WORCESTER’S Alan’s Tackle narrowly missed out on making the prestigious Evesham Team Championships on the River Avon by just one point and less than five ounces.

The team of Matt Hodgetts, Mark Newman, Tim Biddle, Darren Fisher and Gary Smith scored 53 points, while winners Drennan Leicester recorded 51 and Starlets 52.

But some consolation went to Biddle, who took the individual honours with 6lb 0oz 0dr consisting of a worm-caught tench of around 4lb, eels and small fish on the pole from peg 67.

Newman made the Evesham individual final when he caught a 7lb barbel on the pellet as well as a dozen perch and eels on the feeder from peg 20 on the town waters going 10-12.

Nick Vaughan took a late run of roach on hempseed to come out on top of the Swan AC contest at Tibberton with a winning total of 7-5-8.

Runner-up spot went to John Moloney on the adjacent peg to the winner, where he took skimmer bream and perch on maggot and groundbait going 5-11.

Third came canal star Keith Hunt, weighing in a perch and roach catch of 4-4-11.

Section winners were Bill Biddle and Mick Samson.

The next Swan contest is on Mythe pool on Sunday, August 14.

Veteran matchman John Shelton turned his talents to catching carp and comfortably won the Whitehall contest at Tirley Court with a meat-fed total of 73-10. Most of his catch arrived in a hectic final 90 minutes of the match.

In joint second place were Bob Patrick and Len Merrill on 57-12, falling to the pellet waggler and method feeder respectively.

Section prizes went to Rob Page, Tracey Pegram, Richard Oliver and Steve Thompson.

Droitwich Spa held their annual team contest on the Avon at Twyning where team members John Halfpenny, Alan Baldwin, Alf Hand and Nigel Davis recorded a comfortable victory.

They had unbeatable 10-point total over the Droitwich side of Chris Ballard, Dave Lowe, Craig Hobbs and Mick Salcumbe with 18.

Individual honours went to Davis, whose feeder-caught two bream catch from peg 44 went 11-7.

Harry Harrison came second, also with bream going 10-0, and in third place was Chris Ballard’s feeder-caught 9-4.

Fourth-placed Craig Hobbs’ pole-caught all-small skimmer catch weighed 8-2.

Paul Knight’s all-carp net of 62-10 was only just good enough to take first prize on the Barbourne AC contest on the club pool.

After catching fish from the off on the method feeder, Knight turned to the margins with corn on peg 28 to top up his winning net and finish with a dozen good fish.

Runner-up by a narrow margin was Terry Box, who stuck to his close-in approach on peg 14 to land around 20 carp going 62-8.

Third was Dave Cowell’s peg two weight of 46-2.

After recent good form at the venue, Malvern Anglers found the River Avon at Cropthorne to be more challenging for their Chairman’s Cup contest.

With clearer water conditions, most anglers struggled to get bites, even from the smaller fish.

However, on the last peg downstream, occasional competitor Graham Matthews caught a bream of about 5lb on float-fished maggots.

Together with an eel and other smaller fish, it gave him the winning weight of 7-6, leaving the rest of the field a long way behind.

The remaining places were grouped closely with several anglers recording weights of around 2lb made up of small chub, perch, roach and gudgeon.

Richard Webster managed 2-3, Bill Hartland 2-2, Ian Goddard 2-1, John Wagstaff 1-15, John Taylor 1-14, John Barr 1-11, Nigel Bayliss 1-3, Chris Loveridge 1-0 and Dick Oakley 0-11.

Woodland View, Saturday, Deans pool: 1 C Vallender 179-2, 2 T Weaver 86-4, 3 A Pollard 84-6; Sunday, Arles & High pools: 1 C Newton 229-9, 2 M Pritchard 123-12, 3 J Newton 122-3.

Moorlands Farm, Saturday open: 1 C Hill 152-11, 2 R Brennan 125-5, 3 C Pace 113-9; Sunday open: 1 D James 164-13, 2 D Johnson 136-0, 3 C Hill 124-3.