COOKIE TAKES THE BISCUIT
Report and Pics: Angling Images, Clint Elliott and Rob Bray

Steve Cooke on his way to clinching his first White Acres Festival win playing a Bolingey Carp

FOUR out of four section wins and maximum 36 points for the top three anglers in the 180-entry White Acres Sensas Spring festival saw a fifth section result count back take the title and £2000 winners cheque to big hitter Steve Cooke. With four from five section scores counting Ringer Bait’s backed Steve was the favourite after rattling up four straight wins, and a fifth win at Bolingey would have put the title beyond the reach of his rivals.
That clean sweep eluded Retford, Nottingham based storeman Steve as an exciting final five hours saw both Des Shipp and Andy Dare record fourth section wins to tie on points with the week long leader. However 44-year-old Steve pulled it out of the bag pushing home with a section second worth 8 points at Bolingey peg 31. That bettered the efforts of twice Sensas winner Shipp, and Daiwa Trentmen’s Andy Dare who had posted section fifths earlier in the week. Classy Shipp took the £900 second placed cheque with weight advantage 348-16-0 to Dare’s 297-3-0. Steve Cooke’s blast off commenced with an absolutely blockbusting superb 209-4-0 from Pollawyn’s often underrated peg 22, one of the point swims where he started on shallow waggler with meat before switching the heat up on 16 metre pole up in the water for a succession of carp. That result, not far off the venue record, represented a lake win that was to earn Steve another £100 for the heaviest individual match winning bag of the week. Python 32 on the second day saw Cookie record his second section win with a 31-0-0 bag of crucians and small carp across on the long pole to the island. Gwinear on the third day saw peg 30 present another opportunity to fish long pole to an island with meat for the bulk of his 131-12-0 backed up with late down the edge lumps. It was another lake win too. The fourth maximum came from Porth’s peg 72 where his feeder rods came out of the holdall married with crumb feeder gear for skimmers and a lake second with 19-14-0 . At Bolingey on the final day his section second placed 56-2-0 came to feeder although he added one carp down the edge. In addition to the £2000 cheque Steve’s tidy weeks work added another £800 in pools money pick-ups although he had not taken a bet with the bookmaker.

Have I done it?

WINNERS GEAR
Steve’s no stranger to big wins having been the past winner of the Fish O Mania final. He also reached White Acres inaugural Skol Masters final and has been a committed Cornish festival goer for the past five years.
Steve’s festival winning kit included his Garbolino Super League pole fitted out with Daiwa’s black Hydro elastic for the bigger carp lakes and white Hydro on Python. Kamasan B911 and Preston Innovations PR 28 hooks hooks were relied upon. Steve rates Tulip luncheon meat as his personal choice which he cubes up using a 6 mm cutter and dices even smaller for small fish. Ringer Bag Up carp mix groundbait is his favourite for passing through the groundbait feeder when fishing meat on the hook.

SHIPP SHAPE AGAIN

White Acres Sensas 2003 Spring Festival runner up Des Shipp with his cheque for £900 qand trophy alongside Sensas UK representative Joe Roberts

DES Shipp proved the consistency of performance that keeps him in the eye of the Drennan Team England selectors as he again charged through the field to grab second placing. Bristol based forklift truck driver Des started his week with a lake second and section win at Porth where feeder tempted skimmers adding perch on short pole at peg 31. Fifth in section at Bolingey then saw the Shipp’s course falter momentarily before Pollawyn’s 28 saw him win with 177-0-0 of carp to crumb feeder. Python’s 14 and a decision to fish casters shallow brought Des the section win there with 20-5-0 of roach. Des pulled himself into second with a final day 96-15-0 bag that included 25 lb of silver fish at peg 6 which also earned him second on lake for a weeks total of about £1700


ANDY’S DARE
DAIWA Trentman Andy Dare gave it his all on the last day at the unfancied Pollawyn 2 where he pulled of an incredible section win with 32-8-0. That added to two lake wins on Gwinear and Porth and a section win at Trelawney. Andy settled for the £800 third placed cheque.

Mystery weight winner Adrian Jeffery and Clint Elliot

COLIN’S WHOPPER
BOLINGEY once again turned up the biggest individual fish contenders and grabbing the £50 prize was Colin Mulholland (Tackle Factory) who got the better of an 18 lb 10 oz ghost carp. However congratulations must go to Mosella South West backed Adam Westmacott who landed two Bolingey beasts on the fourth day from peg 47 in the first arm for an incredible 35 lb!

MYSTERY MAN
THE £100 mystery weight prize was a welcome reward for Willow Park grouped Adrian Jeffery who recorded 110-6-0 over the five days.

SPONSORS
SENSAS donated buckets full of their extensive range of bait and additive products plus nets for anglers finishing in the top 30 while the money placings ran from first to tenth.

The top three in the 2003 White Acres Sensas Spring Festival Andy Dare (3rd), Des Shipp (2nd), Steve Cooke (winner) and Joe Roberts from sponsors Sensas.

CLINT’S COMMENT
WITH the first of this Spring’s festivals completed what was the big feller fishery manager Clint Elliott’s thoughts: ‘I thought it was brilliant the fishing all around saw a lot of fish caught and you can see Cornwall’s worth coming to.’

NEW FACES IN THE FRAME
THE weather was for the most part glorious with the spring sunshine ending the week in fine style.
While some big names still featured in the main list their were some new names in the frame.
Somerset based haulier Paul Greenwood came close to a victory with his fourth placed 35 point return and Browning Wickford’s Simon Colclough in his second festival appearance was 5th with 34 points.The Man Of the match prize of cut crystal was awarded to England Youth angler Lee Kerry who pushed his way up to 11th.

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS
1 Steve Cooke (Ringer Baits) 36 points; dropped result of 8;
2 Des Shipp (Sensas Preston Innovations) 36 points; dropped result of 5; weight of 349-0-0;
3 Andy Dare (Daiwa Trentmen) 36 points; dropped result of 5; weight of 297-3-0;
4 Paul Greenwood (Sensas M5) 35 points; dropped result of 5
5 Simon Colclough (Browning Wickford Angling) 34 points; dropped 7; weight of 312-14-0;
6 Terry Harrison (Daiwa Dorking) 34 points; dropped 7; weight of 259-5-0;
7 Pete Mottram (GTi Oldham) 34 points; dropped 7; weight of 170-3-0;
8 Will Raison (Daiwa) 34 points dropped 5; weight of 207-5-0;
9 Ben Leach (Daiwa Dorking) 34 points; dropped result of 3;
10 Phil Ringer (Essex County Van Den Eynde) 33 points; dropped result of 8 points;

Ninth placed Ben leach with his final days Python peg 34 section winning 35 lb 5 oz, tench and small carp haul.

LAKE WINNERS
Day 1
Pollawyn Steve Cooke (Ringer Baits) 209-4-0; Python/Trelawney Simon Colclough (Browning Wickford Angling) 55-12-0; Gwinear Paul Greenwood (Sensas) 169-6-0; Porth Martin Newstead (Bill Knott Bookmakers) 19-5-0; Paul Hamlyn (PI Delcac) 108-0-0.
Day 2
Python / Trelawney Derek Gladwin (PI Delcac) 52-6-0; Gwinear Andy Dare (Daiwa Trentmen) ) 168-8-0;Porth SteveMayo (Daiwa Dorking) 20-9-0; Bolingey Sean Seabright (Christchurch AC) 78-14-0; Pollawyn Alex Bones (Match Fishing Magazine) 153-11-0;

Phil Ringer with a double figure Bolingey carp part of his fourth day lake winning 97 lb haul. Itw asn't quite enough for fish of the week though and Phil finished 10th in the festival.

Day 3
Gwinear Steve Cooke (Ringer Baits) 131-12-0; Porth Andy Dare (Daiwa Trentmen) 22-6-0; Bolingey Steve Ringer (Shimano/ Van Den Eynde) 102-13-0; Pollawyn Des Shipp (Sensas Preston Innovations) 177-0-0; Python and Trelawney Tony Parnell (Molsely Thamesiders) 51-4-0.
Day 4
Porth Lee Harrison (Van Den Eynde) 22-2-0; Bolingey Phil Ringer (Essex County Van Den Eynde) 97-8-0; Pollawyn Steve Ringer (Shimano Van Den Eynde) 101-8-0; Gwinear Mick Lees 139-7-0; Python and Trelawney Lee Kerry (Browning Hotrods) 85-15-0.
Day 5
Bolingey Alan Barker (Ringer Baits) 78-8-0; Pollawyn Simon Colclough (Browning Wickford AC) 108-8-0; Python and Trelawney Kelvin King (White Acres) 65-8-0; Gwinear Paul Yarwood (Boston and District) 122-10-0; Porth Will Raison (Daiwa) 31-4-0.