-0, peg 9.

League: 1, Colin Golding 153-8-0; 2, Bob 'The Bread' Price 133-2-0; 3, Martin Alexander 124-14-0.

● Andy Wilson won the Saints' first Rover match of the season with a 9-0-0 catch of chub and roach from the River Avon at St Anne's Park.

He fished the first two hours of the match on the far side of peg 22 with a groundbait feeder and bread, and started catching chub and roach from his very first cast. When the swim died around mid-match, he switched to fishing the middle of the river with a "Topper" float, and the same bread bait kept the fish coming right up until his last cast.

The second best weight came from Pete Powe, who used a four-metre whip and maggot to prise 7-8-0 of dace and bleak from peg three. Results: 1, Andy Wilson 9-0-0, peg 22; 2, Pete Powe 7-8-0, peg 3; 3, Bob Dark 5-8-0, peg 5; 4, Ben Creswell 4-4-0, peg 4; 5= Ted Morgan (peg 24) and Norman Fogg (peg 20) , both 2-10-0.