Martin Highe (Hirst Tackle) is the new Yorkshire Ouse angling champion after topping Sunday's rearranged 100-peg fixture on the Ouse above York.

Anglers were split between the York water at Beningbrough Park and the Leeds sections at Hunters Lodge and Linton.

It was on the former at the Nidd mouth sand bed that the Mirfield-based river ace found himself pegged and he decided on an all out bream attack. After introducing a pint each of casters and chopped worms through a large feeder, he took his first bream an hour into the contest. Fish came at regular intervals throughout and he finished with 13 bream to 7lb for his winning net of 47lb 10oz worth more than £300.

The victory also moved him on to 19 Kamasan points and virtually guarantees his participation in the final for yet another year.

Vic Rookes took second with a brilliant all-roach catch of 15lb 8oz taken on slider and maggot from peg 278 at Linton which put him ahead of Phil Austin, who used the same tactics on peg 226 at Hunters Lodge for his roach net of 10lb 9oz.

Ricky Bonas was also on the Park section where he had a brace of small chub and a bream on stick float and maggot for his 9lb 7oz

Others: Ray Barraclough 8-10-0; Ian Bates 7-15-0.

Despite the clash of fixtures, York Amalgamation's Tower Trophy still attracted a healthy field of 71 to the Ouse below York and the competitors enjoyed one of the best roach matches on the venue for a long time.

Tony Stephenson (Anglers World Holidays) led from the end peg on the Palace ings where he opted for a chopped worm attack at ten metres. His tactics were vindicated with a 9lb 7oz catch of quality roach, perch and skimmers to 12oz.

Not surprisingly, with partner Dean Smith (MAP Elton) taking second place to re-vitalise his Matchman of the Year challenge, the York-based duo took the pairs' event with an impressive 18lb 13oz.

The Dean Machine was drawn on the rope peg at Middlethorpe and used pole and maggot for an all-roach net of 9lb 6oz.

Not far behind was Dave Gill of Selby who had three bream, plus a few bits on feeder and maggot from the stump hole on the Palace bend. Dennis Salmon was fourth from the wall at Fulford with an all-roach 8lb 8oz on stick and maggot.

Others: Rod Chalk 8lb 5oz; Neil Staniforth 7lb 10oz.

Section winners: Geoff Taylor 3-8-0; Mick Doyle 7-1-0; Terry Galton 5-11-0; Mick Wood 6-3-0; Kev Keane 4-6-0; Carl Pringle 5-10-0; Wayne Shillito 4-7-0.

Updated: 10:53 Wednesday, November 10, 2004