The Scruton reaches of the River Swale produced the biggest opening weekend river match weight in the region when Northallerton's Trevor Craddock lifted the Northallerton & District AC Non Plus Cup with a terrific chub bag of 51.6.0.

Fishing the streams below the ICI pool Trevor waggler fished casters to net 18 fish.

Runner-up Pat Adams on the Willow straight above the jetty applied the same tactics collecting 13 quality chub for 45.12.0.

Star of the day was definitely my 13-year-old son Andrew Herbert, making his river match debut.

Andrew gave dad a perfect Father's Day present notching third place with 34.12.0 catching nine chub on the waggler and double red maggot and another on single sweetcorn.

The Brompton to Ellerton sections of the Swale proved hard going for most during the Darlington BT Bambridge Cup and only 4 competitors managed to break the double figure barrier.

Runaway angler Middleton one Row's Vernon Lakin proved the exception hauling out an impressive four hour catch of 37.14.0.

Chub responded to a waggler rig alternating caster and wasp grub hookbaits pegged one below the Killerby Stakes.

Barbel featured during Richmond Angling's Society's Spencer Cup and Darlington's Andy Jones included 5 big fish along with a couple of chub to total 34.1.0.

Drawing at Easby, winning tactics were a combination of legered luncheon meat and floatfished caster.

Second-placed Steve Hoggins from Newcastle pegged upstream of Skeeby beck used the stickfloat with both caster and maggot to put together a nice dace and grayling return of 15.6.0.

Idle & Thackley Open River Swale at Swainby: 1 Ian Beck (Newcastle) 5.7.8 1 chub and perch to bomb and worm; 2 Barry Simpson (Idle) 4.7.0.

Moving onto the Tees the Yarm AA June Open on the Lower reaches attracted the best entry of the weekend 78 anglers but disappointingly the fish were not as keen to show in numbers.

Paul Jackson under the Team Shimano Quaker banner recorded just 9.11.0 to clinch the curtain raiser.

Opposite Whitehouse farm bottom limit on peg 183, the groundbait feeder into midriver offering worm and red maggot brought three good skimmers to swell an otherwise perch return.

For local Kevin Pybus small roach were the order of the day. Pole and maggot off peg 40 at Wards Lane resulted in nearly 100 to keep Kevin constantly on the go for next best 9.2.0.

Weights were also below expectations during the Thornaby AA Derek A Lea Memorial on the Tees between Croft and Hurworth and Shildon's Jim Johnson had 9.2.0 enough for victory.

FIXTURES

TOMORROW: Northallerton & District AC Open River Swale - Scruton to Far Fairholme - 100 pegs. Tickets on 01609 / 779073. Thornaby AA WP Adams Junior Cup River Tees - Croft. *Bradford No1 AA Christopher Oliver Junior Trophy Raskelf Lake. Woodland Lakes Open - Tickets on 01845 / 526110.

Sunday: NYSD Federation Open River Tees - Over Dinsdale. Tickets 01325 / 264213. Yarm AA Summer Series (1) Lower Tees - Yarm. Thornaby AA Thornaby Charities Open River Tees - Croft to Hurworth. Tickets in local tackle shops. Bradford No 1 AA A Waite Memorial Delegates Raskelf Lake. Ripon Piscatorials Garbutt Cup 80 pegs River Ure - Hutton Beck to Barn Island. Turners Tackle 2004 Qualifier Heat Four Eden Meadows.

Monday: Yarm AA Evening Series (2) Lower Tees - Yarm - Pegs 109-170). Northallerton AC Evening Series (2) River Swale - Scruton.