Isaccs wins after switch
The fourth round of the Sensas Commercial House league was fished on the Bristol Avon at newbridge and Rotork.
The high water levels ran off in time for the match so that it was float fishable. Twelve of the 42 anglers caught double figures.
paul Isaccs of preston Innovations Thatchers won the match from peg 59. He caught a few roach on the pole before catching a skimmer on it. He then switched to the feeder with worm and 2 red maggots and caught 12 bream and 3 skimmers for a weight of 60lb 13oz.
Second was Lee Warden of M & n electrical with 49lb 4oz. He was on peg 46 and caught 4 small chub on maggot at the start on the feeder.
Staying on the feeder, but switching to worm, he caught 8 bream and many skimmers.
Third was Derek Cole of Mosella Bathampton B from peg A1 at Rotork. He caught chublets and roach on the bolo down the middle for 20lb 10oz.
Fourth was Shane Caswell (Midland Spinner) 15lb 14oz.
Fifth was Clive Branson (Sensas nomads) 15lb 2oz.
Sixth were Graham
Hunt (Mosella Bathampton B), Matt Challenger (preston Innovations Thatchers) and Warren Bates (Mosella Bathampton A) 13lb 8oz.
preston Innovations Thatchers won the A division on the day dropping only 1 point to extend their lead in the league to a huge 18 points.
In the B division Mosella Bathampton B won to move into the lead of the division by 3 points.
Knockout final at the next round: Kev Boltz vs paul Isaacs. Teams on the day: A div, preston Innovations Thatchers 17, Sensas nomads 11, Mosella Bathampton A 8. B div, Mosella Bathampton B 15, Midland Spinner 12, M & n electrical 9.
League positions: A div, preston Innovations Thatchers 61, Mosella Bathampton A 43, Sensas nomads 40. B div, Mosella Bathampton B 50, M & n electrical 47, Midland Spinner 47.
Bath Rugby belong at The Rec, that was the message from CEO Tarquin Mcdonald despite the latest set-back in the club’s plans to build a new 18,000-seater stadium on the site of their current stadium.
In the latest saga involving the long running battle to build a new stadium at the centre of Bath, this week a judge has ruled against the club’s lawyers who had legally challenged the 1922 covenants on the Rec as unenforceable.
The covenants on the Recreation Ground protects it from development on the land which may cause a ‘nuisance,’ with Bath Rugby - in partnership with Bath Rugby Foundation and Arena 1865 - looking to build a the Stadium for Bath on the site, including riverside regeneration, community use and a car park under a raised pitch.
Despite the Recreation Ground already being home to a 14,509 seater rugby stadium, the covenants on the site are a hurdle to future, permanent development taking place with the east stand of existing structure currently temporary.
The ruling by Judge paul Matthews at the High Court of Justice, Business and property Court in Bristol, published on Tuesday, means that any future development on the land could be open to a legal challenge from objectors to a new stadium, over whether it should be permitted.
Bath are now considering whether to appeal the ruling.
Mcdonald said: “no one has ever developed a stadium in a World Heritage City before. I can not downplay the complexity of the project and what is involved but we will continue to work through that.”
Despite a history of roadblocks to the project, Mcdonald says the club remains steadfast in their commitment to the project and staying in the city centre.
He said: “Our focus has always been at the Rec. It is our spiritual home, we have been there for 125 years playing rugby at the Rec.
“It is the spiritual home of the club and that is where the council’s local plan, where they effectively plan out how they want to develop the city over the years ahead, has enshrined the Rec as the site for a new stadium. That has always been our focus.
“We have considered alternative sites but our focus has been on the Rec being our home.
“We have consulted extensively and ultimately that is what people want, and I don’t just mean rugby supporters but people in Bath.
“It is at the heart of the city.” When the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK back in March, Bath Rugby paused the stadium project and have yet to submit a planning application.
With so much uncertainty in professional sport, with rugby clubs losing around £1m a month due to having no matchday income, the landscape is certainly an uncertain one.
Mcdonald said: “We said back in lockdown that work had paused on the project.
“We will reflect on the project given everything that is going on.
“We are going through this period of time and we still don’t know what the legacy and all the changes will be, whether that is in the high street, in business, homes, schools, it goes on. I think it is right that we paused and reflected.”
“I think there has been, and there is, so much uncertainty in everything at this time I think it is more important than ever to make sure that any decisions made are wise ones.”
As for the situation with the covenant ruling, Mcdonald said: “This is an incredibly complex site, we have always been working tirelessly, consulting exhaustively to produce something exceptional and that is where we have always been.
“To do that, considering the site, there are just so many considerations; they are World Heritage, they are flood, and in that context this is another one of those considerations that need to be taken into account.
“From our perspective this is another step in terms of getting clarity but we will be continuing to work on this and seeking further understanding over the coming weeks. I think the point is this is very complex.
“If you look at what we have been doing, we have been seeking clarity for years, and obviously now we are reviewing the judgement and accessing our options; one of those maybe appealing the decision.”