HAMPTON, Willow, 10/5/15 ~ Gnome by name, Gnome by nature.

Our first visit to Hampton on the Willow pool for about 12 months, and there seemed to have been some changes. Extensive weed growth made a few pegs unavailable, and some bankside shrubbery ruled out certain margin options on other pegs. However, some things stayed the same. The 2oz razor blade skimmers have been replaced by hoardes of miniscule gudgeon, which proved a real problem to many in the opening throws of the match. Like all the other lakes at Hampton, this one had received a decent stocking of 5oz F1s. Trying to be subtle enough to catch them whilst avoiding the gudgeon was a headache.
At the weigh-in, and with the fishery wanting fish under 2lb in one keepnet, and those over 2lb in another, most people basically had a net with carp in, and the other was virtually empty, save a few of the nuisance gudgeon.
The Gnome, however, had lived up to his name, and fished a top kit out in front, and had somehow managed to avoid the bits in the shallower water. He also found the F1s in feeding mode, and put 18lb of them into the "smalls" net. Adding on his better carp from the margins, 66lb 03oz was enough for victory.
Like most, Colin Cook had struggled for the first hour before a switch to pellet shallow at 14metres brought a change in fortunes. Proper carp went into the net at regular intervals until the breeze increased, and his rig ended up in an overhanging bush. That signalled the end of that approach, and also his chances of winning. He did, however, have enough for an honourable second, with 55lb 12oz.
Dirk Wriggler caught decent carp steadily throughout the contest on a method feeder to the island, and set up the chance to win the match. A slow final hour, when he failed to make the margins produce, ultimately left him in third place with 52lb 05oz. Still an excellent effort, and a good day's sport.
The obvious margin peg in The Entertainment Manager's peg was obscured by a newly grown bush,  but Gary Brislen still made a good fist of it and won a section with 40lb 07oz.  Despite everyone saying he caught on the tip, John Edwards insisted that half his weight came to pole-fished corn at 5 metres. Whatever, 38lb 04oz was the result, and a section win for Sumo too.
Lee Pickup made good use of a decent draw with a section winning 35lb 05oz so well done to him.
The Man of the match went to the final section winner. Following on from last week's DNW (just for a change), when he moaned about a lack of bites, moans galore for the initial hour this week signalled that those pesky gudgeon where apparently all over his peg, and he was getting too many bites?????? The Jolly Green Giant adapted to his peg though and soon figured out how to get to the carp. By the end, and in buoyant mood for a change, Neil Paterson found out what it's like to weigh in, and put a magnificent 51lb 10oz on the scales. The brown envelope will go alongside the successful rig on his mantelpiece. According to the big fella, every rig winder in his box has "crap" written on it. Now he's got to learn how to spell "good" to write on the winder for this one.