THE second Shakespeare Championship qualifier of the season was fished in baking hot conditions on a low and clear Avon between Evesham Town Waters and Hampton Ferry.

There were signs that the river is improving with better weights being recorded than recently.

Match-winner Trevor Chalk said at the draw that he fancied peg one at the upstream end of the Town Waters — and that was exactly what he got.

Pole fished chopped worm at nine metres accounted for a mixture of perch and eels for 9-1-0 and a place in the August Bank holiday final.

Second place went to Oxford visitor Dave Harpin, an angler who is making a habit of framing at Evesham in recent times. He used long pole and worm for a 7-1-0 total from peg five.

Steve Ashmore, on peg 35, was third with a waggler-caught 5-10-0 of small chub, ahead of Dennis Lipscombe, who took top weight at the Hampton Ferry end of the match length with 5-9-0, which was mostly one bream.

Fifth place went to Chris Smith on peg 20 with 5-0-0 of eels and perch.

The qualifier is tomorrow and bookings can be made by calling Diana Raphael on 01386-442458.

The Abu Garcia Wychavon Championship qualifier took place on the same stretch of the Avon, with Chris Buckingham claiming top spot from unfancied peg 40.

Situated at the bottom end of the Town Waters, peg 40 rarely throws up a frame weight so everyone was surprised when Buckingham put 9-1-0 on the scales to win the second Wychavon qualifier of the season.

Fished in sweltering conditions with heavy boat traffic, this match was a struggle for most but the Long Eaton Federation team man worked hard to land a good tench on pole and worm and then topped up with perch and small chub on stick float and maggot. Local angler Mark Sutton makes a habit of drawing at the top end of the Town Water and his golden arm did the trick at the draw bag again, this time when he pulled out peg eight.

Pole and worm accounted for two bream, the best weighing 5lb.

Third spot fell to venue regular Richie Reynolds — the man they call the ‘snake charmer’ in recognition of his eel-catching prowess.

This time he conjured up five eels on pole-fished worm at 16 metres from peg 67 in the Café Meadow at Hampton Ferry.

Fourth was Daiwa Gordon League skipper John Curtis with 4-13-8 of eels at peg 33 and fifth was Steve Evans with 4-1-0 of skimmers on the feeder at peg 49. The next qualifier is on Sunday and bookings can be made by calling Raphael on 01386-442458.