Following this year’s 24-Hour Jack Frost Memorial Charity Pairs Match which is organised by Farnham Angling Society and takes place on Badshot Lea Big Pond near Farnham, Surrey, The Second Chance Children’s Charity in Portsmouth will receive in excess of £2,000.
This is the 12th year that we have run the match to commemorate the late Mr Jack Frost, our previous Secretary who gave 40-years of service to the Society and who was an active charity worker. Since starting as a match fished by 8 individual anglers fishing on the Old Pin, it progressed to a pair’s match that normally occupies the entire lake.
My sincere thanks go to all the anglers that took part, as at one stage it looked as though the match may have to be cancelled, but a typical late run saw 12 teams register. The weather was glorious, and had been for the week before the event, with a northerly wind turning into a steady north easterly wind pushing diagonally across the lake. At 9.45am the draw took place and the teams all headed off to their pegs to see what the next 24-hours would bring.
The match started at midday on Saturday 26th May in blistering heat and sunburn weather as the wind betrayed the true temperature, and as per last year, the carp were starting to think about spawning.
A great range of methods were employed, with zig-rigs, feeders and quiver tips, method feeders, wagglers, running and semi-fixed ledgers and spombs and spods all being let loose to tempt the lake’s fish to feed. With one of the 12-teams finally breaking their duck at 22.47, all competitors continued to try their best. With Zack Turner, the youngest competitor finally caching his first fish around 9pm, his perseverance was later rewarded with a 6lb 3oz Tench.
Joe Turner with a net of Bream and Zack Turner with a 6lb 4oz Tench.
Steve Benton finally lands his team’s first fish just before midnight, but he and Les made up for that by having the best cooked breakfast !
By 1.15pm on Sunday, everyone had packed up under the midday sun and made their way back to the car park. With all of the score sheets and sponsorship and best specimens having been checked, the results were read to the sun scorched and tired teams.
With over £2K having been raised in sponsorship, the event was a resounding success yet again. As the fund raising is the single most important aspect of the match, Andy Sands and myself as the two having raised the most sponsorship with £273 & £214 respectively, both received prizes: with the latter immediately being donated straight to Second Chance.
Billy-Jean Benton with a 7lb 10oz Mirror Carp.
Paul and Mark Hopkins were announced as the worthy winners, the Brothers Grim team having caught well at the start and the following morning to catch 142lb 8oz of Bream and Tench off pegs 11 & 12 on the Railway Bank. In second place were Mark Hurdle and Adam Goddard, from pegs 48 & 49 in The Woods, who had 107lb 9oz of Carp, Bream & Tench. However, they were hard pressed all the way by Paul Turner & Joe Turner, in pegs 21 & 22 on the left hand side of The Old Pin, who finished with 106lb 10oz. Both father and son landed Bream, with Joe showing his dad how to do it by landing two Bream exceeding 8lb. The total weight of fish caught by the 12-teams was 903lb 10oz of Bream, Carp, Catfish, Tench and Perch. A pretty good result bearing in mind the scorching conditions and the fact that many Carp had their minds on more important matters !
Former winner Trevor Hopkins lands another bream.
As the match winners, Paul and Mark Hopkins received complementary Farnham Angling Society permits for the 2013/2014 season, with prizes for the pairs finishing second and third as well.
Mark Hopkins nets another Bream which was to lead to a winning weight.
Due to the generosity of many tackle shops and bait suppliers that advertise in the FAS Handbook and support the event, there were fishing tackle prizes for not only the two members raising most sponsorship, but all anglers finishing in the top three teams and also to those landing the best specimens. Farnham Angling Society would like to express sincere thanks to all of those that
contributed to the prizes, with special thanks to Rob at Hampshire Tackle, but also to Simon at Tackle Up, Ruth at Yateley Angling Centre, Roy at Guildford Angling Centre, Andrew at Backhurst Bait Supplies, Alan at Rokers, Dennis at Gold Valley Tackle, Mick at The Creel, Peter at Goldsworth Angling and David Benton & Nash Tackle & Farnham Angling Society of course for their generosity in donating a pair of FAS permits, gift vouchers, fishing tackle and bait as prizes for those that took part.
The full Match Results reads:
1st Paul Hopkins & Mark Hopkins 142lb 8oz
2nd Mark Hurdle & Adam Goddard 107lb 9oz
3rd Paul Turner & Joe Turner 106lb 10oz
4th Alex Royal & Ian Etherington 98lb 3oz
5th Dave Benton & Billie Benton 93lb 3oz
6th Simon Vidler & Lee John Cooper 82lb 13oz
7th Trevor Hopkins & Zack Turner 73lb 0oz
8th Roger Wilkinson & Dan Meaks 56lb 13oz
9th Paul Stevens & Andy Sands 51lb 8oz
10th Joe Stevens Snr & Joe Stevens Jnr 44lb 14oz
11th Roger Sturt & Del Burden 30lb 9oz
12th Steve Benton & Les Harrat 16lb 0oz
Worthy winners of the 24-Hr Jack Frost Memorial Charity Pairs Match, brothers Paul & Mark Hopkins congratulated by FAS Secretary, Ian Gray
Prizes were also given for the following:
Highest sponsorship raised £273 Andy Sands
Second highest sponsorship raised £214 Ian Gray
Andy Sands receiving something to remember the match by having raised the most sponsorship, the most important part of the event.
Best Carp 16lb 14oz Roger Wilkinson
Best Catfish 16lb 10oz Simon Vidler
Best Bream 8lb 14oz Joe Turner
Best Tench 8lb 0oz Paul Stevens
Simon Vidler with a PB Catfish of 16lb 10oz in his first charity match said he would be back next year.
Roger Wilkinson with the biggest Carp of the match at 16lb 14oz.
A big thank you once again to all those that took part, both Farnham Angling Society members and the two teams from The Second Chance Charity, we hope you will return to support the event once again next year.
Next year, I am pleased to announce that Mark Hurdle who many of you will now from his bailiffing at Badshot Lea Big Pond and as a competitor in the charity & bailiff’s matches, will be taking over the reigns as far as running the event: for which I am very grateful. I trust that you will give him as much support and assistance as I have received over the last 12-years in which FAS has with your help raised over £31K for The Second Chance Charity in Portsmouth & The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham.
Mark Hurdle (left) having finished runner up with Adam Goddard, will be running the 24Hr Charity Match next year.
So if you would like to take part in the 2013 Charity Match, then please call Mark once the date has been advertised in the Post AGM Informative in February 2013.
Remember that the match is a fund raising event, not an ultra competitive match in the true sense of the word. It is relaxed and gives all anglers, whether they be specialist carp, match or more general anglers a genuine chance of winning something. Badshot Lea Big Pond is a terrific venue that has an exciting future as the Carp pack on the weight with an increasing number of 20lb fish, some beautiful fully scaled mirror Carp showing as mid-doubles, numbers of Tench from 3 – 8lb, many shoals of Bream averaging 3lb and running to 10lb and a population of Catfish that range from 1lb – 60lb.
Next year’s event will once again be all about raising funds for The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham. So Mark and I look forward to seeing you then.
Ian Gray – Honorary Secretary & Mark Hurdle, BLBP Bailiff