reputation.Sign I’d moved them from the warm, steaming waters of Rugeley PS............the
had struck in the form of the harshest winter for 20 odd years........perhaps I’d better revert venues for the 2010/11 series........least you never have to carry any ice breaking gear with you.........that’s if you guys who’ve supported the series so far fancy it............but there again perhaps you prefer the cuts? 
Anyway, onto the match 5 report. With PhilB being a late casualty with a bost tooth, 14 turned out for the latest ballacher. The
had prevailed again........a respite in freezing temperatures last week had been followed by a couple of hard mid week frosts and the cut was froze over again. 
Talk in Yates before the off centred on psyching, or heaping a bit of pressure on last match winner OBI.
Tales were related of both Cheslynboys and Goughy’s debut victories which were then followed by the CURSE taking a vengeance with both suffering follow on dry nets. Big Baz, Mick G and Mark O had pegged out before turning up for their breckies. Such is the ‘desire’ by some to fish the grueller series that Sibeck and Tweety, both without wheels, had had a minibus
the the cut and were waiting on the towpath.
The draw was made and I was ‘pleasantly’ pleased to find the last peg in the bag was 2.................meaning at least a relatively short walk on this grueller.
With Joffies mid week posting ‘go TK go’ in my mind I realised that I was gunna be up it today cuss for immediate company I had cut maestro Mark O on end peg 1
and I was also sandwiched between joker crack Sibeck on 3 . I’d got it all to do...........With the ice just ‘bost’ the gods looked down on us and ...................
Obviously decided they didn’t like what they saw...............
so decided to drop a snow storm on us.
What was that all about? No mention of snow on the forecast I saw on Friday night
Actually, taking about ice breaking I was dead chuffed with mine. Now I’ve read in the past about cutting out ‘massive’ sheets and pushing them under the ice..........usually my peg is usually a mass of a 100 pieces of splintered ice needing scooping out.
But not this time...........I had a massive sheet, must have been 10ft by 6 ft and I shoved it to my right under the ice in the direction of Mark O, secretly hoping it might end up in his peg LOL. BIG MISTAKE that was to be..........not shoving it under the ice, but shoving it to the right instead of left in Sibecks direction as things would turn out.
Anyway, the off. Punch line and 2 joker lines fed ‘across’. A look on the punch failed to deliver a bite, whilst Sibeck had a silver first put in I think and was owning up to a few bites. 10 or 15 mins on the punch and I was dry. Ditto Mark O on peg 1.
Time for a quick look on the joker as Sibeck was starting to pick up odd fish........well odd was really even as he’d got 8 in the net and me and mark O were still looking for a bite.
A look across on joker and nowt off either of the lines. Slipped a bw on the hook and it buried, one of those ‘vicious’ bites............but never felt owt.????????????
Ditto a couple of more times. Mark O, still dry admits to having 3 bites but he aint hit them either.
News filters down that someone has had a couple of skimmers at the far end.......’end peg’ OBI I thinks to myself.
So I decide to start a far line punch at 10 oclock. Fed and I’m just to go across and disaster........the wind picks up and 20 yards of ice between me and Mark O, plus all that I’ve shoved under the ice starts drifting across my peg, coming to rest and totally wiping me out.
So I’m confronted with trying to clear the peg again without too much disturbance, much to Sibecks amusement.
Anyway peg cleared again , I persevere but to no avail. Time marches on and there’s no sign of a bite. Surprisingly Mark O is still dry too whilst the bagging machine to my left is still picking up fish.
Rather than ‘going through the motions’ I try a little trick or two and don’t give up.............not even a walk to take a few pictures...........the desire to avoid the DNW is that strong.
With only 25 mins left, plans A to W exhausted, plan X is executed.........just why didn’t I try ‘X’ earlier...........and a slight movement, not really a dip, is noticed. A lift and a micro perch, less than an inch long is lovingly slipped into the keepnet. This is followed in the last minute by his big brother, being about 2 ½ inches long.
Cheslynboy blows for time and packed away its time for the tale of the scales.
On the way up to start weighing at the far end this dodgy looking geezer, passed by gesticulating
Heinzer doing the honours.........
Big Baz had got a bit of a strop on him, cussing the bank walkers, and telling the photographer ‘xxxxxxxxx xxx’
Anyway, the result
PEG ANGLER
1 MARK O DNW
2 TK 0.0.6
3 SIBECK 0.12.0
4 MR V DNW
5 HEINZER 0.1.6
6 BLUES4EVA 1.7.0
7 CHESLYNBOY DNW
8 COTTI 3.1.6
9 TWEETY DNW
10 BIG BAZ 1.9.0
11 THE SHARK DNW
12 YAMO DNW
13 MICK G 1.4.0
14 OBI 1.3.8
Finally Cotti with his match winning catch, taken on the
. its close between having the most laughs at mick garbage or TK........ TK loosing his pole cup to start then having all his ice flowing back down in to his peg (bare in mind he pushed it into the flow of the cut so any 
