NINE Braintree and Bocking Angling Society members lined up on Ash Grounds at the Fennes for the second round of their Huit Cup and the fishing certainly did not follow the usual pattern.

In the cold weather, it is the low numbers in the deeper water that produce first and then the fish move up the lake.

They did catch first in the low numbered pegs in this match, but they only had small roach and perch and that continued throughout the match with no better fish showing.

In contrast, after a slow start, the anglers at the top end caught roach and skimmers and they went on to provide the top places.

John Downham, on peg 12, added three bream late on to boost his weight to a match-winning 15-1-0.

Sections (excluding winner): 1 M Campion 6-12-0, 2 A Luetchford 11-4-0.

The final Friday match before Christmas at Notley saw the Braintree Club members faced with a strong wind blowing straight down the lake, making long poles impossible to fish with.

Opting to fish short meant only small fish were caught, but it did lead to a close match until the final few minutes, when Gary Spong had a carp on the tip to ensure he took first place with a 4-9-0 total.

Jim Loosley was the best of the rest with 1-14-0 in second place.

Last Friday, Jim Loosley caught small roach and skimmers at intervals throughout the match to win with 4-14-0.