Latest news with #Kettles
Scotsman
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Fishing May 2
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now Mike Connet and Jock Kettles took only 26 minutes to win the scheduled seven-hour Fastmail Pairs at Glencorse and they were so quick that other competitors thought they were heading back to the harbour to pick up missing gear. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is the fastest that the vastly-experienced pair have qualified and Edinburgh-based Connet and Kettles from Bonnyrigg now move forward to the final at the 615-acre Llyn Clywedog Trout Fishery in Wales on Sunday, August 17. They fish Glencorse above Penicuik in the Pentland Hills regularly, but Kettles still cycled up to the venue on his mountain bike to observe in the run-up to the event. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Their local knowledge and points noted in recent visits helped the pair to catch eight fish in less than half an hour with a weight of 27lb 4oz and, with a time bonus, that took their total weight to 40lb 4oz. Kenny Knox (left) with Mike Connet (centre) and Jock Kettles after the match at Glencorse. Billy Braithweight and Simon Thurwell were second with eight fish and they returned to harbour at 10.09am with a weight of 26lb 4oz which, with a time bonus, took their total weight to 36lb 8oz. Shaun Halleron and Shaun Dickson were third and their eight fish accumulated the heaviest bag of the day at 29lb 4oz but they did not return to the jetty until 13.45. Even with their time bonus added, their haul only totalled 33lb 2oz. Looking ahead, Connet and Kettles are due to fish in the second Glencorse heat on Sunday, July 6 but the Edinburgh-based angler admitted: 'The pressure is off.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He modestly described their performance as 'quite good' and it was far and away their quickest finish on the water in the Fastmail Pairs, one of Britain's leading fly fishing competitions. The retired former Scottish Power worker has been fishing with Kettles for around three decades since they met in the Army and they are a formidable combination. However, Connet admitted that the opposition in the final will also be formidable. He said: 'it's the best in Britain that will be there.' Their hotel is booked along with two practice days but he conceded: 'Llyn Clywedog is like Glencorse, but bigger, and it could suit us, but it is all about what you do on the day.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The pair discussed tactics the night before the Glencorse heat and headed to a spot near the dam wall. They hit fish straight away, then Kettles spotted that there was nobody in another fancied area so moved. Connet fished a Di3 with 12.5lb nylon expecting big fish, and he was not wrong. Kettles used a fast glass line and both fished cormorant lures, Connet preferring his, hand-made version, under a booby. The fish fought really hard. Their best finish in the final has been eighth place, but Connet said: 'You are fishing against the best in Britain, but we have a chance.' Kettles, who still works for Scottish Power, said: 'We always seem to do well at Glencorse and we know the water which is half the battle. However, I went up there on my mountain bike the week before and just watched. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I was also guiding there recently and noted were the fish were moving. It was a really good day.' The passed the time between docking and the rest of the field returning by drinking coffee and chatting as well as motoring up to nearby Loganlea to buy some pies for lunch. Then they went back out for another few casts and were into fish again, but Kettles said: 'We kept away from the other anglers in the competition.' Elsewhere, Billy Wilson continues to be a top performer at Bowden Springs near Linlithgow. He had eight on his last visit, including a 5lb brown trout, with buzzer and beetles his best pick, and another eight, including a 12lb rainbow, on a previous visit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At Drumtassie near Blackridge, Chris Mulholland hooked into a fish of 13lb 8oz in his bag of eight and David Walker tempted ten at Morton Fishings near Livingston. Allandale Tarn near West Calder are now open from 9am to 8pm every day. Closed Monday and Tuesday. At Millhall near Polmont, the water has continued to clear and is now almost back to its usual crystal clarity. This, combined with the rise in temperature, has given rise to large insect hatches. Floating lines and buzzer patterns have proved the most productive, but some anglers have enjoyed success with lures, mainly snakes, while others have caught well on diawl bach. Egg flies fished under an indicator have also worked. D Loughridge returned 20 fish, B Anderson 18, M Buchanan 12 and G Salthouse ten. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Linlithgow Loch Spring Competition is on Sunday, May 11, from 9am to 4pm and entrants are randomly paired with another angler in the boat. Entry is £30 and the first prize is £100. Fishing there has been good with George Pelini releasing 17 and Mike Boyle and his partner returning 18 between them while Gavin Dunn and Jimmy Russell returned 17. Thirty fish weighing over 80lbs were kept and 242 returned during the week with floating and midge tip lines with blobs, FAB, buzzer and diawl bach among the best patterns. In East Lothian, Newlands Tweedale report that Mick Mulgrew (Danderhall) had 18 on orange egg and cheeze worm and George Boag (Edinburgh) had 16 on blue damsel and blob with Kenny Macdonald (Tranent) not far behind on 14 on orange egg and cheeze worm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On to sea fishing now and Graham Meadows from St Boswells won the second leg of the summer series run by the Bass Rock Shore Angling League at Thorntonloch Beach near Dunbar. Ten anglers fished, including two new members, Tommy Davanna (Prestonpans) and Carl Grindley (Duns), and eight cards were handed in. Meadows had five fish for 109cm with Craig Ogilvie (North Berwick) second on three fish for 70cm. Equal third were David Turnball (Haddington) and Barry McEwan with three fish for 69cm with Jimmy Green (Musselburgh) fourth on 27cm, Grindley fifth on 25cm. The third leg is on May 7 at a venue to be decided. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Coarse angling new and six anglers fished Snake Lake on the last sweep in April and Bartek Kozlowski win with a bag of 18lb 6oz with Darrin Ferguson second on 17lb 14oz with Ormiston-based Simon Clynshaw third on 16lb 14oz with John Perella fourth on 7lb 10oz. The club host their first Summer League match on Saturday, May 3 and members are reminded that they can pay their fees of £10 on the day. Scotland's men's carp team earned a significant result when they beat Wales and an ex-military line-up in the Celtic Cup Final in their first match of the year. They fished Naseby in Northamptonshire, the venue for the Home Nations in June and the pairs were Alister Kirkhope and Kieran Paterson, Darren Pearse and John Graham, John Sweetland and Peter Stewart, Mark Darbyshire and Steve Warwick. Scotland finished with six points, Wales ten points and the former military men 15 points and Kevin McConnell, the team manager, said it was a very close match but the points system proved its worth. He added: 'Our boys caught in every section making the difference. Fantastic result.'
The Independent
13-02-2025
- The Independent
Jury retires in trial over £1.38m watch raid that ‘led man to kill himself'
The jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the trial of two men allegedly involved in a £1.38 million robbery that may have led a jewellery store manager to kill himself. Junior Kunu, 30, and Mannix Pedro, 37, are charged with conspiring with others to commit the robbery after watches were stolen from a south-west London jewellery store last year. Office manager Oliver White, 27, took his own life the next day 'as a direct result' of the robbery, jurors were told. Kunu and Pedro are on trial at Woolwich Crown Court but at least two others said to have been involved are at large. More than 70 'high-value' watches were taken from the 247 Kettles shop in Richmond on May 25, the court heard. Mr White's witness statement, given to police after the alleged attack, was read to the court. He said that on May 25 two men entered Kettles and 'their body language was completely relaxed and there was nothing that made me suspect anything'. Mr White said he was put in a headlock and could not move as they took the watches, and his skin was left reddened. Pedro, who did not attend the shop on May 25, was 'closely involved in the planning and execution', including the use of a stolen Audi as one of two getaway cars, the court heard. Kunu, of Mitcham, south-west London, and Pedro, of Woking, Surrey, deny the charges. The trial continues.
