DROITWICH Spa ace Chris Ballard makes a habit of winning local canal matches with big weights.

But even Ballard excelled when he won his club’s open contest on the high wall section at Stoke Works.

Drawn just before the fancied high bank pegs Ballard used local knowledge to plan his attack of presenting maggot bait well over just out of the deep water.

He was rewarded with a run of bream to 3lb which along with a few smaller skimmers saw him head a string of good catches with an excellent winning catch of 26lb 13oz 0dr.

Mick Salcumbe netted an all-bream catch of 20-6-4 which would normally be enough to win most contests on the venue.

But the former Worcester national man had to settle for second prize, beating in-form Dennis Evans who put 12-5-8 onto the scales for third place.

The following day lower down the canal at Shernal Green Dave Anderson won the Barley Mow AC contest with 6-11 of pinkie-caught skimmers and smaller silvers for a comfortable victory.

Second place went to former River Avon legend Lloyd Davis with 2-3-5 and in third came Dave Lowe weighing 2-1-7.

Section prizes went to Rod Turner, Salcumbe and Colin Davis.

Woodland View, Tuesday, Ghost pool open: 1 P Edmonds 120-10, 2 D Webster 98-4, 3 A Stone 78-0; Saturday, Deans pool open: 1 Kill 133-8, 2 D Johnson 102-0, 3 J May 84-8; Sunday, Deans pool open: 1 R Camden 142-0, 2 K Slade 131-12, 3 C Ribson 126-2, 4 T Witcher 110-4.

Moorlands Farm, Thursday, Costcutter open: 1 P Hodge 187-11, 2 S Julian 167-11, 3 L Bowden 112-6; Saturday open: 1 B Jones 111-13, 2 A Jackson 102-5, 3 D Williams 102-2; Sunday open: 1 L Marshall 130-11, 2 B Jones 92-0, 3 P Mansell 86-1.