6th October 2018 - Moor Monkton (Cyprio Lake)

So today was Match Day 19 of this season and Crucial in terms of the season honours.
I held a 9 point lead with only this and the next match to play so "Big T" needed a "Big Win". I on the other hand knew a solitary point would clinch me the league title for the 5th time on the trot

The match was at Moor Monkton Pools on the Cyprio Lake. This was a lake we always did well on and had caught big fish from so, although the weather forcast was grim we were both fairly confident of a good day

We set up on our favourite pegs, Dad on 7, me on 8 and after tackling up quickly in the rain we cast in at 8am. The match was a 6 hour 30 minute session. Could I get the one point I needed???

The first two hours Dad blew me away. He banked a Carp of just over 5 lb and a Carp of just over 7 lb. Meanwhile I had netted a small 7 oz Skimmer... Dad had also lost two more Carp, snapping him close to home. Would these two lost ones come back to haunt him??

As we entered the middle part of the match I wasn't overly concerned as I could afford a big defeat so long as I managed to get the one point I needed and for that reason I changed tact. I started to use bigger hook baits and reverted back to my plain Green Swim Stim not the chili, spice and vodka infused version I started the match on. Minutes later, whack.... the rod bent round and I landed a 5 lb 1 oz Carp. Still not big enough for the point for the biggest fish but at least I was back in the match. This middle section of the match also saw me net a decent Bream and a lovely Koi Carp of over 6 pound. Dad wasn't to be put off though as he netted two Carp of over 6 lb and a couple of Skimmers.

We started the last two hours of the match with Dad leading the match by about 13 pound and was on for a 5 nil win - just what he wanted.

Booooom my rod went round at an alarming speed and after playing the fish for a good 15 minutes I finally managed to net it... A huge Carp, surely bigger than Dad's 7 pounder that was leading the contest for biggest fish. As we weighed the fish I smiled as it registered 9 lb 4 oz. Surely now that was the point I needed to ratain the league title??
There were still time though and in the remaining time we had left I managed to bag another big carp, this time 8 lb 10 oz and one of nearly 6 lb. Dad pushed for the big one and bagged an 8 lb 8 oz Carp and a Carp of other 5 pound but that was to be that.

A great match today in which Dad very nearly pulled off the 5 Nil win he needed but that big 9 lb 4 oz Common earned me the point I needed.

I finished on 37 lb 8 oz with seven fish, Dad finished with 40 lb 2 oz with eight fish
Dad wins 4-1

I now hold a 6 point lead with only 5 to play for at next weeks final match of the season
Fantastic :-)