The fifth and final BFCC competition of the year was held at Bentley Cricket Ground in Essex. The weather forecast for the day was not good with torrential rain predicted for early afternoon. There should have been a decent breeze blowing, and there was some air movement but none of the casters could agree in which direction it was blowing! So much so that one of the two parallel lanes was abandoned early on as no one wanted to cast in it. With the imminent rain it was agreed that the event order would be switched around with the full line events being cast first. It was also decided to go straight through all the events without a break to try and get finished before everyone got too wet. The following distances are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 125.11; James Evans 122.11; Kei Okamoto 122.00; Tracy Thomas 115.03; Andrew Bagshaw 115.03; Mick Copeman 113.06; Mike Heritage 106.08; Howard Bishop 103.00; David Fisher 92.07; Geoff Lawrence 82.03.

#7 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 135.10; James Evans 130.10; Tracy Thomas 121.10; Andrew Bagshaw 121.10; Kei Okamoto 121.00; Mike Heritage 120.11; Mick Copeman 113.10; Howard Bishop 106.10; David Fisher 102.03; Geoff Lawrence 98.08.

ST27: Zhongxiang Zhu 142.00; James Evans 141.10; Howard Bishop 133.01; Kei Okamoto 127.03; Tracy Thomas 127.02; Andrew Bagshaw 126.04; Mike Heritage 122.05; Mick Copeman 120.09; David Fisher 103.04; Geoff Lawrence 95.00.

S55: Kei Okamoto 191.08; James Evans 186.06; Mike Heritage 171.02; Tracy Thomas 162.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 139.00; Geoff Lawrence 138.10; Mick Copeman 124.11; Andrew Bagshaw 123.04; Howard Bishop 111.03.

T38: James Evans 176.02; Andrew Bagshaw 160.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 149.09; Kei Okamoto 146.08; Tracy Thomas 142.08; Howard Bishop 140.10; Mike Heritage 137.03; Geoff Lawrence 109.00.

T120: James Evans 214.04; Kei Okamoto 202.09; Tracy Thomas 172.09; Andrew Bagshaw 164.10; Howard Bishop 152.10; Geoff Lawrence 137.04.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 58; Zhongxiang Zhu 49; Mike Heritage 44; James Evans 32; David Fisher 24; Tracy Thomas 17; Howard Bishop 16.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 14, =2nd Zhongxiang Zhu, Kei Okamoto 20.

Records: Mike Heritage smashed his V70 S55 record by over 20ft and also increased his V70 accuracy best. Tracy Thomas extended her overall women’s T120 record. Well done to both.

The Dodleston venue was selected to replace the Oswestry event (due to issues with the grass not being cut in previous years). The ground was ideal for the casting comps and instruction given its large area and lack of surrounding obstructions for the wind. Unfortunately the strong wind hoped for by the competition casters (but perhaps not the instructors) was not forecast but we did have a consistent, light southerly. The competition events kicked off with a very exiting accuracy event where Kei broke the overall record – he held this record for all of 4 minutes before TC grabbed it back. The T38, S55 and T120 were next up, followed by the #5, #7 and ST27 after a refreshment break. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 133.01; Kei Okamoto 130.01; James Evans 127.06; Steve Parkes 123.07; Tracy Thomas 112.00; Mike Heritage 110.06; Andrew Bagshaw 105.06; Stuart Tod 96.00; Paul Brown 91.09; Andy Henderson 86.10; Geoff Lawrence 84.06; Stephen Lindley 80.10.

Virtual #5 Trout Distance: Jose Nieto 128.11, Nick Moore 120.02

#7 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 138.04; James Evans 135.00; Andrew Bagshaw 129.07; Steve Parkes 125.10; Kei Okamoto 125.02; Tracy Thomas 123.05; Mike Heritage 120.07; Paul Brown 110.01; Stuart Tod 107.09; Stephen Lindley 94.09; Andy Henderson 94.07; Geoff Lawrence 94.06.

Virtual #7 Trout Distance: Jose Nieto 135.02

B100 (#5 + #7): Paul Brown 201.10; Andy Henderson 181.05; Geoff Lawrence 179.00; Stephen Lindley 175.07.

ST27: Zhongxiang Zhu 151.10; Kei Okamoto 149.08; Mike Heritage 147.06; James Evans 143.01; Andrew Bagshaw 140.01; Steve Parkes 137.07; Stuart Tod 131.08; Tracy Thomas 129.00; Paul Brown 109.10; Andy Henderson 106.03; Geoff Lawrence 73.05.

S55: James Evans 190.03; Kei Okamoto 186.11; Steve Parkes 176.02; Stuart Tod 172.06; Tracy Thomas 155.05; Paul Brown 151.00; Mike Heritage 150.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 141.09; Andrew Bagshaw 118.00; Geoff Lawrence 117.04; Andy Henderson 116.04.

T38: James Evans 176.05; Stuart Tod 176.05; Andrew Bagshaw 169.00; Kei Okamoto 162.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 148.02; Tracy Thomas 140.07; Steve Parkes 133.06; Paul Brown 128.03; Andy Henderson 116.05; Geoff Lawrence 110.00.

T120: James Evans 210.06; Stuart Tod 200.08; Kei Okamoto 199.02; Andrew Bagshaw 174.00; Geoff Lawrence 172.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 170.07; Steve Parkes 170.06; Tracy Thomas 165.08; Andy Henderson 164.02; Paul Brown 147.07.

Accuracy (points): Zhongxiang Zhu 61; Kei Okamoto 59; James Evans 49; Tracy Thomas 39; Mike Heritage 32; Stuart Tod 29; Steve Parkes 22; Andy Henderson 19; Andrew Bagshaw 16; Paul Brown 13; Geoff Lawrence 10

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 15, 2nd Kei Okamoto 20, 3rd Zhongxiang Zhu 23.

Records: Zhongxiang Zhu extended his Overall Accuracy record and Kei extended the S50 target in the same event. Kei also beat the S50 #5 record previously held by James Evans with cast of over 130ft. Mike Heritage beat the V70 ST27 record, previously held by Mick Copeman, by over 10ft. Well done all!

Badges: John Lomas was delighted to upgrade his 25yd badge acquired a few years ago to a 30yd badge – well done John.

Another new venue for the BFCC in beautiful Derbyshire near the River Wye – many thanks to Don Stazicker for organising the hire of the cricket ground and pavilion. The weather conditions for the competition events were typically tough; very light breeze that would often drop to nothing and occasionally switch 180 degrees. As such, the results should be viewed with that in mind. As usual the competition kicked-off with the accuracy and then moved on to the S55, T38 and T120. In the afternoon the #5, #7 and ST27 outfits were cast. A special mention goes to Lasse Karlsson in Denmark who entered an enormous cast in the virtual ST27 – far in excess of anything cast at the event and further than the current BFCC record. The following results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 120.01; Zhongxiang Zhu 117.07; Mick Copeman 110.10; Kei Okamoto 109.04; Stewart Ross 109.01; Andrew Bagshaw 108.08; Tracy Thomas 105.11; Stephen Lindley 89.00

#7 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 127.07; Kei Okamoto 127.04; James Evans 127.02; Stewart Ross 120.04; Tracy Thomas 113.10; Andrew Bagshaw 110.03; Mick Copeman 107.07; Stephen Lindley 95.03

ST27: James Evans 140.09; Zhongxiang Zhu 138.10; Tracy Thomas 135.01; Kei Okamoto 133.06; Andrew Bagshaw 132.09; Stewart Ross 131.04; Mick Copeman 120.07; Stephen Lindley 106.11
Virtual ST27: Lasse Karlsson 185.08

S55: Kei Okamoto 192.10; James Evans 188.01; Stewart Ross 173.02; Mick Copeman 150.08; Tracy Thomas 148.10; Zhongxiang Zhu 132.01; Andrew Bagshaw 131.05

T38: James Evans 167.05; Andrew Bagshaw 159.10; Kei Okamoto 153.02; Zhongxiang Zhu 146.04; Stewart Ross 132.10; Tracy Thomas 120.06

T120: James Evans 202.00; Kei Okamoto 184.09; Andrew Bagshaw 176.09; Zhongxiang Zhu 174.07; Stewart Ross 173.05; Tracy Thomas 152.05

Accuracy (points): Zhongxiang Zhu 57; James Evans 44; Kei Okamoto 38; Tracy Thomas 23; Andrew Bagshaw 12; Stewart Ross 12.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 11, 2nd Kei Okamoto 19, 3rd Zhongxiang Zhu 20.

Records: Zhongxiang Zhu beat the Overall Accuracy record previously held by Kei – well done TC!

This was a new venue in the south west for the BFCC replacing the Cullompton venue. The conditions for the competition events were very tough; everything between blazing sunshine and torrential rain, flat calms to head winds, side winds and occasionally a helpful wind. As such the results were a bit all over the place depending on whether the caster got lucky with the weather when it was their turn. As usual the competition kicked-off with the accuracy and then moved on to the S55, T38 and T120. In the afternoon the #5, #7 and ST27 outfits were cast. The results are in feet and inches:

#5 Trout Distance: James Evans 124.08; Mike Heritage 104.08; Kei Okamoto 98.03; Tracy Thomas 94.10; Tony King 90.10; Rob Doyle 90.06; Stuart Tod 89.06; Stewart Ross 86.11; Tony Wills 71.00.

Virtual #5: Jose Nieto 129.01; Zhongxiang Zhu 127.10

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 131.01; Kei Okamoto 121.04; Tracy Thomas 109.10; Mike Heritage 108.05; Stuart Tod 105.00; Rob Doyle 95.11; Simon Pritchett 94.10; Tony Wills 93.10; Stewart Ross 93.05; Tony King 88.06; Dave Green 85.09.

Virtual #7: Zhongxiang Zhu 132.01

ST27: Tracy Thomas 126.09; Stuart Tod 126.09; James Evans 125.02; Mike Heritage 115.08; Stewart Ross 113.09; Tony King 113.00; Kei Okamoto 112.00; Rob Doyle 108.06; Tony Wills 68.00.

Virtual ST27: Zhongxiang Zhu 140.03

S55: James Evans 204.11; Kei Okamoto 195.00; Stewart Ross 169.06; Rob Doyle 160.00; Stuart Tod 155.10; Mike Heritage 151.00; Tracy Thomas 136.07; Tony King 119.11.

T38: Kei Okamoto 168.02; James Evans 163.06; Rob Doyle 141.07; Stuart Tod 139.10; Stewart Ross 133.01; Tracy Thomas 121.09; Tony King 115.00.

T120: Stuart Tod 216.06; James Evans 192.06; Kei Okamoto 191.05; Rob Doyle 175.01; Tracy Thomas 155.00; Stewart Ross 150.08; Tony King 144.06.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 45; James Evans 40; Tracy Thomas 39; Mike Heritage 27; Stuart Tod 21; Tony King 20; Stewart Ross 16.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 12, 2nd Kei Okamoto 19, 3rd Stuart Tod 28.

Records: Mike Heritage beat the S55 V70 record previously held be Mick Copeman – well done Mike!

Badges: In timed sessions against the tape Simon Pritchett cast over 35 yards and Dave Green exceeded 30 yards – well done both.

As reigning champion, Keiichiro Okamoto started the 2021 BFCC casting season off with the accuracy competition. The T38, S55 and T120 were then cast in the morning session followed by the #5, #7 and ST27 in the afternoon. The weather was a rather up and down 10mph northerly wind and bright sunshine all day. The wind was slightly odd in that the left handers were complaining it was blowing into their left arm, whilst the right handers were complaining it was blowing into their right – sometimes at the same time!

As a trial, entries into a virtual version of the competitions were also accepted – many thanks to those who entered!   If people are interested in entering any of the BFCC events virtually then please get in touch and we can develop the rules.  The full results in feet and inches are as follows:

#5 Trout Distance: Zhongxiang Zhu 131.00; James Evans 128.02; Mick Copeman 124.09; Tracy Thomas 113.06; Kei Okamoto 112.07; Mike Heritage 111.10; Howard Bishop 109.04; Tim Glass 63.10.

Virtual #5 Trout Distance: Lasse Karlsson 135.02; Jose Nieto 124.00; Silja Longhurst 107.03; Robyn Longhurst-Karlsson (aged 10) 48.06; Louis Longhurst-Karlsson (aged 8) 45.11.

#7 Trout Distance: James Evans 138.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 131.11; Kei Okamoto 124.04; Mick Copeman 121.00; Mike Heritage 119.08; Howard Bishop 117.11; Tracy Thomas 102.06; Tim Glass 88.04.

ST27 Sea Trout Distance: Kei Okamoto 155.04; James Evans 154.10; Zhongxiang Zhu 149.10; Mick Copeman 133.06; Howard Bishop 132.05; Mike Heritage 127.00; Tracy Thomas 125.00*

Virtual ST27: Lasse Karlsson 147.06; Silja Longhurst 133.00

* In a separate timed record attempt Tracy cast 140.03

S55 Salmon Overhead: James Evans 217.07; Kei Okamoto 193.05; Tracy Thomas 163.09; Zhongxiang Zhu 163.05; Howard Bishop 155.04.

Virtual S55 Salmon Overhead: Lasse Karlsson 190.03; Silja Longhurst 157.06.

T38: James Evans 179.00; Kei Okamoto 160.08; Howard Bishop 155.09; Tracy Thomas 153.00; Zhongxiang Zhu 148.03.

Virtual T38: Lasse Karlsson 172.03

T120: James Evans 215.09; Kei Okamoto 205.00; Mike Marshall 170.09; Howard Bishop 167.03; Zhongxiang Zhu 165.06; Tracy Thomas 157.10.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 47; Zhongxiang Zhu 39; Mike Heritage 32; James Evans 32; Tracy Thomas 21; Howard Bishop 15.

Overall placings: 1st James Evans 12, 2nd Kei Okamoto 16, 3rd Zhongxiang Zhu 22.

Records: In accuracy, Kei Okamoto beat the S50 and Mike Heritage claimed the vacant V70 records. In the #5 James Evans beat the S50 and Mick Copeman beat the V70. In ST27 Tracy Thomas extended her overall women’s record. In the S55 James Evans extended his overall record as well as beating the S50. In the T120 Mike Marshall extended his V80 record.  Well done all.

Unfortunately the original venue, Cullompton Cricket Club, was waterlogged which forced a very last minute change of casting pitch. Many thanks to BFCC member John Dawson for finding a replacement at such short notice. Obviously the weather in the South-West had been very wet and the replacement pitch was very muddy, however we made do. The weather on the day was a building westerly wind which swept through some heavy downpours which interrupted the morning session. The competitions started with the accuracy, which was tough given the wind – sometimes requiring casters to aim completely outside of the target rings. We then progressed on to the heavier gear, the T120, T38 & S55g followed by the #5, #7 and ST27 after lunch. The distances below are all in feet and inches:

#5F – James Evans 128.10; Daniel Rees 114.07; Tracy Thomas 110.09; Rob Doyle 96.02; Tony King 94.05; David Fisher 87.02; John Dawson 81.06; Dean Mockridge 77.09; Max Mockridge (Jr) 62.01 .

#7F – James Evans 134.00; Daniel Rees 126.05; Tracy Thomas 121.10; Rob Doyle 105.06; Tony King 101.00; David Fisher 89.10; John Dawson 89.07; Dean Mockridge 82.01; Max Mockridge (Jr) 72.00.

ST27 – James Evans 171.07; Daniel Rees 143.06; Tracy Thomas 134.09; Tony King 122.07; Dean Mockridge 97.02; Tony Wills 97.02; David Fisher 97.01; Max Mockridge (Jr) 72.08.

S55g – James Evans 207.00; Rob Doyle 154.10; Tracy Thomas 152.07; Daniel Rees 143.01; Tony King 113.10.

T38 – James Evans 186.01; Daniel Rees 166.00; Tony King 143.00; Tracy Thomas 138.02; David Fisher 106.11.

T120 – Daniel Rees 186.00; James Evans 184.09; Tony King 161.00; Rob Doyle 160.00; Tracy Thomas 138.05.

Accuracy (Points) – James Evans 38; Daniel Rees 34; Tony King 24; Tracy Thomas 24 ; Rob Doyle 19; Max Mockridge (Jr) 17; John Dawson 16; Dean Mockridge 5.

Records: James Evans extended his overall S55g best as well as taking the ST27 senior record (note – the overall record is held by John Reynolds).

Overall Events (Points) 1st James Evans 8; 2nd Daniel Rees 15; 3rd Tracy Thomas 24.

I know us distance casters like to moan a bit about the weather affecting the cast but the conditions at the Northern Fishing School on Saturday were tough, really tough!! Virtually no air movement and off and on drizzle meant that casters who would normally expect to cast over 120ft were struggling to make 100ft. The good news was that it was the same for everyone. As usual the competition started with the accuracy followed by the heavy gear; T38, S55g and T120. After lunch we cast the #5, #7 and ST27 finishing just as the light was fading. As always the distances are in feet and inches.

5F – Mike Heritage 103.05; Trevor Hayman 103.01; Tracy Thomas 99.03; James Evans 98.10; Kei Okamoto 94.09; Stephen Lindley 90.05; Dan Rees 90.04; Matt Clark 88.11; Marina Gibson 87.09; George Clark 81.01; Larysa Yefremova 80.04; Stewart Ross 72.00; Jo Stephenson 70.08

7F – James Evans 112.02; Mike Heritage 108.11; Kei Okamoto 107.00; Tracy Thomas 105.11; Trevor Hayman 102.11; Matt Clark 94.04; Stephen Lindley 90.04; Dan Rees 88.03; Jo Stephenson 84.01; Marina Gibson 81.03; George Clark 79.07; Larysa Yefremova 79.00; Stewart Ross 78.06

B100 (#5 + #7) – Matt Clark 183.03; Stephen Lindley 180.09; George Clark 160.08; Larysa Yefremova 159.04; Jo Stephenson 154.09; Stewart Ross 150.06

ST27 – Kei Okamoto 128.01; James Evans 126.09; Tracy Thomas 121.01; Trevor Hayman 114.04; Dan Rees 111.05; Mike Heritage 104.02; Matt Clark 99.07; Stephen Lindley 98.07; Jo Stephenson 95.10; Marina Gibson 95.08; Stewart Ross 94.09; George Clark 76.09; Larysa Yefremova 72.00

S55g – James Evans 159.01; Kei Okamoto 158.03; Stewart Ross 157.01; Dan Rees 150.01; Matt Clark 142.10; Tracy Thomas 142.07; Marina Gibson 138.00; Mike Heritage 132.00; Jo Stephenson 101.03; George Clark 96.04

T38 – James Evans 150.10; Kei Okamoto 150.09; Mike Heritage 144.04; Matt Clark 139.09; Stewart Ross 127.05; Marina Gibson 127.05; Dan Rees 125.02; Tracy Thomas 124.02; Jo Stephenson 107.06; George Clark 93.00

T120 – James Evans 194.02; Kei Okamoto 162.09; Marina Gibson 161.08; Mike Heritage 159.00; Jo Stephenson 155.09; Stewart Ross 154.07; Matt Clark 147.04; Dan Rees 136.09; Tracy Thomas 136.01; George Clark 94.10.

Accuracy (points) – Kei Okamoto 56; Tracy Thomas 44; Trevor Hayman 38; James Evans 38; Larysa Yefremova 36; Marina Gibson 34; Matt Clark 29; Mike Heritage 28; Dan Rees 27; Jo Stephenson 25; George Clark 20

Overall Event (points) – 1st James Evans 14; 2nd Kei Okamoto 16; 3rd Mike Heritage 32.

Records: Kei and Tracy extended their respective accuracy records. George Clarke extended his J(13) T38 record. Well done all.

I think the BFCC got lucky with the weather in that we avoided rain during what was a very wet weekend. Casting got underway in pretty still conditions and a moderate breeze developed during the morning. Things kicked-off with the accuracy event and then the T38, T120 and S55g before lunch. The remaining events, the #5F, #7F and ST27 were then completed in the afternoon. The results are below, as usual the distances are in feet and inches.

#5F – Bart De Zwaan 132.00; Kei Okamoto 131.05; James Evans 124.10; Mike Heritage 122.02; Zhongxiang Zhu 117.01; Tracy Thomas 117.00; John Reynolds 114.00; Jose Nieto 111.02; Lee Martell 111.01; William Stancliffe 104.07; Howard Bishop 99.00; Neil Owens 95.02; David Fisher 89.00; Martin Penton 88.06; Larysa Yefremova 87.02; Claudia Audley 83.06; John Dunmall 77.02

#7F – Zhongxiang Zhu 135.05; Bart De Zwaan 134.11; Mike Heritage 133.07; John Reynolds 129.06; James Evans 128.05; Kei Okamoto 127.03; Lee Martell 122.00; Tracy Thomas 121.00; Neil Owens 109.00; William Stancliffe 108.02; Howard Bishop 106.08; Jose Nieto 106.02; Martin Penton 100.04; Larysa Yefremova 99.08; David Fisher 98.06; Claudia Audley 95.00; John Dunmall 85.00

B100 (#5 + #7) – Jose Nieto 217.04; William Stancliffe 212.09; Howard Bishop 205.08; Neil Owens 204.02; Martin Penton 188.10; David Fisher 187.06; Larysa Yefremova 186.10; Claudia Audley 178.06; John Dunmall 162.02

ST27 – Kei Okamoto 143.08; Zhongxiang Zhu 141.07; Bart De Zwaan 141.02; James Evans 140.10; John Reynolds 138.03; Howard Bishop 136.04; Tracy Thomas 125.09; Mike Heritage 124.01; Lee Martell 118.09; William Stancliffe 115.10; Claudia Audley 97.00

S55g – James Evans 182.09; Bart De Zwaan 177.06; Kei Okamoto 172.05; John Reynolds 168.02; Tracy Thomas 161.00; Howard Bishop 158.01; Mike Heritage 147.11; Zhongxiang Zhu 146.06; Claudia Audley 142.00

T38 – James Evans 180.10; John Reynolds 162.09; Bart De Zwaan 162.01; Kei Okamoto 149.10; Howard Bishop 149.00; Zhongxiang Zhu 147.03; Tracy Thomas 132.00; Claudia Audley 114.06

T120 – James Evans 207.06; Howard Bishop 192.11; Kei Okamoto 176.09; Bart De Zwaan 169.05; Tracy Thomas 165.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 165.05; John Reynolds 154.00; Claudia Audley 132.04

Accuracy (points) – Bart De Zwaan 45; Mike Heritage 40; James Evans 39; Kei Okamoto 37; Zhongxiang Zhu 26; Larysa Yefremova 25; Howard Bishop 22; John Reynolds 20; Tracy Thomas 16; Claudia Audley 15

Overall Event (points) – 1st Bart De Zwaan 16; 2nd James Evans 18; 3rd Kei Okamoto 23.

Records – Mike Heritage’s cast in the #7 takes the S60 record for that event – great casting Mike!

Many thanks to all who attended, some of whom travelled considerable distances to join us.

Unusually for a BFCC meeting there was a strong wind forecast for the casting competition and thoughts of big casts were in a number of competitors minds. However, once the lane marker flags were set out it was clear that we weren’t going to have things easy – the flags often indicated winds at right angles or more within the space of 10 metres denoting the swirly nature of the wind. As such many seemingly good loops collapsed due to wind shear. That said, there were some great distances recorded and a number of records produced. Casting commenced with the heavy outfits, T38, T120 and S55g and proceeded onto the #5, #7 and ST27 in the afternoon. The accuracy event was cast last.
All results are in feet and inches:

#5F – Ross Bannerman 127.09; James Evans 125.05; Tracy Thomas 115.07; Kevin White 113.10

#7F – James Evans 136.08; Tracy Thomas 121.03; Ross Bannerman 120.09; Kevin White 118.02; Clive Dunford 95.02; Bob McGinnigle 77.03

In a timed record attempt James Evans cast 146.06 beating the previous men’s overall record held by Mike Marshall.

ST27 – Ross Bannerman 159.05; James Evans 143.01; Kevin White 140.05; Tracy Thomas 127.06

In a timed record attempt Tracy extended her ST27 record to 138.08

S55g – James Evans 194.11; Ross Bannerman 184.08; Tracy Thomas 175.06; Bob McGinnigle 168.07; Kevin White 168.05; Bob Mallet 140.00

T38 – James Evans 180.00; Ross Bannerman 178.05; Kevin White 173.03; Tracy Thomas 144.00; Bob McGinnigle 116.06

T120 – James Evans 223.06; Ross Bannerman 185.01; Kevin White 181.00; Tracy Thomas 170.05; Bob McGinnigle 157.00; Bob Mallet 138.02

Accuracy (points) – Ross Bannerman 45; Kevin White 33; James Evans 23; Clive Dunford 19; Bob McGinnigle 14; Darren L’Enfant 9

Overall: 1st James Evans (11), 2nd Ross Bannerman (12), 3rd Kevin White (24)

Records: Ross Bannerman demonstrated that there is at least one advantage to getting old, he’s now casting in the S50 category and took the following records: #5, ST27, S55g and accuracy. Great casting Ross! Tracy extended her female records in ST27, S55g and T120. James Evans took the #7 overall record which had stood for over a decade.

It was another warm day with high pressure and a light, but very variable, wind that greeted the competitive casters on Saturday. Things were made slightly worse by the un-mowed pitch (despite Tracy receiving many assurances that it would be freshly cut for the day) which caused the inevitable snagging of running lines. The competition started with the accuracy event and progressed with the T120, T38 and Salmon overhead (S55g) outfits. After the lunch break (kindly organised by Heather Dunmall and Tracy) the trout distance, #5 and #7, plus the ST27 events were cast. The results below are in feet and inches:

#5F – James Evans 118.02; Steve Parkes 114.09; Kei Okamoto 111.08; Tracy Thomas 107.03; Dean Bass 104.09; Matt Clarke 101.01; Andrew Bagshaw 98.01; Steve Lindley 95.02; Dave Beresford 84.01; George Clarke 68.06

#7F – Kei Okamoto 124.02; Dean Bass 122.01; James Evans 121.01; Tracy Thomas 116.01; Andrew Bagshaw 111.01; Matt Clarke 106.08; Dave Beresford 100.02; Steve Lindley 93.04; George Clarke 92.00

B100 (#5 + #7) – Matt Clarke 207.09; Steve Lindley 188.06; Dave Beresford 184.03; George Clarke 160.06

ST27 – Dean Bass 136.05; Kei Okamoto 133.07; James Evans 130.04; Andrew Bagshaw 128.10; Tracy Thomas 117.04; Matt Clarke 114.03; Steve Lindley 114.00; George Clarke 88.01

S55g – James Evans 180.09; Steve Parkes 175.05; Kei Okamoto 174.04; Tracy Thomas 141.02; Andrew Bagshaw 133.07; Matt Clarke 127.10; Dean Bass 122.10; Stuart Tod 115.07; George Clarke 97.08

T38 – Dean Bass 163.05; Kei Okamoto 144.01; Stuart Tod 143.10; Andrew Bagshaw 143.08; James Evans 141.05; Tracy Thomas 121.02 ; Matt Clarke 120.02; George Clarke 86.04

T120 – Kei Okamoto 207.08; James Evans 195.08; Stuart Tod 185.00; Dean Bass 176.05; Andrew Bagshaw 169.10; Steve Parkes 164.01; Tracy Thomas 138.09

Accuracy (points) – Kei Okamoto 55; Mike Heritage 47; James Evans 39; Tracy Thomas 34; Stuart Tod 34; George Clarke 22; Dean Bass 18; Andrew Bagshaw 14; Matt Clarke 10

Overall event – 1st Kei Okamoto (13); 2nd James Evans (18); 3rd Dean Bass (27)

Records: George Clarke took the junior (under 13) records in the accuracy and T38 events as well as extending his own record in the Salmon Overhead (S55g). Kei Okamoto further extended his overall accuracy record. Mike Heritage took the S60 accuracy record. Great casting by all.

Badges – both Phil Stott and George Clarke achieved their 30 yard badges with trout outfits – well done both.