Shakespeare back on top of Division 1

The famous name of Shakespeare is once again at the top of the matchfishing tree after the West Midlands outfit won the Angling Trust Division One National on the Trent & Mersey Canal, proving their mastery of shallow canals where small fish are the target.

Champions a few years back on the Staffs/Worcester Canal, Shakespeare took this year’s silverware by a 13 point margin from eternal bridesmaids Maver Image who were second for the third time in five years with Daiwa Dorking finishing third a further 13 points in arrears on a day that saw big fish non-existent on the canal around Rugeley and Burton-upon-Trent, making it an out and out small fish contest.
And that suited Shakespeare just fine as their combination of chopped worm and squatt lines wrung out every fish possible from their pegs to see them post 442 points from their ten men, with Jason Cunningham having a share of individual second alongside Kamasan Starlets youngster Matt Derry.

The honours there went to Ultimate Barnsley Blacks man Simon Fields but by the narrowest of margins as he lifted the individual silverware by just 10g with a 4-010 net of small fish from C section, the early section proving the place to be as they produced eight of the top ten places with less than a kilo covering the top ten anglers.