DARREN COX enjoyed the birthday of a
lifetime winning the White Acres Skol Masters 12-angler grand final in a
dramatic end to clinch the winner-takes-all £25,000 big prize cheque!
Jenny's lake on the Cornish holiday park provided a thrilling and evenly
poised fishing match in which the identity of the winner was in doubt until
the final hooter and in Darren's case after the whistle. The UK Garbolino
product development manager, 37-years-old on the day, hooked his biggest
carp with 15 minutes of the four hour contest left on the clock and endured
a heart thumping twenty minute scrap with the fighting fit 8 lb ghostie
before landing it five minutes after the all out to the cheers of the
crowd.
'We play fish like that everyday but I knew it was
important so I had to get it in,' said Darren who let his
feelings show when he shouted 'Yes' as the fish slid into the landing net.
The late fish proved decisive giving him 50-6-0, less than the 8 lb that
ghostie provided above the 43-1-0 effort of runner-up Steve Ringer.
'It's an absolutely unbelievable feeling, what a
birthday,' said Darren speaking immediately after the result was
confirmed. 'I can't believe it,' he said
as he cuddled daughter Charlotte and was
joined by wife Julie. 'It's up to Julie what happens
to the money, I'm in it for the prestige,' said Darren who revealed
that Julie is expecting their second child.
It's been a superb season for Darren winning the Kamasan British Open being
capped for England at Six Nations level and now adding the Skol Masters
title. However his match didn't go exactly to plan and it was an inspired
change of tactics that paved the way for the win. At the start of the match
Darren fed a blend of liquidised meat and Sensas Crazy Bait Gold topping up
regularly and fishing punched Plumrose garlic meat on the hook but despite
plenty of signs of feeding fish in the peg struggled to catch at full depth.
Changing to a shallower rig and presenting the hook bait at half depth
sorted out a succession of brown goldfish averaging around the 1 lb mark to
keep him in contact with the front runners. Moving into the last hour he
turned up the heat adding a couple of 2 lb carp before the crucial ghostie
came along.
DEBUTANTS AND OLD HANDS
THE dozen finalists fought out a true battle royal in a real fishing match
with plenty of bites mostly from the smaller carp and hybrids in Jenny's
lake to keep the watching crowd entertained to the end. Making the final for
an incredible third consecutive time were 2000 champion Alex Murray and
Daiwa Dorking's skipper Steve Sanders while Shakespeare grouped Mark Warren
and Preston Innovations and Sensas backed Des Shipp were there for a second
consecutive year.
Daiwa Dorking skipper Steve made a strong bid on the pole landing some
quality carp on the pole from peg 19 ending with 36-2-0 in fourth place.
Murray's 21-14-0 ended in sixth place while Mark Warren's 20-2-0 was eighth.
Des Shipp from 15 conjured up 32-0-0 but counted the cost of an estimated 13
lb ghost carp he lost after playing for several minutes early in the match
and he had to settle for fifth place. Debutants Kevin Arathoon and Skol
Festival winner Wayne Mellings proved that it's not only the big names who
make it to the final and while Coca Cola backed Kevin found peg 5 tough
ending with 13-8-0 for tenth place, dog handler Wayne's magnificent 41-9-0
effort on the feeder from peg 6 took third place.  Runner up,
former Fish'O'Mania champion Steve Ringer had built an early lead on the
feeder at peg five but his 43-1-0 total was edged out by
that dramatic last gasp carp for Darren Cox. The field was completed by
Drennan backed Paul Yates ninth on 15-3-0 from the unfancied peg 12, Tricast
Mosella's Kieron Rich seventh with 21-10-0 off peg 9, and Keenets Northwest
duo Paul Keeley and Gary Powell 12th and 11th
respectively with 7-0-0 and 10-9-0 from pegs 21 and 22.
SKOL WILL BE BACK
THE Skol Masters will be back next year once again as the officials from the
events joint backers St Austell Brewery, Skol and White Acres announced that
the original three year deal would be extended to next year.
SKOL MASTERS GRAND FINAL RESULT
Darren Cox (MAP Garbolino Starlets) 50-6-0 peg 16
Steve Ringer (Shimano Van Den Eynde) 43-1-0 peg 8
Wayne Mellings (Fosters Tipton Van den Eynde) 41-9-0 peg 6
Steve Sanders (Daiwa Dorking) 36-2-0 peg 19
Des Shipp (Daiwa Dorking) 32-0-0 peg 15
Alex Murray (Carbotec Sillybait) 21-14-0 peg 18
Kieron Rich (Tricast Mosella) 21-10-0 peg 9
Mark Warren (Shakespeare) 20-2-0 peg 13
Paul Yates (Drennan Van den Eynde) 15-3-0 peg 12
Kevin Arathoon (Coca Cola) 13-8-0 peg 5
Gary Powell (Keenets Northwest) 10-9-0 peg 22
Paul Keeley (Keenets Northwest) 7-0-0 peg 21
End peg blockers Alan Gates (Todber Manor) 17-3-0 Calvin Lemon (ALS Geers)
0-11-0
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