THE weather was the winner as the match between Kelvedon and Braintree was called off and, with the possibility of sitting facing the cold strong wind for six hours, no competitors objected.

How different it had been two days earlier for the Braintree Club Sweep at Notley.

Very little wind and plenty of sunshine gave the impression of spring and it made it difficult to grasp the fact that the weekend would be very cold with more snow.

The conditions on Friday tended to give a false idea of good fishing to come, but it turned out to be a bit harder to catch the fish in the cold water.

Hoowever, once again, it was a close finish.

Two anglers had almost identical catches of one decent carp, one smaller carp and an F1, together with silvers.

The scales gave the verdict to Jim Loosley, who weighed 7-5-8, pushing Bob Reed into second with his 7-1-0.

On Sunday, the Braintree Club match on Ash Grounds has been cancelled due to the Cancer Charity match on Saturday on the venue, but for any members who want a match on Sunday, there will be a Sweep at Notley.

Draw is at 9am, with fishing from 10am to 4pm.

There are still a few tickets available for the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity match on Saturday from Chris Howe on 07956 241479.