29/11/25 - 2025 Junior Christmas Match - Hillview Lake, Todber Manor

I knew I was in trouble when we started the weigh in. The Christmas match always gets to me because I’m crap at saying goodbye to people, even if it is for only a few weeks.

But there was a definite finality to this one. The pressure increased as we circled around the lake and by the time I got to Jack on the last peg, I knew I was fit to burst.

I decided to make an announcement about the fact that Jack is the last of the original juniors and he would be my last official weigh in. What came out of my mouth was a string of sounds and words smashed to bits by my heightened state of emotion. I could barely see the scales to read the numbers. From then on, I was in pieces. My heart felt broken and full at the same time, but I had my extended family around me. They picked me up and lifted me with all their love and support. It was overwhelming, but in a good way.

I have never had a queue of people, parents and juniors alike, waiting to put their arms around me, shake my hand, and demonstrate how much they care. I felt truly humbled and warmed by their empathy.

If anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my display of emotions, I do not apologise. I get it from my mum. She filled up when she felt angry, embarrassed, empathic or, obviously, felt sadness. I am no different. I am heart on my sleeve kinda guy. What you see is what you get, and I can’t hide it.

My Trudie kept me company on the phone for most of my journey home. We talked about the day, the past, and the future.

Yes, there is a future, and it’s going to be great!

Before all this happened, there was a fishing match. So, I’d better tell you about that too.

On Monday, the forecast said RAIN, biblical rain, ALL DAY…

By Wednesday the weather oracle said, ‘Well, there’s a bit of rain. But only for half the day, but you will get wet…

By Friday I read ‘Don’t worry mate, it’ll be done by nine, and won’t be back until three’.

The reality of it was that it was dark, the rain coming down in sheets, and there were monstrous puddles everywhere which gave you an opportunity to head towards the scene of the accident every twenty-five metres.

The only thing that brightened the journey was the usually elusive deer in the park at Kings Stag. You can’t normally see them (when driving), but they were all against the fence with their little white butt’s illuminated by my headlights. Aaaww…

I’d already been to the shop down the road from me in just a jacket and so was mildly moist before leaving. However, I had prepared the boot so that I could jump into waterproofs and boots as soon as I arrived. I would dress beneath the protection of the tailgate. Sadly, the wind had other ideas and things didn’t go as planned. One leg in and one boot on, I held the second leg of the waterproofs clear of the soup like mud on the ground. The wind blew the remaining boot over, so bent to reposition it.

I have realised that balance becomes less of an option as you get older and, on this occasion, it decided to vacate the area. I was tipping forward desperate to keep my waterproofs clean and my socked foot dry. Only one of those two things happened.

Hands full, I used my head to arrest the forward motion to no avail. Something had to give so I sacrificed the socked foot. Two dogs, a deer, and four early birds and some Carp were treated to a staggering display of the most frown upon words in the English language as I turned the air blue. To top it all off, the whistle fell from my pocket and settled into one of the more sumptuous areas of soggy wet mud…

Great…

I plodded to the shop to make sure I was at the correct venue and to find out how much of the lake we could use. We had it all because what kind of idiots were going to go fishing in this weather??? Better still, what kind of idiots were going to WATCH people fishing in this weather? Probably bigger idiots…

With people arriving, I finished putting the pegs out.

By now the rain had stopped falling and my brain had stopped working. But, with the help of my coaches, the draw went as follows:

Peg 1: Owen ‘I’ve lost enough hooks today!’ Fowler.

Peg 2: Seth ‘Did I have to look directly at the sun?’ Hopkins.

Peg 3: Alfie ‘The fluffy ground bait convert’ Ellis.

Peg 4: No show.

Peg 5: Freddie ‘The Phantom feeder flinger’ Campbell.

Peg 6: Josh ‘My peg is much safer this time, thank you’ Roe.

Peg 7: Austin ‘I got here much earlier with my dad driving’ Scott-Kennedy.

Peg 8: George ‘I got lost in my dad’s jacket’ Ellis.

Peg 9: Josiah ‘I’ve finally lost my leg scaffolding’ Wells-Parkes.

Peg 10: Mia ‘The Queen of the hard stare’ Evans.

Peg 11: Dougie ‘First time at Todber’ Francis.

Peg 12: Jayce ‘I caught smelly Bream and my dad loves them’ Hardware.

Peg 13: Alexander ‘I simply can’t function without a breakfast’ Adey.

Peg 14: Kenzie ‘Still buzzing from my first win’ Toulson.

Peg 15: Jack ‘The outgoing OG’ Copp.

My Band of Brothers this time are:

No jokes, no silly names, no giggling at making one of them a female character. This group of guys are, quite simply, the reason that you can all get together with the juniors. On my own, the sessions would consist of only four juniors (plus parents) because that is all I am covered for. They give their time, they offer their experience, they lend their own tackle, and they even spend their own money on delivering an exceptional session, every single time we go out. At the risk of repeating myself, it is they that are the true heroes of any success we have had over the years. They are responsible for making the junior coaching so much fun and so rewarding. For me the best part of any session is going round to each of them to shake their hands by way of gratitude knowing that we have sent our juniors home satisfied with their day and hopefully having learned some new things. I hope they realise their value and how much affection they have both from me and from juniors and parents. I have a deep respect for them, and I hope they continue to be willing to support the cause in the future.

On behalf of us all, thank you…

Peg One:

Owen Fowler:

5lbs 4ozs:

After watching Owen for three events now, I was quite surprised to hear that he has only been fishing with a pole for just over a year. Seeing how he uses a pole, his posture and technique, I thought he’d been at it for a while. Owen was getting bites but failing to connect with any fish as I stood and watched him fishing. Experience told me that something wrong with his pole rig, so I asked him to lift out so I could take a look.

A simple rearrangement of his shotting pattern and a brief explanation about correct hook link lengths and he was back in and catching again. A big Carp got the better of him early on, and it may have influenced his swim. A nice sized Perch showed up but was little compensation for the fish he lost. Some small Roach, the odd Skimmer, and the bonus Perch made for a decent match for Owen. I look forward to bringing him back here (Hopefully) in the summer to experience Todber Manor at it’s best.

I’m glad to know Owen and the fishing Nan and I look forward to seeing him improve his skills next year and beyond.

Well done.

Peg Two:

Seth Hopkins:

11lbs 4ozs:

After Seth’s flying start on the river Stour and his monster Perch at Viaduct, keeping that level of success going was going to be a challenge. Particularly at venues he had never seen before. Sadly, without the chance to come and practice myself and a lack of matches being held on Hillview Lake recently, I could neither offer personal experience nor hold up results to any of the juniors about the fishing on Hillview of late. But Seth was one of the juniors who manged to find some of the Bream that now seem to live in the lake. Maybe they had always been there and got pushed out by the large numbers of Carp at past events. Either way, they were prominent on today’s match.

Like Owen, I look forward to bringing Seth to Todber when it can be mind-blowing.

I thought I saw a flash of worry on Seth’s face when a rumour went round of a large Perch being caught that may have threatened his Viaduct leviathan. But, in the end, I think that Perch will be a tough fish to beat in the time left in the year.

Ollie and Seth are a great team, and I look forward to seeing Seth’s progress next year.

Well done…

Peg Three:

Alfie Ellis:

26lbs 15ozs:

Alfie’s keep nets contained the first of the day’s ‘big weights’ and so it should be seeing as he’d drawn a familiar peg. Alfie had drawn the right-hand side of the spit, right at the end where he’d drawn in the summer. On that occasion, he’d been ‘Copped’ by Jack on the peg directly behind him and weighed in a mere 70lbs. Oh how he wished for the same weigh today!! I managed to get a quick chat about the necessity of a functioning maggot riddle that doubles up as a ground bait sieve, turning heavy lumpy ground bait into a fluffy delight for fish to be attracted to.

I think Alfie has had a good year. Steadily improving each time. There is much more left in Alfie yet and I think we have only just scratched the surface of what he can achieve.

Not only that, but he looked resplendent perched on his ‘new’ seat box. A bigger box for a longer boy.

Good job today, Alf…

Peg Five:

Freddie Campbell:

8lbs 14ozs:

Freddie has been with us a little while now and has seen Todber Manor flex its fishy muscles and turn up some decent weights. I’m sure he was as surprised as I was when the Carp did not show up as expected. There was no sign of ‘The Grumps’ that had to be beaten back at Luckfield recently. At least I didn’t see them…

With an empty peg to his left, Freddie had plenty of space to aim at with his feeder, and he used a vast majority of it. It became apparent to me that the only large fish that would tolerate the rather cold north-westerly wind were the Bream. The Carp wanted to be in the sunshine of the sheltered Ash Lake bank of Hillview. This left juniors like Freddie scrapping around to catch whatever they could.

Little Freddo has come on leaps and bounds since we met, and I can see this only improving into next year. He listens and acts on the advice given to him. He is nice to be around and a credit to his family. A real asset to any fishing group.

Good job!

Peg Six:

Josh Roe:

12lbs 15ozs:

Seeing as it was the Christmas Match, Josh gave his dad an early present and drew a peg just behind the van doors. Sadly, Martin had parked next to the wrong peg. The windward bank was proving to be difficult to catch numbers of Carp from, and if we know anything about Hillview Lake, you’re gonna need Carp to win. Unless you’ve turned into Andy Neal or Sid Meads (Now, there’s a name from the past!) and become one of the country’s most prolific Bream anglers, you always going to struggle against the tropical bank on the far side of the lake.

With great gusto I was informed of a mythical Perch that may be peeling the fingers of Seth Hopkins hands away from his grip on the Specimen award. However, Josh had snared a rare breed of Perch not often seen on these shores. The ‘Keto-Perch’ is a fish that looks absolutely huge in the landing net but then, just out spite, goes on a crash Keto-diet in the keep net. There are other Keto fish, and we’ve all caught them. But a Keto predator is obviously very rare.

It is a gross understatement to say that Josh has had a good year. I would go as far to say that Josh has reinvented himself over the last two-years. (Here come the jokes) Josh has gone from a kid that threw a strop because he’d come last with 33lbs at Whitemoor, to a stroppy kid that wins matches and championships!

I jest, of course, but the way josh slide-tackled Championships away from Austin AND Alfie this year was impressive. Yes, there were circumstances and misfortune for the other two on occasions. But change a couple of things that happened in the past and all of a sudden, I’m wearing a dress!

You make your own good fortune in fishing and Josh has made his. I’m honoured to say well done Champ, Ya did good!

Peg Seven:

Austin Scott-Kennedy:

10lbs 3ozs:

Another junior on the wrong side was still reigning Champ, Austin. I don’t know if I was in an increased state of emotion, anxiety, and stress, but did anyone else think that Austin was more organised? Austin is one of the second phase of juniors that came through along with Josiah and a few that no longer attend. I’ve long written about the chaos that sometimes surrounds his fishing, but today he seemed more together.

It’s been a strange year for Austin, particularly of late. From health problems with his grandad and a bereavement in the family, has come a new baby brother, Harlan.

On behalf of all the juniors, a massive congrats to the family…

I think that if Austin can quieten his mind to combat the stress of competition, he can make the step up to the next level, following in the footsteps of juniors like Jack. That may come as each year goes by, but for now I just want him to carry on enjoying his fishing and keep the chaos to a minimum.

Austin is a great kid, and I’ve watched him grow so he can now look me in the eye! He, and juniors of his era, are now the foundation of any fishing group. I hope he continues his journey and allows me to help him make that step.

Peg Eight:

George Ellis:

5lbs 1oz:

It’s strange to think that I have already been fishing with George for three-years. We first met on a private session at Revels on the Stock Pond. He brought with him his entire family including new baby Martha. Three years later, Martha is sister to a little brother and George is a lot taller now. I don’t see the Ellis’s nearly as much as I’d like to, and they can’t attend nearly as much as they want to. But it’s always great to see them when they do come. I’m afraid to say that I didn’t get to spend as much time with them as I’d want to, but I did see a lot of ‘High-Fives’ going on to confirm the landing of a decent fish, probably a Carp. Either that or they’d kicked over a nest of winter Hornets, such was the animated leaping around.

The Ellis’s have told me that, even if I already did not have any plans, that my future as an angling coach is secured through the line of children they have waiting for me.

I am looking forward to the challenge…

Peg Nine;

Josiah Wells-Parkes:

36lbs 8ozs, 2nd place:

Like Austin, Jo has been around for a while. Unlike Austin, Jo has not had the rub of green this year. Once recovered from a nasty bowel problem, Jo thought his health was on the up and something needed to be done about it. A knee was sacrificed to the cause from a ‘Kicking a bag of wind around a field’ injury. Now free from his scaffolding that looked incredibly uncomfortable, I hope that he can remain injury free and healthy for a while so he can come back next year and show us what he can do…

A average of Jo’s results suggest that he could get results that would put him right towards the top end of the field, if indeed that is important to him. I’m happy that he comes at all considering the rotten luck he’s had with health…

He's a lovely lad and Trudie’s Champion (because of the Asthma connection). James is a strong and sometimes vocal supporter of our junior group, and I enjoy their company greatly.

He fished a good match today and only missed out by one fish, and not a very big one at that!

Well done, Jo…

Peg Ten:

Mia Evans:

10lbs 10ozs:

Princess Moo-moo had a day on the snotties today, and she was very keen for me to see just how well she’d done. So keen in fact that I was virtually forced into the keep net to get a better look at one point. Weighing in 12-stone (Yeah right!) of fat angling coach may have been seen as cheating by some, and it could lead to all sorts of shenanigans like bribery of ‘the fuller bodied coaches’ to ‘get in the net’ to boost weights. I consider myself a front runner for this honour having referred to Mia as ‘Princess Moo-moo’ twice now. Queen of the hard stare, she seems to think that I am intimidated by a long look from her big blue eyes. I’ll give you that she could sour milk at 50-yards with evil thoughts, but I think she thinks I’m special. Or at least I was….

It was good to see Mia a little less ‘down’ after a match, and a little further up the list than of late. Not that it matters of course. I just like seeing her happier.

Fishing is a tough sell to little ladies. It’s filth, smells, yuk and mud a lot of time, and female juniors have been thin on the ground. It is for this reason that she is so important to the group. I don’t think she even realises just how important she is, and I hope that she continues to try to wear me down by scowling at me for a long time to come.

Well done Princess…

Peg Eleven:

Dougie Francis:

7lbs 15ozs:

Dougie’s dad Chris commented ‘I’ve heard a lot of stories about this place being better than this’..

Indeed you have, I thought... I probably told you most of them.

He was right. It wasn’t fishing as well as it usually did, and they’d come a long way.

But it was winter, and the lake was still recovering depth from the summer droughts. That much fresh, cold water is going to have an adverse effect on the inhabitants and their feeding patterns.

As it gets colder, fish move less because they are cold blooded and conserve their energy. In the summer you can attract fish into an area because they actively seeking out food. A Calvery if you like. In the winter they prefer a full-on waiter service where the food is delivered in front of their noses. You must seek the fish rather than have them seek you. Fish (Carp) also ‘Ball up’ into tight groups for, I assume, warmth. So, on some occasions if you haven’t caught one, then they aren’t there.

He did manage to seek one Carp though..

Dougie is one of a new wave of juniors to come fishing with us and I am happy to know him. He’s keen, listens, and asks questions. It’s a shame that they joined the group as my time with it comes to an end. But there is a future, and it definitely isn’t orange.

But it might be blue…

Good effort today, Dougie, I will bring you back here in the warmer months when you will scream for it to stop!

well done.

Peg Twelve:

Jayce Hardware:

11lbs.

I’m glad Bream haven’t got ears…

The awful names they were being called was heart-breaking.

Smelly, Slimy, Stinky, as well as a few names I can’t include. I mean what has the poor Bream done to deserve that kind of abuse. Bream have feelings too you know!

If it wasn’t for the humble Bream, Jayce as well as a few others would have been in a bit of a pickle.

To be fair, Jayce and dad Jake are more tent dwellers than match anglers. They prefer the

gentle art of sleeping until a fish bites, only to be awoken by the gentle tone of screaming alarms (To be honest, I used to love that too!).

Jayce did have probably the biggest mud pig of the day, which underlines his specialist credentials. Another of our newer juniors, Jayce and Jake are staunch supporters of the group, and it is much appreciated. They are the sort of people who you only know for a little while, whilst feeling that you’ve known them for ages. It’s very comforting.

Jayce found himself on the edge of the fishy pegs today, an area that would normally be favourable.

Good job though kiddo, well done.

Peg 14:

Kenzie Toulson:

18lbs 9ozs:

Fresh from his maiden win at Luckfield a few weeks ago, Kenzie was still buzzing and was ready to feel the winning feeling again. It would be Carp that would be the target today, showing that Kenzie is fast becoming an all-round angler. His pole fishing in the summer was impressive and his casting with a feeder today was simply stunning. I wasn’t the only one to think that either. There were a few adults that wished they could be as accurate as that, and I might have been one of them!

Mum Tina was amazed as she watched cast after cast land in the space of a large bucket. Only that bucket was a good 35-metres away.

It is testimony that despite a difficult year (understatement of the year), Kenzie still has the fizz to be a better angler and has lost nothing of that which he had previously learned.

It is great to see Kenzie and Tina back again, particularly as no one does ‘wrapping up warm’ like Tina does…

Good Job!

Peg 15:

Jack Copp:

33lbs 1oz, 3rd place:

Jack was five-years-old when I first met him, and he already had a flare for fishing. Hardly surprising seeing as his dad is a fishing nut!

Dave keeps telling me that Jack owes me everything. But the coaches and I can only take credit for the time we spent with Jack. Dave has done the rest with time and lots of money! (The bank of dad is still open by the way). No has done more for Jack than Dave has and it’s paying off…

I still have the photo of Jack and a stunning bag of Roach from Luckfield when they helped me with my coach training. It’s one of my favourite pictures.

Jack came to us as a pretty matured angler for his very young age and it gave us a great foundation to build upon. I’m sure that I/we have had enough effect on Jack’s fishing to have helped him to where he is today. But I can’t help but feel that he stopped needing us a while ago for the teaching of those more advanced than I/us.

But I’m proud of Jack. I can overlook the fact that he’s a cheeky little turd sometimes, but I know it’s all just banter. He’s coming out with comments that I can only answer with threats and expletives, which annoys me a lot.

Jack could well be one of the best angler’s that this club has ever produced, and I believe in him. I believe that the sky is the limit for Jack, and I will follow him will great interest as he makes his way through his career.

Even though Dave announced the Xmas match as being Jack’s last junior event, he should know that he will always be welcome here or wherever we end up in the future.

Good luck my friend…Go get ‘em Champ!!!

Peg 13:

Alexander Adey:

37lbs 11ozs, 1st place:

Alexander, the lad who only fishes as long as he wants to.

Alexander, the lad who will only fish after a breakfast if one is on offer.

Alexander, who isn’t tempted by the accessories of fishing that even I (especially I) have succumbed to.

Alexander, who can (currently) easily walk under a five-bar-gate and won’t get onto a rollercoaster for ages yet...

I’m gonna do it..

I’m gonna use words here…

Alexander only went and bloody won, didn’t he!!!!

He won his first match at my last and I didn’t know if I was crying through joy or sorrow by the end.

I and a few others were watching him closely as he slipped one, then two, good Carp into his nets. There was a pause. Then a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth Carp went in. I blew the whistle for the end, and we all looked at each other.

Could it be?

The wait to weigh him in was torturous.

I give them all fist bumps as a way of congratulations and a job well done, even if they haven’t done as well as they wanted to. I even photographed Mia’s Bream for her.

But, all the time I couldn’t wait to see what Alexander had caught.

We weighed a Bream first. A good fish of 3lbs 1oz.

I lifted his second net out and it was going to be close with Josiah’s combined weight of 36lbs 8ozs. I tipped his catch carefully into the bucket and Tim lifted it to the scales.

There were 13 juniors, all the parents, and most of the coaches standing, waiting, hoping…

The silence that falls when the scales are settling is palpable. You can taste the tension. It is empowering to know that everyone is waiting for you to say the numbers out loud.

Silence, save for the sound of large fish in a vinyl bucket suspended from a hook on a set of scales hanging from a tripod.

Then, the fish stop fidgeting.

Silence…

In a voice only loud enough to allow Chris Ward with the weigh sheet to hear me, but it may as well have been as loud as an atomic blast as I read out ‘ Thirty-four pounds, ten-ounces’…

A loud cheer went up from all those present as it became apparent that Alexander had won his first fishing match after just 18-months of joining the group.

Even the two anglers yet to weigh were there clapping despite knowing that their chance had gone for a win.

I looked down at the little lad who looked fit to bursting point with joy and offered him my fist… Fist bump… Well done…

For me, I had everything going on inside me. It was nearly over for me, but this…This was something special…

For those who don’t know and wondering why I am making a big deal out of this, Alexander is only six-years-old…A six-year-old who didn’t fish for an hour and a half because he wanted a cooked breakfast in the restaurant whilst the others were thrashing the water to a foam…

That night I dreamt about lifting Alexander up to read out the scales for himself, I wish I’d done that. But it doesn’t diminish the moment. It was beautiful and so many people said the same thing. Jerry shouting ‘That’s what we do this for’, Martin saying ‘What a way to end’..

It was, is, and always will be, the best moment in my career as a junior coach.

Alexander Adey… Junior match winner…

It’s the end, but not THE end.

Whatever happens next year and beyond, there will be junior coaching and matches, there will be events and presentations and, if you are all willing, the family will always be together.

There are plans, but it needs to be done right. Something to benefit ALL the clubs in the area should they wish to participate. If they don’t, we will still be here, doing what we do.

Fishing has been, is and always will be my life. There are times when I’ve despised it, really hated it. But it’s always been there, enticing me back. Most of the time though, I love it. I dream about it, exist within it and exist because of it.

My serious match career is over. My joy is with my juniors. Teaching with my friends. Spending time with extended family.

I can’t help it.

The day after the Christmas match, Jerry, amongst others, messaged me to see how I was and jokingly asked if I’d given any thought to next years calendar. I laughed it off as a joke but, do you know what?

I had…

Trudie, you have seen me come home with joy in my heart. You have seen me come home distraught. You have seen me incandescent with rage. You have seen my heart full, empty, and broken. You have listened to me endlessly talk about fishing, the juniors, the junior fishing, and fishing with the juniors. You have endured the politics and defended my corner. All this and you never got to see me at my best, with my extended family, with my friends. They say behind every man is a great woman. In this case it is a woman that doesn’t get to listen to her man bleat on about all the above.

The very best part of anything I ever do is come home to you. To tell you all about it, to make you feel like you were there.

You are my foundation, my shelter from the Tempest, and the strength to make fight for everything that I hold dear to me.

Everything is all because of you…

Thank you to my evergreen bunch of mates, my band of brothers, Jerry Bracey, Chris Painter, Neil Haine, Chris Ward, Si Wagner, Tim Broughton, and John Evans. Also, Jon Bass and Lloyd Richards (Get well soon!). Occasionally Donna and Mark Harrison.

Big thank you to John Candy and all the staff at Todber Manor for their kind donation of vouchers for today’s match and for all their support over the years and hopefully into the future.

Special mention to everyone at the Xmas match who came to offer me a hug or a handshake. That was a special moment for me, one not at all easy to forget.

I will be writing an 8 years round up before the end of the year, so I will get even more flaky then probably….

To those who I will not see before, I wish you all the merriest of Christmas’s and a happy and healthy new year.

Merry Fishmas everyone…

Lead Coach…