More than 100 Easter Eggs donated by anglers at the Liverpool & District Angling Association Good Friday Open
Match secretary Mike Dickson does an incredible job raising funds for many charities that the L&DAA supports throughout the year.
He put this together again with the aim to assist teams within Sefton Council family centres reaching out to support families and more than 100 eggs were delivered to two centres, which were very gratefully received.
On the match itself, and with the canal starting to show some promise now that the warmer weather is beginning to show some form, this one had nearly 50 anglers turning out – stretching from the drum's at Lydiate, back to Westway Bridge at the end of the duck length.
Taking the top honours on the day and making his way all the way from Oswestry was a familiar name as a winner over here in Merseyside, Gordon Griffiths. Pegged on the popular Running Horses Length near the famous pub itself, Griffiths made no mistake from this fancied area as he put together a class performance, taking 11.4.0 of skimmers and roach.
Skelmersdale's John Carroll, who was pegged on the drum's length on an area that was slightly more open to the gusts of wind, was rewarded with the second best catch on this one as he took a mixed bag which included a couple of bonus skimmers for 6.12.13. In an incredibly tight finish, it was one that saw just drams in it on splitting the frame.
READ MORE: Manchester's Mark Harris claims the top spot with an incredible 54lb net of bream
Stu Cutler took third place with a very close 6.12.7. Leigh's Anthony Lloyd took fourth with 6.7.0.
Staying with the canal scene, the L&DAA will be holding a memorial match for past chairman Fred Moss on Saturday, May 3 2025. Draw time is 9am at the MCA at Green Lane Maghull and all are welcome.
Once again, Mike Dickson will be holding his 'Dicko's raffle' that everyone involved enjoys so much as part of the day's celebrations. On the club front, catching up with one of Merseyside's most popular outfits, the Alliance & Leicester stayed at their home venue at Chapel Pool on Sunday to enjoy another great match on this superb venue.
Winner on the day was club stalwart Richard Bamber. Bamber stuck to a tip approach with pellet to take carp for the top club points on the day for 63.1.0. Gary Green took second place with 54.11.0 and Dave Langton a close third with 53.13.0.
Also on Sunday, St Helens AA held their annual two-day memorial for a past member Joe Lee, with the second leg on Monday. With another great turn out, this one was about the competitors using their aggregate weights over the two days. Making the most of it was St Helens local Peter Tickle.
Tickle took the top weight of the day on Sunday with 13.8.0 and Monday following that on taking a section win with 7.10.0. Overall Tickle's 21.2.0 was enough to take the top honours and the coveted trophy.
Winning the match with a superb 16lb on Monday, St Helens rod Phil Holland put that on top of his previous day's catch of just 3.6.0 to put together a second overall 19.6.0.
READ MORE: It's all about the bream
READ MORE: Fifteen teams take part in first round of the Liverpool & District Angling Association Teams of Four
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Rio Ngumoha is still only 16. But this is why he is impossible to ignore at Liverpool
As several Liverpool senior players found their touch and technique deserting them on the cut-up surface of the Nissan Stadium, Rio Ngumoha showed them how it's done. Not for the first time during this pre-season, the 16-year-old was the player everybody was talking about following another brilliant cameo that included the goal that sealed Liverpool's 3-1 victory over Yokohama F Marinos. Advertisement In just 26 minutes, the youngster lit up the game in Tokyo, bamboozling the hosts' tiring defence, just as he had in previous games against Preston North End, Stoke City and Milan. It is a testament to how he is viewed and the impact he has made this summer that Liverpool do not see left wing as an area of their squad that needs strengthening, even after the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich. Cody Gakpo is the established left-winger, while Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike could also play there. But Ngumoha's development has seen him force his way into Slot's thinking for a permanent place in his first-team squad and potentially save the club some money in the transfer market. There is no desire to block Ngumoha's pathway to senior football. So, how has he done it? When Ngumoha chose to leave Chelsea for Liverpool last year, the London club were furious that they were losing one of England's brightest young talents. Since his arrival, he has shown why there was such disappointment in west London, impressing Liverpool's senior and academy coaching staff in training sessions and matches for various age groups. His surprise start against Accrington Stanley in the third round of the FA Cup in January exposed him to Liverpool supporters at first-team level and rewarded him for the rapid progress he was making. His 72-minute showing at Anfield that day was full of quick feet and excitement. The League Two side quickly doubled up on him and the only missing piece to his performance was end product — quite normal for a 16-year-old making their debut. Still, as he returned to the under-21 setup for the rest of the campaign, improving his end product became a point of emphasis. If any indication was needed on how that is going, he has two goals and one assist in his four appearances so far in pre-season. Advertisement His goal at Yokohama illustrated how dangerous he can be with the ball at his feet and space to run into. With Liverpool on the counter-attack, Ngumoha advanced from near the halfway line and showed his confidence to keep hold of the ball rather than use any of his team-mates, skip past the challenge of Kosei Suwama, and fire a shot beyond Ryoya Kimura. The smile on Mohamed Salah's face in the moments after the goal further emphasised the impact he has made. Salah and other senior squad members, including Andy Robertson, have helped Ngumoha settle in at first-team level, offering advice when possible. There is a fearlessness to everything he does, but he couples that with quality. This isn't a youngster dribbling down blind alleys to try to impress; this is a winger tormenting defenders with trickery, pace and purpose. From the moment he was named in the starting XI against Preston, Ngumoha has had one aim: to get on the ball and drive at his opponent. He was a constant threat at Deepdale and the source of several key chances, including Conor Bradley's opening goal. He is not quite a chalk-on-boots winger, but Ngumoha stays high and wide to give him space to be found by team-mates. That allows him to build up speed and attack the defender, putting them on the back foot. As the example below shows, when he is around the opposition penalty box, he uses his close control, agility and acceleration to burst away from opponents. On this occasion, he shaped to come inside before darting to the byline. His cross was intercepted with Darwin Nunez ready to pounce. A similar move nearly led to a goal against Milan, when he used that speed to wrong-foot Fikayo Tomori and unleash an effort on goal that was parried away by Mike Maignan. The connection he has built with Trey Nyoni has been on display, too, and the pair complement each other on the pitch. When playing together, the pair frequently combine with one-twos around the opposition area, with Ngumoha capable of making dangerous runs into the box, and Nyoni has the quality to pick out the return pass. He nearly got on the scoresheet earlier against Yokohama by linking with Nyoni. Again, Ngumoha used his agility to work a shooting opportunity, breaking into a similar position to where he scored his goal against Stoke, but his effort was saved. That moment, however, was also a reminder that Ngumoha is a young man with plenty to learn, especially in regards to his decision-making. While he did manage to shoot, he could have laid the ball off to Alexis Mac Allister or Curtis Jones to create a better goalscoring opportunity. That was not lost on Slot when he addressed the media after the game. 'There was also a moment in the game where he should have squared it to Macca (Mac Allister) or Curtis (Jones),' he said. 'So, (there were) also learning parts for him. But if you are 16 and you can impact the game like he did, that's definitely worth a compliment. 'Rio again showed the quality he has and that's nice for us because we have a lot of very good players. But to get some very good players through the academy is always helpful and always gives energy to a team as well.' Ngumoha's most encouraging performance of the four so far was against Milan when he came up against Tomori, who is an experienced top-level defender that has strength and speed. The 27-year-old got the better of the early exchanges, but as the half wore on, Ngumoha's relentlessness allowed him to start getting the better of the defender, including for his assist for Dominik Szoboszlai. His quick feet forced Tomori to backpedal and created space for him to cross the ball. While the low delivery was blocked, Ngumoha didn't rush his next move, playing the sensible pass to Szoboszlai, who produced an excellent finish. Given this was a summer without a major international tournament, Slot has been able to work with the bulk of his first-team squad from the moment pre-season began. That meant fewer youngsters made up the tour squad than usual, so it was a statement to the impression Ngumoha and fellow youngster Nyoni had made that they were taken on the trip. Advertisement During the opening weeks and on tour, the pair have continued to impress the first-team coaching staff with their attitude and talent, and they have grasped their opportunity in matches. There is a sense that they could become permanent fixtures in the squad, which would allow other youngsters such as Tyler Morton and Ben Doak to move on without any concerns over the squad's depth in those areas. Ngumoha's potentially larger role this season is more than anyone could reasonably have expected even a month ago. He will still need to be managed carefully and expectations should remain realistic. But the problem is that Ngumoha is showing why he is one of the hottest prospects in European football. He may be impossible to ignore.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Beto interview: From playing in car parks and working at KFC to idolising Eto'o and Lukaku
Amid the swirl of delirium and chaos following Everton's 2-2 draw against Liverpool in February, one player embarked on an individual lap of honour. Beto scored the opening goal of the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and an upturn in form under the returning David Moyes imbued the striker with fresh confidence. Advertisement 'To tell you the truth,' says Beto, 'I had thought the derby was just (another) game. But within the club, people like Seamus (Coleman) and Tony, the kit man, were saying, 'You guys need to beat them'. 'Playing in that game, I fully understood this. I was like, 'Wow, this is really good'; the tackles, they go strong, we go strong, they give it to me and I give it to them. I love this — the battle. Now the derby is in my blood. I don't want to lose any game, but that game — I really don't want to lose it.' Undefeated in 16 of their final 19 top-flight matches under Moyes last season, Everton owed much to Beto, the 6ft 4in (193cm) forward who had toiled during his first 16 months at the club. Signed under Sean Dyche for an initial fee of £21.5million ($28.5m) in August 2023, Beto scored three Premier League goals in his first season, and he had only one to his name in his second when Moyes took over in January. The 27-year-old says he was on the brink of a move to Italy — only for an injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the win at Brighton on January 25 to force Everton to keep him. From there, Beto scored crucial goals against Leicester City, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Manchester United as Everton soared to safety. The striker, who Moyes describes as 'rough and raucous', transformed himself into a cult hero. Speaking to The Athletic in a hotel lobby during Everton's pre-season tour in New York City, Beto reflects, in absorbing detail, on a life and career that has taken him from playing in car parks on the outskirts of Lisbon, via a job at fast-food chain KFC, to a striker in the most competitive league in world football. Beto grew up in the coastal municipality of Cascais, around half an hour's drive from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. He describes growing up in a 'project' neighbourhood — essentially a form of social housing. 'I liked it a lot,' he says. 'We didn't have much; we didn't have parks or football pitches, but we played two-vs-two, or three-vs-three games in car parks.' Advertisement He wanted to play locally for a club team as a child, but the costs to register stretched the family's budget. 'For Mum (Filomena), we didn't have so much money to spend on extra activities. For Mum, football was just a side activity. She preferred school, school, school.' Beto, a Guinea-Bissau international, played football at break time and realised, despite his lack of practice, that his level was higher than many of his peers. His mum relented at the age of nine and he started to play at the weekends. At home, access to the internet and satellite television was rare, meaning he watched very little football. 'One day, we were choosing the number of the jersey on my shirt and I didn't have any role model in football to refer to. 'They said, 'Oh, you're a striker, you need to wear the No 9 like Samuel Eto'o'. I said, 'I don't know (who) Eto'o (is), but, OK, I can be No 9'.' That summer, in 2009, Barcelona played the Champions League final against Man United, and Eto'o scored. 'My friend's family lived on the ground floor of my building and had television access. I was by the window outside watching the game. I saw the goal and Eto'o's celebration and thought, 'This is the guy they all told me about'. So I said, 'OK, let me follow this guy'. He became my idol.' Later, when he bought a mobile phone, he watched video compilations of Eto'o's goals. He later became inspired by players such as Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke. He saw in their stories, as Black players who overcame challenging upbringings, a little of himself. 'It makes you think, 'Maybe, just maybe, I can do it, too'. You never know.' Beto's beginnings in football were not conventional. He spent only one year in an elite academy before being released by Benfica at the age of 14. He then spent two years barely playing before making his start in senior football in the Portuguese amateur leagues. 'When I was at Benfica, I didn't think about being a professional. I was afraid. I could feel and always knew I was not at their level. So when they released me, I said, 'It's OK with me. I'm not as good as I thought I was'. It was a reality check. Advertisement 'I spent two years in no man's land. I was doing stupid stuff — I wasn't playing, I wasn't studying… I was thinking I don't care about the world. My mum took me out from football because I wasn't behaving well in school. 'I have one thing in my mind from Benfica. I asked one guy, 'Do you think you're going to be professional?'. He said, 'Yes, of course'. I was like, 'F*****g hell, this guy is not afraid'. He said: 'If I'm not professional here, I will be professional in another place'. I wasn't thinking like that. I was afraid to say it.' As Beto's potential career teetered, he threw himself into earning money. He worked at KFC. 'It was good. I always wanted to earn my own money. Until I was 15 or 16, I acted spoiled. I tried to have what my friends in school had and I didn't have the awareness that my mum couldn't afford things. 'My friend would say his dad paid for his driving licence, and I would go home and ask my mum for a driving licence. Now, with time, I see the things that my mum personally went through for me and my sisters. 'The first job I did was working in the woodland cutting the weeds. I did one month of work, they paid me €300. Every day, I was happy to go to work because I knew I would have my reward. I gave my mum some of it to help her pay the bills. She wanted me to go through college, but I told her I can't go. It was too boring. I just didn't have interest at all. I would go there and want to sleep. I said, 'No, this is not for me'. One thing was sure; if I was not going to college, I would not be allowed to sit at home. I needed to put money in the house.' Playing amateur football, he would work in the day and train at night, before playing games on a Sunday — his one day off. 'Every form of work is good to humble yourself,' he says, recalling the shifts at KFC. Beto played at amateur and lower-league levels for Uniao Tires and Olimpico Montijo before breaking into the top flight with Portimonense. He earned a move to Udinese in Serie A and then Everton. 'Mum gave me discipline. She and my sister educated me, so I never went to the wrong side. I remember when I told her I want to make it as a professional. For me to have even been thinking about the Premier League is just like… You are kidding! I knew the minimum salary for a professional footballer in Portugal was €1,250. No one in our family earned a thousand. I just thought if I became professional, I can help pay the bills. Advertisement 'Even in Italy, I never thought that I would go to England. But then Everton came! Everton of Lukaku! My mind was saying Lukaku played there, Eto'o played there. So if I could play in Everton, it would be a dream. I think I'm blessed.' Beto is thoughtful about his unusual football education. 'It helps me in some ways, but in some aspects of my game, I miss those basics that you learn when you are in an academy. 'It is the simplest things; passing one touch, receiving the ball, holding the ball. You learn these in professional academies because you do repetition, whereas at the smallest clubs like mine, we just go there, train, and it's less specific.' Moyes tells The Athletic that 'the modern-day centre-half wants to be no-contact, but Beto wants to do things differently — he is running in behind, he's a powerful, big boy, he's got bits about him which you wouldn't enjoy playing against'. He adds, 'A lot of managers would say they're always worried about Beto. His unpredictability for us… is certainly the same for the defenders as well.' In Italy, Beto learned from other leading strikers. 'The first time I saw aura was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. We drew 1-1, I scored and he scored. When I played against Lukaku, he recognised me. He said, 'You are playing better, keep going'. I was very happy. I said, 'Wow, I made it. These small things are really good for me'.' Beto admits to finding his start to life at Everton challenging. 'Everything was too physical,' he says. 'The intensity killed me. I wasn't playing well. I started losing confidence. Without confidence, I can't do nothing. It was a tough season, but it was good to train my mind because it was stressful. 'I was going home and looking at my videos from Italy and saying, 'But I can play football, why is it not working?'. You question yourself a lot and this is the worst part. It was a blessing, too, because I learned from that.' Advertisement Moyes says Beto's determination stands out: 'Every day we are saying, 'Come on, will you come off the training ground?'. He really is trying to improve in everything he does.' Beto says, 'I care about training. It brings me fire. If training goes not so well, I want to do extra — just to feed myself a little.' In his first season, Beto struggled with the criticism he received on social media. 'It was not easy. I used to (pay attention). If I or Everton posted a picture, I would go to the comments and they might say Beto was not good today. This is not good to read because you can be strong, but you're going to create something in your subconscious by taking all the comments in. If you care about the criticism, whether it is good or bad, it can make you shake. The ego is a difficult thing to balance.' Last summer, ahead of the new season, he worked overtime to prepare his body for the rigours of a full Premier League season. 'If I get my fitness right for the Premier League, I think I can smash everyone. This was my mindset. I trained so hard in the off-season. The beginning of the season wasn't the way I wanted. By the end, all the work that I put in paid off.' The challenge now, as Everton seek to strengthen their forward line, is to do it all over again. 'I have a goal target, but that is personal. Nobody knows it — even the manager. I want to be a better player and goalscorer than I was last season.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Luis Diaz Joins Bayern and Instantly Enters Club's Transfer History
Massive €70M move from Liverpool makes Diaz Bayern's third most expensive signing ever Luis Diaz Joins Bayern and Instantly Enters Club's Transfer History Bayern Munich've wasted no time making statement in the summer transfer window landing Colombian winger Luis Diaz from Liverpool in mega deal worth 70 million euro. What makes this transfer historic? The 28 year old attacker becomes the 3rd most expensive player in the history of the Bavarian club , an organization traditionally known for avoiding inflated transfer fees. Top 3 Most Expensive Bayern Signings Ever Harry Kane: €95M from Tottenham - 2023 Lucas Hernandez: €80M from Atletico Madrid - 2019 Luis Diaz: €70M from Liverpool - 2025 French defender Lucas Hernandez eventually departed in 2023 for PSG for just 45 million euro. Meanwhile Moroccan defender Medhi Benatia sits at No23 on the list after joining from Roma in 2014 for 28M euro. Why Diaz? Bayern're looking to reignite their European dominance missing since their Champions league triumph in 2020. They reclaimed the Bundesliga title last season overcoming Bayer Leverkusen but crashed out of Europe in the UCL quarter finals to Inter Milan.
