THE close battle between Team Leisure Angling and early frontrunners Wirral Sea Anglers promised a thrilling showdown in the final round of the North West Association of Sea Angling Clubs' Summer League - and the result could not have been closer!

But Talacre, in its current poor form, did not provide a worthy backdrop for the finale.

Plagued by poisonous weever fish, which were ineligible for weighing, most anglers struggled for sizeable fish and, in a reversal of the normal situation, the seaward Zone 1 was the most productive.

Ian Stenhouse, of Bebington, won this zone with the top weight of the match, leading his team, Wirral Sea Anglers 'A', to victory on the day to draw level on points with the 1996 champions, Leisure Angling.

A countback on team weights throughout the league revealed that the challengers were the new champions by a margin of more than 2lbs!

George Crane dropped his only point of the series, finishing second in Zone 1, but easily clinched the Individual championship.

RESULTS:

Zone 1: Ian Stenhouse, of Bebington (Wirral Sea Anglers 'A'), 3-10-0, 2 eels, 1 flounder;

Zone 2: Richard Burrow, of Ashton-under-Lyne (Personal Members Red), 1-6-0, 2 eels, 1 flounder;

Zone 3: Bill Lindfield, of Greasby (Wirral Sea Anglers 'A'), 0-14-0, 1 flounder, 1 eel;

Zone 4: Paul Bonner, of Wallasey (Wirral Sea Eagles 'A'), 1-8-0, 1 flounder.

Team placings:

1: Wirral Sea Anglers 'A' (30 points);

2=: Leisure Angling 'B' and Leisure Angling 'A' (27);

4: Mersey Anglers 'A' (26);

5=: Personal Members Red and Wirral Sea Eagles 'A' (15).

Heaviest fish:

1: Paul Bonner, flounder, 1-8-0;

2: I. Stenhouse, flounder, 1-2-12.

Final Summer League positions:

1: Wirral Sea Anglers 'A' (197 points), 48lb 13ozs 8dms;

2: Team Leisure Angling 'A' (197 pts), 46-8-4;

3: Mersey Anglers 'A' (187 pts);

4: Leisure Angling 'B' (180 pts);

5=: Wirral Sea Eagles 'A' and 'B' (144 pts each);

7: Wirral Sea Anglers 'B' (140 pts);

8: NWASAC Personal Members Red (136 pts);

9: Mersey Anglers 'B' (128 pts);

10: Stanley's Cast 'A' (126 pts).

Individual Summer Champion: George Crane, of Wallasey (Leisure Angling 'A'), 74 points;

Runner-up: Bill Lindfield, of Greasby (Wirral Sea Anglers 'A'), 64 points.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.