WHAT A MATCH! WHAT A MAN!

On June 29,1972, Angling Times reported on one of Ivan’ s greatest-ever bream hauls ... a catch that won him his second Great O use Championship. IRREPRESSIBLE Ivan Marks, Angling Times’ weekly columnist, set the match world alight on Sunday when he heaved out a personal-best English match bream haul of 62lb 10oz to collect the Great Ouse Championship title for the second time in three years.

But that was only part of the excitement on Norfolk’s Relief Channel.

Geoff Bibby had the catch of a lifetime, 62lb 8oz, but it gave him only second place, just 2oz short of Ivan’s tally.

But there was much more to the match than that. The amazing list of supporting weights had everyone talking. There were three catches over 40lb and 11 topping 30lb. With over 22lb 8oz needed to get into the top 30, the total aggregate weight is the best in a five-hour open contest in living memory. The leading 30 had very nearly 1,000lb.

The match showed that the Relief Channel is the country’s best bream water and that Ivan Marks is arguably the country’s best matchman.

Using a new swingtip rod designed by Roy Marlow, his partner in a tackle shop, he whipped out 28 bream from an end peg to pocket £225 and earn a place in next year’s Gladding Masters Final.

Happy Marks who, along with sixth-placed Robin Harris (39lb 10oz), fishes for England in next month’s World Championships in Czechoslovakia, said: “It’s one I wanted to win, for the England squad more than anything else. It proves we can do something.”