Maver Match This Final Full report
Burley bags Mega Match This title by less than two kilos
MAVER MEGA MATCH THIS FINAL 2018 (SAT) Maver/Dynamite Baits Hayfield Lakes, Island (24 pegs)
THE £60,000 Maver Mega Match This 2018 final was the closest in the event’s history with less than two kilos between winner David Burley and Simon Foster.
Local lad David, a Hayfield regular, clinched the big cheque with 41-100 while Simon finished an agonising one carp – and £55,000 – behind on 39-925.
Before he turned in a measured display of bomb and short pole fishing from unfancied peg 1 on Island lake, the Cresta/ Gamakatsu-backed angler admitted he didn’t fancy the swim.
“Even though peg 1 was the first one I fished with my grandad over 20 years ago, I wasn’t too pleased as it’s never normally prolific,” he said, “But when I walked to the swim with my bank runner Mark Price, the wind was blowing in and I could see that I had no-one on the bank opposite me. I said to Mark ‘I actually fancy this’.
“My plan was to fish the pole short, then switch to the bomb. I also felt the margins might produce late on, as 100lb is possible in the final hour.”
A former Fish O’Mania finalist, David kicked off by fishing a top kit and two sections down the marginal slope, feeding 10 8mm pellets regularly and fishing a banded 8mm pellet on the hook. That produced five decent carp in the first hour before bites dried up.
“The indications were getting fewer and fewer on the pole, so the time was right to change to the bomb,” he revealed.
Casting halfway across, David fished a banded 8mm pellet and fed reasonably heavily with a dozen 8mm pellets at a time, reasoning that he needed to draw the carp into his peg rather than drip-feed a few pellets at a time.
“I caught a carp first chuck and was getting a lot of indications that weren’t developing, so I adopted an approach of feeding two pouches of pellets and then leaving the rig in until the rod went,” David continued.
“I had another quick look on the pole but only caught a skimmer, and the edge produced one bite, from a perch that fell off! So I stayed on the bomb until the end of the match.”
This saw him catch nine carp and lose three, leaving him with 14 carp plus a skimmer. Would it be enough?
“When I weighed 41-100 my gut feeling was that I’d done enough,” he said. “It was a bit of a relief when Simon weighed in – his fish were smaller than mine, but I still had to wait until the end when Ben weighed in.”
With ample vocal support behind him all match, David was a popular local winner and although the money will come in handy, as Maver’s Tommy Pickering said at the presentation, winning the title is what really matters.
“To win at your local water in front of your mates and family – it doesn’t get any better,” David beamed.
“At the end I felt so happy. The money will help, as I’ve got a young family. It’ll be nice to have a treat, probably a good holiday, and I’ll be back for 2019 – hopefully to win again as defending champion!”
Result: 1 D Burley, Cresta/Gamakatsu, 41-100; 2 S Foster, Reneshaw, 39-925; 3 B Hagg, Guru/ Mainline Match, 35-625; 4 M Dawes, Preston Innovations, 30-575; 5 A Power, Preston Innovations, 28-350; 6 B Smithson, Team Makins, 25-550; 7 D Beggs, Lindholme/Spotted Fin,
24-950; 8 M Brownell, Sheffield, 24-200; 9 S Freeman, Peterborough, 23-650; 10 L Grimmett, AJ Tackle, 23-325; 11 S Collett, Guru/ Dynamite Baits, 21-475; 12 R King, Cresta/ Gamakatsu/Bag’em Baits, 21-400; 13 J Hughes, MAP/Bag’em Baits, 21-225; 14 P Wright, Dynamite Baits, 19-450; 15 C Horwood, Harefield Tackle, 15-950; 16 C Ebbrell, Tri-Cast, 15-000; 17 J Brooks, Preston Innovations, 12-850; 18 T Wyse, Mosella/Kobra, 11-275; 19 C Weeder Jnr, Maver NW/Spotted Fin, 10-975; 20 N Houghton, Hull, 10-650; 21 A Bennett, TriCast/Guru, 9-450; 22 W Shepherd, Tackle & Bates, 6-560; 23 P Homer, Fiery Holes AC, 3-675; 24 M Higgins, Matrix Leigh Tackle & Bait, DNW.