RIVER Wye expert Stuart Harford won the Alan Reynolds memorial contest for the second consecutive year.

The former Shakespeare star has won the event five times in its 24-year history.

The river at Holme Lacy was in excellent form but Harford was in a class of his own on his peg 17 halfway down the right bank.

He used a five-gram bolo float along with a six-metre rod and, by feeding heavily with maggot and hemp, got an excellent dace weight of 34lb 2oz 0dr.

Opposite him on peg 22 on the caravan bank was runner-up Dennis Yeomans, who netted 31-0 of mainly small chub on a waggler set-up along with maggot feed.

Third was Alf Hand who, after a blank hour on the feeder on his peg opposite the cafe, netted dace and small chub on the waggler and maggot to finish with 24-10.

Fourth came Alan Baldwin on peg 10 with an all-dace weight of 21-12. Section prizes went to Ray Downing (17-4), Tim Noke (15-8) and Geoff Tyler (21-0).

The most consistent angler award went to former Worcestershire cricketer Stuart Lampitt.

Halfway House AC match secretary Steve Williams made good use of fancied peg 17 on Church Farm pool to win with 58-0.

Despite losing six fish in the first hour, Williams continued to offer meat and corn over pellet feed at around 11 metres and managed seven carp and a few silvers for a comfortable victory.

Keith Deaner, on nearby peg 15, was second with six carp going 35-10. Third was Steve Pitts with a peg nine late run of fish weighing 31-8 to beat Paul Butler’s 30-10. The next contest is a silvers-only affair on October 30.

Richard Oliver won the Friday Fishponds contest with a mixed bag from peg three on groundbait and maggot going 23-2.

Runner-up was Lennie Merrill, who used worm and maggot to good effect on unfancied peg 29 for a 13-15 catch. Third was Stuart Cholerton with a peg 11 weight of 10-9 and in fourth came Keith Holt weighing 9-15 of ide.

The Whitehall Brian Hope memorial contest at Tirley Court saw Jason Swinford win with 100-4 of carp and silvers caught on meat offered close into the margins of peg 10.

John Shelton came second weighing a pellet-caught 63-4 and in third was Steve Hope with 60-1.

Section prizes went to Len Merrill and Mike Hope.

Alan Homer narrowly won the Droitwich Spa club contest on the canal at Porters Mill with an all-bream weight of 12-6-4 from peg 21 on worm and caster baits.

Second was club star Chris Ballard, who used a similar approach on the adjacent peg 20 for 12-0.

Seventy-year-old Dennis Evans claimed third with a mixed bag off peg 18 going 8-6-10, while in fourth place came Pete Chance with a peg two catch of 8-4-8.

The next Spa club contest is on the same venue on November 6.

Woodland View, Saturday, Ghost pool: 1 R Edmunds 124-8, 2 P Bishop 112-8, 3 P Edmunds 103-4; Sunday, Arles pool: 1 T Whitcher 101-12, 2 C Robson 62-8, 3 K Slade 57-12.

Moorlands Farm, Saturday open: 1 K Roderick 96-15, 2 I Mills 87-12, 3 I Wood 75-4; Sunday open: 1 I Mills 147-14, 2 M Watson 106-2, 3 R Kings 104-0.