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BARY OCONNOR
ASH GEDEN
a session. During the after n o o n , S co tt wa s b u sy w i t h an o t h e r
r u n. Ben went round to he l p . I t wa s a n o t he r t h i r ty, t h i s ti m e a
m i rror at 31lb 4oz. Ben, b l es s h i m , wa s ru n n i n g a rou n d h e re ,
t h ere and everywhere to h el p o u t a n d t a ke p h o to s . Th e re wa s
s t ill more action to come wh en a s ho u t we n t o u t t h at S c o tt wa s
i n again. Sure enough, I co ul d se e h i m do i n g b a t t l e w i t h a n o t h e r
c a rp. Who went to help him? Yo u g u es s e d i t – p o o r ol d B e n . T h e
n e t enveloped the carp an d t h e b a t tl e wa s ove r. B e n s h o u te d
o u t that it was a good one. It wa s we i gh ed , ph o to g ra p h e d a n d
g e ntly returned to the wa te r n o n e t h e wo r s e fo r i t s o rd e a l . I t
was a common and weighed 3 0 l b 1 4 o z. T ha t eve n i n g we h a d a
B BQ and a beer, and it wa s ve r y re la x i n g s i t ti n g a n d c h at t i n g
a b out the carp we’d caugh t . If n o th i n g e ls e i t gave B e n a b i t o f
a rest .
On the last day, Gary, on e o f t h e ow n ers , ca m e to se e h ow
we were getting on. He wa s i n B e n’ s sw i m wh e n o n e o f B e n’ s
a l arms went off. He invi te d G a r y to p i c k u p t h e ro d a n d t a ke
u p the challenge of man ve rs u s c arp . G a r y d i d t h i s w i t h mu c h
e n thusiasm, and played th e c arp l i ke a p ro fe s s i o n a l. A f te r a
fe w minutes, he guided it to t he wa i ti ng n e t . B e n h o i s te d i t
o u t and got it onto the ma t . It we n t i n to t he we i gh s l i n g a n d
o n to the scales, which sto p p ed a t 2 1 lb 3 o z . T h e p ho to s h ows
G a ry was happy with his ca p t ure . N o t lo n g a fte r G a r y l e f t , B e n
was in again. I could see B e n l e an i n g i n to a c arp t h at wa s
g iving him the right runaro u n d . T h e h u g e sw irl s i t wa s m ak i n g
s u ggested it was a big carp . Eve n tu a lly t he p owe ri n g r u n s a n d
swirls stopped, and it came to th e n e t . M an g o d i d t h e h o n o u rs
w i th the n et for Ben. The sh o u t o f “ Ye s! ” f ro m B e n c o u l d o n ly
m ean one thing – it was a l um p , an d i t ce r t ai n ly was . I t wa s a
h u ge common that weighed 3 5 l b 1 4 o z.
FR E ELINE 79
