JAMIE Atkinson has had the angling gods on his side with an impressive start to the year's match fishing calendar.

Atkinson has claimed three victories from the early rounds of the Furness Fishing Association coarse section competitions on section waters.

Lee Fallows is another man who has found his form, with two wins to his name as section members have battled it out for the honours.

The first match of the season was the Carp Pairs on Ormsgill Reservoir.

Held in bad conditions, with strong winds and cold temperatures making fishing very difficult and putting the fish off feeding in earnest, Mattie McBain and Luke Goodwin were the men to lead the field home as they weighed in two fish for a total of 30lb 6oz.

Jamie Stamper and Ryan Cresswell claimed second as they took 27lb 8oz to the scales.

Brayden Cotton took first place in a Junior Carp match, sponsored by Quality Flooring, on Low Pond, where the venue's small carp were the target. He weighed in with 15lb 9oz, nine ounces ahead of Shayne Sanderson.

Junior member Adam Cartmel blew the field out of the water in the annual Carp Charity Match on Ormsgill Reservoir, showing the seniors how to fish the venue as he landed seven fish for a mammoth total of 135lb – three times heavier than his nearest rival.

The popular Thursday evening league started on High Pond with Fallows taking the honours with 8lb 8oz on the scales. In the second round, Atkinson took gold as he weighed in with 9lb 14oz.

Fallows battled back to take top spot in the third round, landing 7lb 2oz, of fish.

There was another Atkinson success as he lifted the Skelly Trophy in the first match in the annual summer league, also on High Pond. His 11lb haul saw him some distance clear of Fallows.

His third and final victory in the early matches saw Atkinson win the Avon Trophy in the second summer league contest. Low Pond's small carp fed reasonably well and he took 18lb 13oz to the scales.

Section member Chris Sawyer has earned widespread praise as his perseverance and dedication was well rewarded by catching the first authenticated carp from section waters that weighed in at an incredible 40lb.

RESULTS

Junior Carp Match: 1. Brayden Cotton, 15lb 9oz; 2. Shayne Sanderson, 15lb 0oz; 3. Cameron Hill, 3lb 5oz.

Carp Charity Match: 1. Adam Cartmel, 135lb; 2. Luke Goodwin, 44lb 6oz; 3. Jordan Hoodless, 44lb 1oz.

Thursday Evening League Round One: 1. Lee Fallows, 8lb 8oz; 2. John Baker, 3lb 11oz; 3. Jamie Atkinson, 3lb 1oz.

Round Two: 1. Jamie Atkinson, 9lb 14oz; 2. Kev Lovidge, 8lb 1oz; 3. Phil Thompson, 7lb 15oz.

Round Three: 1. Lee Fallows, 7lb 2oz; 2. Dave Dickinson, 6lb 11oz; 3. John Baker, 5lb 6oz.

Skelly Trophy: 1. Jamie Atkinson, 11lb; 2. Lee Fallows, 8lb 10oz; 3. Les Davies, 6lb 14oz.

Avon Trophy: 1. Jamie Atkinson, 18lb 13oz; 2. Dave Dickinson, 11lb 11oz; 3. John Baker, 9lb 8oz.