Trent Roach Match Day
Trent Roach Match Day
Russ has not arrived so I sit in the car with the heater on as it is freezing, I was just about to go up for him when the Maroon Escort van comes around the corner with 2 holes scraped out of the frost on the windscreen so he can see." Make my flask up while I get my stuff out" he says. My new Escort estate is loaded and bait sorted oh and his flask made ,so we set off down the A1 to Newark to fish a team event in the Angling Times winter league
As I am driving down the A1 Russ pours himself a cup of tea from his flask and half of it goes all over my car seats then a Pheasant decides to run across the road and Russ turns into an animal protection officer and does his best to save it so he grabs the steering wheel nearly crashes the car and the Pheasant smashes my wing mirror off. Cheers Russ I have had my car 2 days and 1 smashed wing mirror and tea stained car seats
At the draw big Bob Beswick comes over shaking his head moaning about us being late again and everybody has drawn and all the best pegs have gone. Off Bob goes and draws then we draw individually .Gary Jubb draws his usual flyer and Pete Taylor the next best { as I said a Typical day } .then everybody else has drawn crap or so they say.
The rest of us go to our sections and I drop Russ off at the worst peg on the river or so he usually tells us. After I have got Russes tackle out while he is talking to everybody in his section and putting more skins on than a Onion, I set off but he shouts me back, he had forgotten his flask. so I finally set off to my section. When I have squeezed the car into the last and farthest away car park which is a mile from the river I set off and get to my peg sweat pouring down my face although its still freezing.
I say hello to my section buddies as it is funny but have you noticed you always seem to draw the same anglers each match. Anyway I soon cool off as its down to the scratching about for the odd fish or 2 and swapping and changing methods. 15 minutes to go so out comes the Lobby rod as you could guarantee a rap in the last few
minutes and sure enough a 1lb Chub slides over the net with the chomped up lobby hanging down outside its Gob. I unhook him give him a little kiss and the whistle goes A couple of pounds and decent section points in the bag its pack up time and off back on my mile walk in the sludge now the mud has thawed. I set off to pick Russ up, I have the window down in the car and 1 or 2 results are shouted out and feedback tells me Jubbys made the flyer count again.
I pull in and see Russ , hands, face and hair covered in Chrysodine, shaking his head telling everybody in his section to tell me how good he has fished and he has beat every body to his left but the section got better for the last few pegs to his right but he still scored well.
When we get back to H.Q. we find Jubbys won the match and the team wins on the day. We have a pint and a sandwich some cracks with the other lads ,check out what points we need in the next match so we cannot be caught then its off home.
The Heater is on full blast and we talk about our match for a few miles then the heat is knocking me out but Russ wont let me turn it down because he has been freezing all day. Anyway a couple of miles up the A1 and he is asleep so I turn down the heater or we would be both asleep.
The A635 Barnsley turn off comes into view and its home, I give Russ a knock to wake him but he has not been asleep just resting his eyes for the last hour , [ he makes some funny noises while resting his eyes ] We drop the gear off at his shop , say our goodnights and then its home. Pat my wife shows her usual enthusiastic interest in
how we have gone on and tells me my dinners in the microwave so I devour my dinner and then its a alcoholic nightcap and bed as after a days match fishing as you all know you cannot keep your eyes open once you have had your dinner.
Well that was a typical match day and how I miss them , although with having a newsagents I keep in touch with all the lads but Daiwa Goldthorpe has changed so much I don't know half of them
I am hoping for an invite to the Christmas party though being a founder member and all that..........Ken