As predicted, the Ouse below York was bream-free for Sunday's Tower Trophy angling match.

All 40 competitors were on the Fulford bank of the river, which at least offered some respite from the howling easterly winds.

The low, clear river conditions were always going to favour those fihsing from the deeper pegs and so it proved, with those at pegs at the bottom of the Palace Ings filling the top three places.

Steve Raper (Hirst Tackle) led from a peg opposite the Archbishop's Palace. Feeding chopped worm at 11 metres and offering both caster and worms over the top he took a string of small roach and perch.

His cause was helped greatly by a bonus perch of 1lb that boosted his catch to a match-winning 4lb 12oz, just ahead of his pairs partner Paul Clarke.

Clarke was pegged two below his team mate and used similar tactics for a mainly perch net of 4lb 9oz.

Mick Wood took third place with another mixed net weighing a level 4lb taken from the last but one peg on the Palace.

Best of the rest were: Tony Stevenson 3lb 15oz, Paul Burton 3lb 14oz and Tim Harrison 3lb 10oz.

Clarke and Raper won the pairs event with 9lb 5oz. Runners-up were Harrison and Mick Potter, with 6lb 7oz.

Section winners not in the main list were; A Hanson 2lb 7oz, M Beanland 2lb 11oz and M Potter 2lb 13oz.

The trans-Pennine raiders dominated Sunday's 63-peg open match on Maple Lake.

Mark Lucas (Ted Carter Preston) scored another win from peg 44. Alternating maggot and caster over chopped worm at 6 and 13 metres he netted 52lb 4oz of small carp to 2lb.

Matchman of the Year Andy May (Sensas Daves of Middlewich) got back on the points trail with second place from peg 42. He fished the 6 and 13 metre lines also and loose fed pellets and fished maggot over for 47lb 10oz of pasty sized carp.

Others: John Allerton (Tri-Cast Whizzo) and John Chapman (Team North West) both 37-0-0; Phil Henry (Fishermens Tackle) 36-2-0; Roger Holmes (MAP Elton) 35-8-0.

There was a 'double header' at Woodlands, with Kamasan qualifiers on Saturday and Sunday.

With the water starting to cool the meat men are losing their domination, but most of the usual suspects seem capable of adapting their approach.

Keith Fryatt (Elton Tackle) led Saturday's 70-entry match fished on Skylark, Partridge and Wagtail from Partridge 25. Fishing corn at 7 metres he netted 62lb 7oz of carp to 6lb.

John Bradshaw (Sensas Garbolino) broke the locals' stranglehold, taking second from nearby Partridge 22. Alternating maggot and chopped worm at 7 and 12 metres he netted 58lb 2oz of small carp and tench.

Others: Darryl Taylor (Daiwa Goldthorpe) 48-10-0; Lyndon Roberts (MAP Elton) 47-5-0; Dean Smith (MAP Elton) 45-6-0; Mick Phillips (MAP Elton) 41-8-0.

Sunday saw another 70-entry match fished on Partridge, Skylark and Curlew.

Lyndon Roberts (MAP Elton) rounded off a profitable week and a five-point weekend with victory from Skylark 13. Fishing at 9 metres he alternated maggot and corn to keep the fish coming. His winning net of 67lb 2oz included carp to 4lb, tench, chub and barbel.

Mark Coyne (MAP Elton) continued his assault on the Kamasan leader board with second from Partridge 29. Again it was the jolly green giant that scored with carp to 5lb filling his 62lb 9oz net taken at 7 metres.

Others: Derek Parrington (Cleveland Angling Centre) 48-12-0; Keith Kotchie (MAP Elton) 47-11-0; Paul McBrinn (Elton Tackle) 46-14-0; Chris Kitchin (Bob.Co) 45-7-0.

Updated: 11:05 Wednesday, October 16, 2002