Bubba's Shrimp Boat Crew sink

SHIP and Crown A have completed a dramatic giant-killing act in the preliminary round of the Guernsey Anglers Team Knockout. The team consisted of their boss Mark Pontin, the chef and four barmaids who by their own admission had very little angling experience and had entered to have a good laugh and an evening afloat.

They were up against Bubba's Shrimp Boat Crew, which was made up of highly-experienced anglers from the West Coast Sea Angling Club.

In reality, it was a bit like the Vale Rec playing against Manchester United.

Richard Seager took them to a spot near Brecqhou and immediately the underdogs began pulling in fish.

By the end of the match they totalled 46 pollack and two mackerel for a weight of 97-8-0. To rub it in skipper Pontin boated the heaviest pollack of the night, a 4-10-0 fish.

Nicola Hanton was the star of the team, landing 30-8-0, with Lei Le Roux not far behind with 26-0-0. Mark Pontin was the only other team member to top 10-0-0, boating a weight of 13-8-0. Jodi Breton had 9-8-0 and Jessica Walker and Nick Mahy 9-0-0 each.

The Bubba team could only manage a total weight of 82-0-0, which meant that the Ship and Crown had achieved an incredible and completely unexpected victory.

The losing team's only consolation was a cod of 4-0-0 for Sam Robins and the heaviest ballan wrasse of the match, a 3-4-0 fish for Mark Le Page.

In the other preliminary round match Lethal Lines, a team from the Royal Fathomers AC, defeated the Assorted Screws, a team from the States Prison by 185-6-0 to 178-0-0.

The evenly-balanced match was fished in the Casquets area with the team's landing 135 pollack, 22 pout, one mackerel and two wrasse.

S. Baldwin from the Assorted Screws had the heaviest individual weight of 45-10-0, while D. de la Mare from Lethal Lines had the heaviest pollack, a 6-4-0 specimen.

BALLAN wrasse and John Dory took the top awards in the May Fish of the Month competition.

The Shakespeare Monthly Angling award for the best overall fish and the J. Meerveld and Sons Tankard for the top shore-caught fish went to Paul Dempsey for his 8-0-12 ballan wrasse which scored 92.75%.

The Royal Fathomers AC Tankard for the best boat-caught fish went to Steve Whales for his 9-2-0 John Dory which was worth 82.80%.

The two runner-up prizes of Bucktrout's beers went to David Le Prevost, 6-6-4 boat-caught ballan wrasse 79.26% and Mark Gillson for his 8-11-2 boat-caught John Dory 78.90%.

The Mallard Tankard for the best fish by a visitor went to Ken Russell, whose boat-caught tub gurnard of 3-11-7 scored 54.24%.

There were six unsuccessful entries from local anglers:

Peter Davidson, 7-8-5 boat-caught John Dory, 68.23%; Daniel Smith, 7-7-8 boat-caught John Dory, 67.77%; Len Le Page, 1-7-13 shore-caught garfish, 54.50%; Stuart Tucker, 21-0-0 boat-caught cod, 53.84%; Richard Smith, 18-8-4 boat-caught cod, 47.47%; Andrew Edwards, 2-4-12 boat-caught whiting, 43.75%.

Chris Le Gallez has proved that lightning can strike twice in the same place.

Last week he was spinning a sandeel for pollack near Brecqhou when he caught a 26-0-0 turbot which became a FOM entry.

This week he was spinning a sandeel on the same mark when he caught a 21-12-0 blonde ray, which will be judged against the 34-15-8 Bailiwick boat record.

The first visitor's entry of the month came from Graham Kenwright from Merseyside. He was spinning a sandeel at the Casquets when he caught a 1-6-9 cuckoo wrasse, which will be assessed against the Bailiwick boat best.

JUNIOR angler Ivan Donaldson beat all his senior colleagues to win the Coast Road Motors Bass of the Month award in the Bailiwick Bass Club, his winning fish being a 7-4-12 specimen.

During May the club members entered just six fish in the club championship competitions.

The best fish by a senior member was Nigel Mahy's 6-4-12 fish, while Craig McGrath took third spot for the month with his 5-5-4 bass.

Other catches were Paul Clark 5-4-12, Steve Huxster 4-10-1 and Colin Patch 4-4-1.

Although Shane Branquet failed to find a fish during May he has retained his lead at the top of the shore championship list.

GUERNSEY Mullet Club members entered 18 mullet in the club competitions in May.

Club secretary Mike Weysom topped the catch list with seven for a total weight of 19-14-0.

Geoff Le Page had the second highest overall weight of the month, his two fish weighed 9-4-6 and included the best mullet in May, a 4-12-0 specimen.

Gary Le Poidevin had three for 7-4-0, and I had two for 6-10-0. Members with single fish were: Paul Carre 3-12-0, Esther Hatton 2-8-0, Mark Dyke 2-3-0 and John Hatton with a 3-1-0 fish from Herm.

Mike Weysom has held on to his lead at the top of the club's championship list.