Eastleigh Match Group put in a superb performance in the second round of the Hants, Wilts & Dorset Winter League on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Marlborough.
They bagged an impressive 102.5 section points, which included an incredible five section winners.
After a bitterly disappointing first round on the Ringwood Pits, Eastleigh's challenge to topple Pewsey Sensas for the first time in a decade looked doomed. But, with two more canal matches to come, their superb canal performance puts them just seven points adrift of Pewsey, whose reign may be facing its biggest-ever challenge.
Pewsey Sensas' Andy Browne took 9lb 14oz of small roach on a combination of whip and pole from M section to collect just over £300. Eastleigh's Paul White finished second with 9lb 4oz, with teammate Bob Drew just an ounce out in third with 9lb 3oz and Pewsey Sensas' Pete Newman fourth with 8lb 3oz.
Section winners: A - J Clark (Eastleigh) 6lb 13oz. B - N Greek (Pewsey) 6lb 11oz. C - R Hayward (Eastleigh) 5lb 13oz. E - S Howard (Wimborne) 4lb 11oz. F - (Pewsey) 4lb 9oz. G - S Pomery (Pewsey) 6lb 2 oz. H - R Chave (Wimborne) 4lb 11oz. J - P White (Eastleigh) 9lb 4oz. K - R Hanson (Raiders) 7lb 2oz. L - B Drew (Eastleigh) 9lb 3 oz. M - A Browne (Pewsey) 9lb 14oz.
In the individual points championship, Wimborne's Richie Chave leads with 20 points out of 20 from Eastleigh's Dave Self, Pewseys' Steve Pomery and Wimborne's Steve Nadin, all with 19 points.
At the quarter-final stage in the team knockout, Pewsey (63lb 15oz) predictably beat Salisbury (43lb 8oz), Wimborne (53lb 15oz) beat TVAC (40lb 1oz) and Dorset Raiders (53lb 6oz) beat Downton (27lb 7oz). But Andover produced a shock result, knocking out Wimborne by 41lb 14oz to 35lb 13oz.
Results: Eastleigh 102.5, Pewsey 95.5, Dorset Raiders 86, Wimborne 86, Salisbury 64, Andover 54, TVAC 53, Ringwood 45, Christchurch 44, Downton 30.
League positions: Pewsey 174.5, Eastleigh 167.5, Dorset Raiders 166.5, Wimborne 160, Salisbury 127, Ringwood 125, Andover 111.5, Christchurch 108.5, TVAC 97.5, Downton 81.
Cormorants' second round of the Winter Series on the Lower Lake at Broadlands saw victory for Rick Kajko, who took five bream, two tench and two carp, plus 8lb of roach and perch for 38lb from peg 22.
Kajko fished waggler and corn for the tench, bream and carp - and switched at regular intervals to his inside four-metre pole line for the roach and perch on caster over chopped worm.
Rick Tyson finished second with carp and bream for 33lb 2oz from peg six, but four lost fish proved very costly as Tyson was on the golden peg which would have given him a £300 bonus if he could have won. Neil Tappin finished third with 23lb with Terry Sargent fourth with 14lb 11oz of quality roach.
Ryeslip AC had their annual match on Longbridge Lake which saw a stack of excellent weights, Bob Still taking a 42lb bag of silver fish plus tench and carp on the pole and caster from peg 17 for 58lb 14oz.
Bob Jillians finished second with 52lb 15oz of carp caught on the pole from peg 23 with Keith Akerman third with 41lb from peg 11 with a mixed skimmer, roach and tench bag and Dick Forty fourth with a silver fish bag of 40lb 15oz from peg 35 on the canal.
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