THE FORMAT OF THE FUTURE?
British Carp Cup’s new ‘best five fish’ formula generates nail-biting finish in Barston Lakes finale
ANEW format used for deciding the outcome of specimen carp matches has been hailed as a runaway success.
To date most big carp matches, such as the British Carp Angling Championships, have been decided on the total weight of all the fish caught by competing pairs. However, last month the British Carp Cup adopted a new approach under which only the biggest five fish landed counted. The result was an incredibly closely-fought contest, with the podium finishers separated by mere ounces.
Mick Coxon, BCC organiser, told Carpfeed: “The final surpassed our expectations and the feedback from the anglers, and their runners was really positive. The formula worked extremely well and it was one of the most exciting finishes we’ve ever had. On the last morning even I didn’t know which order the top few pairs were in, let alone the rest of the field. In the end there was only 3oz between first and second places!
The contest, which ended with Jaye Carpmail and Simon Bury being crowned 2018 champions and walking off with the £15,000 top prize, was also lauded as a step forward by most of the competitors, among them Mark Sawyer, who along with his angling partner Simon Wheeler finished back in seventh, just over 10lb behind the winning duo.
He said: “Having fished the big carp tournaments since their outset, I think that the new format is a huge leveller, regardless of the ages, skill levels or past records of those taking part. Once you’ve got five fish under your belt, you can change tactics if needs be. I’ve never
seen a competition where so many anglers were in with a squeak an hour before the end. Well-stocked venues like Barston definitely suit the format, but if the match was held on a venue with lower stocks but bigger fish, then perhaps it could just be the top three fish that could count. I think it would create the same positive outcome.”