Two of the biggest 'match caught' Tees barbel elevated Darlington's Barry Stephenson into top sport during the Thornaby AA July Cup on the Croft to Hurworth reaches on Sunday.

Barry on peg 63, the run in to the salmon pool extracted the brilliant specimens one of 9.1.0 and the other of 8.13.0 to bomb lobworm and meat then made up the rest of his 20.7.0 return with small chub on the stickfloat and meat.

Winner of the recent Thornaby Charities Open, Hurworth's Jim Blade had to settle for second spot this time around. Fishing peg 26 and floatfishing meat he encouraged five chub totalling 10.1.0 at the finish.

Others: Dave Nicholson (Darlington) 9.6.0; Dave Firth (Darlington) 8.14.0.

Despite a low river a strong contingent of 69 rods enjoyed some decent sport on the Over Dinsdale stretch of the Tees during the annual NYSD Federation Girsby Charity Open.

Marsh Tackle's Terry Morgan drew on Bowl Hole corner peg 97 and pulled out a mixture of chub perch and a single barbel of 4.0.0 on the waggler and caster to push comfortably in front on 32.0.0.

Then in the streams between Bowl Hole corner and Bells Wood, Quaker Tackle's Steve Chantry emerged next best weighing in 24.8.0 from peg 103.

Staying with the stickfloat and caster a mixture of dace roach and chub all responded but perch proved the mainstay.

Other backing weights: Dave Cain (Quaker Tackle) 21.2.0; Ian Hamer (Haughton) 18.11.0.

Still on the Tees the Darlington BT Annual Cup was held around Coniscliffe and Mr Consistent Darlington's Kenny Close disposed of the others.

On peg 30 the top end of the motorway flat the RSPS Tek Neek Trabucco regular alternated meat magic wasp grub and caster on the stickfloat encouraging four chub, a good dace and a few trout for 13.5.0.

Darlington's Clive Cloke also found the stickfloat most effective locating five chub at Croft off peg 53 as cheese and meat delivered adding a single perch to worm and nudging his score to 12.12.0 from Ray Ingram (Darlington) 12.2.0 and Vernon Lakin (Middleton-one-Row) 11.10.0.

In Sunday's second round of the Drennan Super League Northern Division around Yarm Newman Scott rods dominated on a clear river at normal summer level.

Individually Alan Lepatourel aided his team to victory when he registered 15.0.0.

Fishing near the green field off peg 129 an early pound eel succumbed before a constant stream of roach came to the pole using both squatt and hemp.

Next in the frame Newman Scott's Peter Nixon weighed in three big perch totalling 5.0.0 along with small silver fish on the feeder and worm for 10.6.0 from peg 141.

Newman Scott's second team victory means they are now five points in front of arch rivals Shimano Quaker A who have finished in second place twice.

Teams on the day: 1 Newman Scott 66 points, 2 Shimano Quaker A 62, 3 Shimano Quaker 'B', jt 4 Big Waters & Diawa Cleveland 56; 6 Shotton Match Group 52.

Overall placings: 1 Newman Scott 140 points, 2 Shimano Quaker A 135, 3 Diawa Cleveland 117, 4 Big Waters 108, 5 Shotton Match Group 100, 6 Shimano Quaker B 95.

Middlesbrough AC Gordon Brown Trophy (Wed), Holme on Swale (17 pegs): 1 A Evans (Brotherton) 25.6.0; 2 N Speight (Hirst Tackle) 3.8.0; 3 T McArdle (Brotherton) 3.4.0.

Bradford No1 AA River Nidd Cowthorpe: 1 Tony Flaherty 14.12.0. 6 chub & 1 barbel on bomb and caster peg 32; jt 2 Tony Geldart & Dave Marshall 14.0.0; 4 A Lewis 13.10.0.

Carp News

Wednesday's Open at Woodland Lakes resulted in some incredible sport and Sensas Garbolino's Derek Willan, fast becoming a force to be reckoned with on the carp scene, heaved 125.12.0 onto the scales to see off the other 69 hopefuls.

Split between Skylark, Partridge and Curlew Lakes, Derek drew corner peg 19 on Partridge Lake.

Presenting worm and caster on the pole at 12 metres set the ball rolling and from then on it was non-stop carp action throughout as Derek included some bigger carp in his net pulling out fish to 8.0.0.

Meanwhile Partridge 24 also proved red hot for second man Chris Hill of Tipton VDE who carped and chubbed his way to a terrific 91.8.0 by no means a runner's up net on any other day.

Going for an up in the water approach samples upto 2.0.0 came at 13 metres.

Best of the rest: K Caldwell (Mossland) 88.4.0; I Walker (Lower Wharfe) 80.4.0; M Calvert (Map Elton) 80.0.0; S Medd (Billingham) 79.10.0.

Then just when he thought it couldn't get any better Derek Willan blew the record away at the Oaks Sessay during their Sunday slot on Maple Lake bagging 129.9.0 of carp and beating the previous best by 40.0.0.

The fish came fast and furious as Derek applied the worm and caster winning combination. Fishing at 11 metres off peg 66 he kept a relentless supply of small carp coming with the exception of one common carp weighing 5.0.0 in what turned out to be two unbelievable sessions within the space of just five days.

Trout News

Fontburn: 366 rods 892 trout - heaviest a rainbow of 9.12.0.

Kielder: 167 anglers 452 trout - rainbows to 4.6.0.

Derwent: 465 visitors 1534 trout. Top rainbow of the week 7.0.0.

Blackton: 119 rods 303 trout. Rainbows and brownies to 4.0.0. Seven limit bags. Bibio and Dawson's olive are taking the majority of fish.

Scaling Dam: 162 anglers 377 rainbows to 8.10.0.

Grassholme: 307 visitors 901 trout. Best rainbow 4.9.0.

Leighton: 222 anglers 396 trout. Rainbows to 4.0.0. 60 limit bags. Dry flies productive - daddy longlegs, deer hair sedges & small blacks.