WHAT A RESULT!

KEITH Arthur’s comment about the recent Fish O’ Mania final being perhaps the best ever (see page 10) isn’t far off the mark in my opinion.

I’ve been laid up with a bad back for the last couple of weeks, so I was able to avoid the usual Saturday supermarket trip and watch the whole Sky Sports coverage from the relative comfort of the sofa.

I had a vested interest in the event as my colleague, Angling Times Senior Feature Writer and top match angler Ben Fisk, was in the final and I’d put my money on him to do well in what was a strong field.

With Ben in last place after the first halfhourly weigh-in I’d already written off my fiver (he came good late on and finished a very creditable seventh overall), so my attentions switched to the battle for first place, and I was gripped.

The lead changed hands several times, and with the new small-fish stocking policy at Cudmore it was an incredibly tight match.

In the end, though, it was Andy May’s focused ability to stick to his guns that saw our resident ‘Coach’ columnist take the title.

What struck me was how cool he was in the run-in to the final whistle! Even when the Sky Sports sound men clipped the microphone on and had a camera under his chin he was still feeding his swim, landing fish, and sharing a bit of banter with other competitors and the studio experts too.

I reckon those scientists from Chester University who had put a heart monitor on him for the duration of the match must have been wondering if it was working properly!

Well done to Andy and all involved in the event – roll on next year!