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.

The weather for the competition events was warm with a moderate southerly breeze. Casting commenced with the accuracy event followed by the T38, T120 and S55 before lunch. In the afternoon the #5 and #7 trout distance and ST27 events were cast. All distances are in feet and inches.

#5F – Bart De Zwaan 138.03; Zhongxiang Zhu 122.07; Dean Bass 122.05; Tracy Thomas 116.01; James Evans 115.06; Kei Okamoto 115.00; Lee Martell 106.08; Howard Bishop 92.06; David Fisher 87.00; Martin Penton 69.10

#7F – Bart De Zwaan 137.03; Dean Bass 132.00; Kei Okamoto 130.00; James Evans 130.00; Zhongxiang Zhu 129.05; Tracy Thomas 128.02; Lee Martell 118.00; Howard Bishop 99.03; David Fisher 90.09; Martin Penton 79.04

ST27 – Bart De Zwaan 160.07; Kei Okamoto 153.06; Howard Bishop 136.10; Zhongxiang Zhu 136.10; James Evans 136.08; Tracy Thomas 130.05; Dean Bass 126.03; David Fisher 110.04

S55g – Kei Okamoto 193.06; James Evans 175.07; Bart De Zwaan 160.06; Howard Bishop 150.07; Zhongxiang Zhu 145.04; Tracy Thomas 145.03; Dean Bass 108.05

T38 – Dean Bass 173.06; Kei Okamoto 156.04; James Evans 151.05; Bart De Zwaan 150.11; Howard Bishop 138.08; Tracy Thomas 130.11; Zhongxiang Zhu 130.10

T120 – Dean Bass 206.11; Kei Okamoto 190.04; Howard Bishop 184.08; Bart De Zwaan 168.08; James Evans 159.10; Tracy Thomas 156.11

Accuracy (points) – Kei Okamoto 53; Mike Heritage 44; Bart De Zwaan 40; James Evans 38; Dean Bass 21; Tracy Thomas 19; Lee Martell 17; Howard Bishop 16; Martin Penton 13; Roger Hoad 8; Ed Turney 8; David Fisher 7

Overall Event: Joint 1st Bart de Zwaan/Kei Okamoto (17); 3rd Dean Bass (26)

Records: Kei Okamoto took the overall accuracy record. Bart de Zwaan extended his overall #5 record by 1 inch. Tracy Thomas also extended her #7 women’s record by 1 inch. many congratulations to all.

Apologies for the delay in posting these results, I’ve been busy catching bonefish. The BFCC calendar kicked-off, as usual, in Cullompton in typical BFCC weather – light to no wind that was swinging round completely at random – enough to have the competitors tearing their hair out. Thankfully it was pleasantly warm and dry all day so all the events were run, starting with the accuracy, T120, T38 and S55g in the morning, moving on to the #5, #7 and ST27 in the afternoon. All distances are in feet and inches:

#5F – Tracy Thomas 110.02; James Evans 103.06; Alex Bobba 98.02; Dean Bass 97.09; Toby Merigan 92.07; Stuart Tod 87.01; Tony King 83.04; John Dawson 82.00; David Fisher 81.02; Dean Mockridge 81.00; James Mockridge 79.11; Max Mockridge 63.11.

#7F – Dean Bass 121.00; James Evans 114.02; Toby Merigan 110.07; Tracy Thomas 103.00; John Dawson 95.06; Stuart Tod 92.06; Dean Mockridge 92.06; Tony King 91.04; Alex Bobba 90.03; James Mockridge 89.02; David Fisher 84.00; Max Mockridge 57.07.

B100 (#5F + #7F) – Stuart Tod 179.07; John Dawson 177.06; Tony King 174.08; Dean Mockridge 173.06; James Mockridge 169.01; David Fisher 165.02; Max Mockridge 121.06

Sea Trout 27 – Dean Bass 127.03; Tracy Thomas 122.02; James Evans 113.08; Alex Bobba 105.03; Tony King 103.00; John Dawson 102.09; Stuart Tod 102.06; Toby Merigan 100.03; David Fisher 98.11; Dean Mockridge 97.08; Max Mockridge 60.05.

Salmon 55g – Toby Merigan 164.02; Tracy Thomas 152.05; Stuart Tod 152.03; James Evans 145.09; James Mockridge 134.06; Dean Mockridge 123.01; Dean Bass 118.00; David Fisher 116.06; Tony King 97.06; Max Mockridge 76.03

T38 –  Dean Bass 159.08; Toby Merigan 157.06; Stuart Tod 149.05; Tony King 138.05; James Mockridge 131.04; Tracy Thomas 118.04; Dean Mockridge 100.00; David Fisher 99.00; John Dawson 82.00

T120 – Dean Bass 184.10; James Evans 181.00; Stuart Tod 177.07; Toby Merigan 172.05; Tony King 153.10; Tracy Thomas 140.00; David Fisher 125.00.

Accuracy (Points) – Toby Merigan 43; James Mockridge 21; Tony King 20; Dean Mockridge 19; David Fisher 17; Dean Bass 16; Stuart Tod 16; John Gilmore 14; John Dawson 9; Max Mockridge 7.

Overall result: 1st Dean Bass, 2nd Toby Merigan, 3rd Tracy Thomas.

Records: James Mockridge beat the junior (17) record for Salmon 55g. James and brother Max also claimed the accuracy records for the Junior 17 and 13 age groups respectively – well done to both.

The last BFCC meeting of the year attracted casters from all over the country and one from abroad (or is that two if we include Paul?). Many thanks to all those who travelled significant distances in order to compete, it’s very much appreciated. The weather was pleasantly warm with a light, but inconsistent south-west breeze. The competition started with accuracy and then the T38, S55g and T120 before the lunch break. The #5, #7 and ST27 were then cast after the lunch break and AGM. As always the distances are in feet and inches:

#5F – Bart De Zwaan 138.02; Paul Arden 128.05; Dean Bass 119.08; Mike Heritage 119.03; James Evans 119.01; Kei Okamoto 116.00; Zhongxiang Zhu 111.05; Lee Cummings 110.05; Lee Martell 107.07; Tracy Thomas 106.06; Mick Copeman 102.06; Lisa Isles 101.03; Howard Bishop 94.10; Dominic Hewitt 92.07; Vince Brandon 92.05; Marina Gibson 91.10.

#7F – Paul Arden 138.04; Bart De Zwaan 137.10; Dean Bass 131.02; James Evans 128.08; Zhongxiang Zhu 125.10; Kei Okamoto 121.03; Lee Cummings 117.10; Mike Heritage 116.05; Mick Copeman 116.04; Tracy Thomas 113.10; Lee Martell 113.00; Lisa Isles 110.01; Howard Bishop 104.10; Marina Gibson 100.02; Dominic Hewitt 96.01; Vince Brandon 90.00.

B100 (#5 + #7) – Howard Bishop 199.08; Dominic Hewitt 188.08; Vince Brandon 182.05

ST27 – James Evans 140.10; Paul Arden 139.00; Kei Okamoto 132.11; Mike Heritage 127.05; Lee Martell 126.08; Dean Bass 124.10; Tracy Thomas 123.10; Lisa Isles 123.01; Marina Gibson 122.09; Lee Cummings 122.03; Zhongxiang Zhu 121.10; Bart De Zwaan 118.07; Howard Bishop 114.03; Dominic Hewitt 113.07 .

S55g – James Evans 172.07; Lee Cummings 171.10; Paul Arden 159.02; Kei Okamoto 154.06; Tracy Thomas 153.05; Marina Gibson 149.02; Lisa Isles 144.05; Bart De Zwaan 140.05; Howard Bishop 138.02; Dean Bass 135.00; Mike Heritage 124.09

T38 – Paul Arden 168.08; Mike Heritage 163.07; Lee Cummings 161.00; James Evans 159.06; Dean Bass 157.03; Bart De Zwaan 152.03; Mike Marshall 151.05; Howard Bishop 140.10; Lisa Isles 123.01; Marina Gibson 118.08.

T120 – Paul Arden 197.02; James Evans 192.03; Lee Cummings 186.11; Bart De Zwaan 181.05; Howard Bishop 178.02; Mike Marshall 176.00; Mike Heritage 163.07; Dean Bass 159.01; Tracy Thomas 148.00; Lisa Isles 135.00; Marina Gibson 130.01.

Accuracy (points) – Paul Arden 49; Lee Cummings 47; Alex Titov 42; Kei Okamoto 36; Lisa Isles 30; Marina Gibson 30; Lee Martell 27; James Evans 26; Bart De Zwaan 22; Vince Brandon 19; Mike Heritage 18; Howard Bishop 12; John Dunmall 11

Overall event – 1st Paul Arden (11); 2nd James Evans (25); 3rd Lee Cummings (35)

Records: Given the conditions Bart produced a stunning cast in the #5 to take the overall BFCC record from Paul – fantastic casting Bart!
Paul equalled the accuracy record.

For once we had a nice wind for a BFCC casting competition, a steady ~10mph blowing from the north-east. The temperature was warm enough for the casters to be in T-shirts all day, probably for the last time this year. As usual the heavier gear, T38, S55g and T120 was cast in the morning and the #5F, #7F and ST27 in the afternoon. All distances are in feet and inches:

#5F – James Evans 127.07; Ross Bannerman 126.00; Tracy Thomas 113.02*; Kevin White 107.06; Craig Foggo 81.02; Dominic Palmeri 78.11
* Tracy recorded a cast of 121.00 in a separate timed record attempt.

#7F – James Evans 130.03; Tracy Thomas 128.01; Ross Bannerman 124.10; Kevin White 119.11; Dominic Palmeri 88.08; Bob McGinnigle 83.02; Craig Foggo 75.09; John Dunmall 71.05

ST27 – James Evans 152.10; Ross Bannerman 147.00; Kevin White 137.06; Tracy Thomas 130.03; Dominic Palmeri 117.01; Bob McGinnigle 97.07

S55g – James Evans 183.09*; Ross Bannerman 160.09; Tracy Thomas 156.02; Kevin White 146.08; Bob McGinnigle 117.09; Steve Bailey 117.09; Bob Mallet 102.06
*James recorded a cast of 204.00 in a separate timed record attempt

T38 – James Evans 184.00; Ross Bannerman 174.01; Kevin White 143.08; Bob McGinnigle 117.08

T120 – James Evans 200.10; Ross Bannerman 163.03; Bob Mallet 150.04; Tracy Thomas 148.06; Bob McGinnigle 127.09; Steve Bailey 112.00
Unfortunately due to a line breakage Kevin was unable to compete in the T120.

Overall event (points): 1st James Evans 6; 2nd Ross Bannerman 13; 3rd Tracy Thomas 21

Records: Tracy extended her women’s #5, #7 and S55g records. James claimed the S55g men’s record.

A very hot day in Cambridgeshire with a light, but inconsistent breeze. The S55, T38 and T120 were all cast in the morning session prior to a lunch break taken in the shade. The #5, #7, ST27 and Accuracy events were completed in the afternoon session. All results are in feet and inches:

#5F – James Evans 119.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 117.09; Kei Okamoto 116.03; Tracy Thomas 114.04; John Reynolds 109.05; Mick Copeman 109.00; Stuart Tod 89.10; Keith Jones 87.00; Stephen Lindley 82.05; Paul Speed 78.07; David Jones 69.10

#7F – James Evans 123.00; Tracy Thomas 118.09; Zhongxiang Zhu 118.03; Kei Okamoto 116.02; John Reynolds 115.10; Mick Copeman 108.04; Stuart Tod 102.03; Paul Speed 101.09; Stephen Lindley 94.00; Keith Jones 85.08; David Jones 81.01

B100 (#5 + #7) – Stuart Tod 192.01; Paul Speed 180.04; Stephen Lindley 176.05; Keith Jones 172.08; David Jones 150.11

ST27 – James Evans 140.07; Kei Okamoto 134.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 133.05; Mick Copeman 129.09; Tracy Thomas 128.10; John Reynolds 127.01; Stuart Tod 122.00; Keith Jones 115.09; Stephen Lindley 107.00; David Jones 100.06

S55g – Jonathon Tomlinson 172.07; James Evans 169.03; Kei Okamoto 161.11; John Reynolds 157.03; Stuart Tod 147.07; Zhongxiang Zhu 140.06; Tracy Thomas 140.00

T38 – Jonathon Tomlinson 163.00; James Evans 162.02; John Reynolds 157.10; Stuart Tod 155.04; Zhongxiang Zhu 118.01

T120 – Jonathon Tomlinson 200.00; Stuart Tod 197.07; James Evans 193.02; John Reynolds 161.05; Tracy Thomas 154.04; Zhongxiang Zhu 146.09

Accuracy (points) – James Evans 42; Keith Jones 34; Kei Okamoto 31; John Reynolds 30; Stuart Tod 17; Stephen Lindley 14

Overall Event: 1st James Evans, 2nd Kei Okamoto, 3rd John Reynolds

Records: Keith Jones extended his S(50) Accuracy record, well done Keith. John Reynolds also claimed the S(60) accuracy record.

Unfortunately the field used for this event didn’t look like it had been mowed since the end of the rugby season, this caused issues for the instructors trying to teach clean pick-ups and for the competitors with ticking. This was doubly unfortunate as there was actually a decent breeze blowing for once but the distances achieved suffered slightly. All distances are in feet and inches:

#5F – Kei Okamoto 120.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 117.05; James Evans 116.00; Steve Parkes 113.00; Tracy Thomas 112.08; Jac Davies 110.00; Stuart Tod 85.02; George Clarke 80.04; Nigel Conlon 78.04; Matt Clarke 74.08.

#7F – James Evans 130.03; Zhongxiang Zhu 122.11; Steve Parkes 116.09; Matt Clarke 116.03; Jac Davies 114.08; Kei Okamoto 113.00; Tracy Thomas 105.03; Nigel Conlon 95.08; Stuart Tod 95.03; George Clarke 86.03.

B100 (#5F + #7F) Matt Clarke 190.11; Stuart Tod 180.05; Nigel Conlon 174.00; George Clarke 166.07.

ST27 – Kei Okamoto 142.07; James Evans 139.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 138.11; Steve Parkes 135.10; Jac Davies 131.11; Stuart Tod 125.11; Matt Clarke 121.03; Tracy Thomas 115.04; Nigel Conlon 99.03; George Clarke 82.08.

S55g – Steve Parkes 176.03; James Evans 171.05; Kei Okamoto 169.01; Stuart Tod 155.01; Tracy Thomas 140.05; Zhongxiang Zhu 132.10; Jac Davies 129.07; Nigel Conlon 126.08; George Clarke 89.07.

T38 – James Evans 160.00; Stuart Tod 154.02; Steve Parkes 147.02; Jac Davies 144.03; Zhongxiang Zhu 133.07; Nigel Conlon 124.11.

T120 – Stuart Tod 201.04; Steve Parkes 191.05; James Evans 189.07; Zhongxiang Zhu 161.05; Tracy Thomas 135.07.

Overall event: 1st James Evans, 2nd Steve Parkes, 3rd Zhongxiang Zhu

Records: George Clarke claimed the under 13 Salmon Overhead (S55) record – really well done considering it was his first attempt with a double handed rod and a 15ft 10/11 weight one at that.

Badges: Neil Bissell recorded a 30 yard cast with a #7 outfit and Jac Davies cast the T38 over 45 yards (he also missed out on the ST27 J17 record by 1 inch). Well done to both.

Given the forecast for thundery showers we cant really complain about the weather (although everyone knows that distance casters love to blame the conditions), however it was clammy and hot with a very inconsistent (and swinging) light breeze which made getting the best distances difficult. That said there were some impressive scores achieved, the results below are in feet and inches:

#5F: James Evans 124.01; Kei Okamoto 122.02; Mike Heritage 121.11; Tracy Thomas 116.06; Zhongxiang Zhu 104.07; Keith Jones 98.11 ; Gilliaum Vermeulen 94.05; David Fisher 86.05; Dean Bass 81.07; Mike Shepherd 67.09.

#7F: Kei Okamoto 129.05; Mike Heritage 125.07; James Evans 125.00; Zhongxiang Zhu 118.07; Tracy Thomas 114.09; Dean Bass 109.07; Gilliaum Vermeulen 98.08; David Fisher 95.08; Keith Jones 89.08; Mike Shepherd 66.06.

ST27: James Evans 141.02; Kei Okamoto 139.04; Zhongxiang Zhu 132.08; Tracy Thomas 130.07; Gilliaum Vermeulen 128.11; Mike Heritage 127.05; Dean Bass 126.00; David Fisher 105.00.

S55g: Zhongxiang Zhu 159.11; Mike Heritage 157.00; James Evans 152.03; Kei Okamoto 148.03; Dean Bass 145.09; Tracy Thomas 145.00; Gilliaum Vermeulen 124.03.

T38: Gilliaum Vermeulen 165.11; James Evans 165.08; Dean Bass 160.00; Mike Marshall 154.00; Mike Heritage 142.10; Zhongxiang Zhu 136.07; Tracy Thomas 124.05; David Fisher 118.01.

T120: Gilliaum Vermeulen 191.04; Mike Heritage 181.10; James Evans 178.04; Mike Marshall 169.00; Tracy Thomas 167.06; Dean Bass 155.00; David Fisher 126.04.

Accuracy (points): Kei Okamoto 43; Gilliaum Vermeulen 40; Keith Jones 27; James Evans 27; David Fisher 10; Mike Heritage 8; Dean Bass 7.

Overall Event: 1st James Evans, 2nd Mike Heritage, 3rd Kei Okamoto

Records: Tracy extended the women’s records in #5F, S55g and T120 – really well done, hopefully there’s much more to come in the right conditions. Mike Marshall is also still casting in his 80’s and set a new best in the T38 for this age class – great to see you Mike. Keith Jones also claimed the S50 accuracy record – well done Keith!

The results from the casting competitions held at Cullompton are as follows.  Casting took place with a favourable breeze blowing.  All distances are in feet and inches.