ANGLING: DOUGIE Walsh came out on top in Sunday's opening match of the Wirral Winter League on the Golden Nook length of the Shropshire Union Canal at Waverton.

Fishing for Rivacre AC, he landed a 4lbs bream and some skimmers using caster to weigh a total of 6lbs. In second place was Norman Birmingham, of Dockers Black, with a 4-10-11 mixture with Keith Cummings third for AIBC Birkenhead Centre A with a 3-14-0 mix.

Willaston Red led the field in the team contest with 47 points ahead of AIBC Birkenhead CentreBon42 andtheirAteam third on 41.

Mark Mealing was the high flyer in the Airbus, Broughton AC match at Moorlands Farm Fishery with 73-14-0 of small carp. Dave Ward had 69-6-0 for second place and Kevin Thornton was third with 43-10-0.

Malpas AC fished Egerton Farm lake where Simon Coomber, helped by a 7-14-0 mirror carp, landed 22-8-0 including several smaller carp. Keith Arrowsmith was next with 7-8-0 of carp and roach and Alan Jones was third with 2-8-0.

Roy Garton was top in the Tarporley AS match atLittleMillpool atBudworthwithan 11-10-12 mixture of tench from Paul Stockton with 7-9-4 of rudd and Paul Roden who had 5-12-8 of rudd.

A two-day trip to Cobh in southern Ireland brought its rewards for members of the Ellesmere Port Labour Club SAS last week.

The first day their boat dropped anchor off a reef six miles from shore and Gary Davies found an 8lbs pollock to finish ahead of Jim Millington with a 6lbs pollock and Mario Mozzano with a 5lbs pollock. The following day it was John Taylor who won with a 17lbs conger eel from Glyn Kershaw, who had a 12lbs conger and Steve Abram with a 7lbs pollock.

Arthur Gillam took the honours in the Mickle Trafford AC match at Dearnford Hall Fishery. This was a best-brace contest and he landed 5-4-0 of rainbows using a black fritz. Alan Bell was next with 5-3-0 and Richard Roberts took 4-14-0. The top fish was a 3-6-0 rainbow taken by John Chamberlain.

George Edwards led the field in the Lobol AS match on the rock pool at Hampton Springs with a carp-based 13-8-0. Terry Nolan was a close second with four carp for 13-4-0andDanny Boothroyd was third with mostly carp weighing 11-14-0.

A high tide interrupted the Saltney Social AC match on the Dee at Holt's beat 10. Andy Williams, boosted by a 2lbs perch in his chub catch, weighed in 3-2-0 to beat Ken Davies's 1-8-0 of chub and dace and Lee Lloyd with 0-15-0.

Terry Knight, who owns Burton Mere Fishery, had a catch to remember while on holiday in Dijon, France. Fishing on a private car plake, he landed a 52-8-0 mirror carp as well as other fish weighing 33lbs and 29lbs.

John Mort was up front in the Grosvenor Estates AC match on stock ponds on the Eaton Estate. He had carp weighing 19lb sto win easily from Ron Evans' 14lbs of carp and Charlie Benyon's 9lbs carp.

Victory in the Ellesmere Port British Legion AS match on the Severn at Ironbridge went to Andy Fletcher with a 4lbs brace of barbel in his 12-6-0 mixed bag. Steve Matthews was next with 6-10-0,including a 6-4-0 pike, and Joe Grieves took a 3-12-0 barbel for third place.

John Tyreman was out on his own in the Cestrian AC match at Winsford Flash with 10-12-0 of roach, perch and small fish. Alan Heaney was his nearest rival with 6-12-0 from Mark Ashton and Brian Crawford,who each had 6-7-0.

The Greyhound, Saughall AC Winter League started at Milton Green Fishery on Sunday and Frank Doran led with 26lbs of carp, ahead of Paul Renshaw's 19-2-0 and Dave Bampton's 18-8-0 of carp.

The Burton Mere Fishery's midweek open was won by Dave McGuire with 47-14-8 of carp, barbel and skimmers from Steve Boyd's carp-based 36-12-0 and Chris Diamond's 33-3-0ofcarp. Mike Ryan wastopin Sunday's match with 34-11-0 of carp and barbel from Lee Redman's 31-3-0 and Barry Davies's 22-2-8.

Steve Georgeson had a 1lb chub and some small fish in his 3-5-0 to win the Rivacre AC match on the Bridgewater Canal at Preston Brook. Dave Grimes was next with 2-10-0 from Ian Lloyd on 0-15-12.

Castrol SAC fished two matches out of Port Dinorwic. Brian Clynch and Martin Foster each had a 12lbs bullhuss with John Youde third with a 6lbs dogfish. Ray Smith won the second match with a 7lbs bass from Tony Kelly with a 5lbs bass.

Mark Greasley was top in the Chester Police AC match on the meadow pool at Hampton Springs with a 217lbs mixture of crucians, tench and carp. Neil Jukes had a similar mixture weighing 14-12-0 and Phil Stokes took three carp for 14-8-0.

FISHERIES NEWS Milton Green: Gary Jones, of Christleton, coaxed 17lbs mirror carp to luncheon meat. Dearnford Hall: Richard Close, of Chester, lured their top fish of the week, an 8-1-0 rainbow to a hot-headed damsel-fly nymph. John Allen, of Ellesmere Port, coaxed a 5-3-0 brownie to a mini cat's whisker. Meadow: Peter English, of Chester, lured a 5-2-0 rainbow to a viva.

Cheshire: Andy Foulkes, of Neston, netted 36carpbetween3-8-0and5lbs foratotalof more than 100lbs, using luncheon meat.