|
Windsor Cup 2009....
Friday dawned with the usual ominous clouds and anticipation of a hard weekend taking on the elements to ensure the Cup was fought for. Yes, come lunchtime, it was bucketing down but the marquee was raised with the help of Mike and Ian.
Surprise, surprise come mid-afternoon the rain stopped. Still heavily overcast and a curious fog to add tension to the arriving guests. The Usual Suspects (Pete, Daryl, Mike, John, Barry, Tony, Grumpy, Stan, Grant, Jason) were on deck and keen to go. Daryl had a 'plan' so he said but we were sure that it was probably mislaid anyway. The later arrivals in Benny, the junior brigade, and the Dunedin 4 raised some eyebrows amongst the Suspects.
A 5am start was jumped by a few of the keener lads who wanted to stake their pool out and deny all who approached them. It is rumoured that Grumpy got lost in the pre-dawn darkness and laid down for a snooze and dream about his Cup destiny.
The bar was set very early with the juniors and new-comers leading the way. Come lunchtime, the Suspects were beginning to fray at the edges and were feeling the pressure exerted by the youngsters. This turned to panic mid-afternoon and the Suspects were heading in all directions desperate to register a fish. Lew Nunn managed to bring in a couple but they were not serious contenders. "Sneaky" Nunn continued to be shy about the origin of his catches but this was revealed later in the night when lips began to loosen.
Come dusk, panic had really set in and, in a desperate last move, the Suspects headed to the Rip to jag a late one only to find out it was a sell-out crowd and the scalpers had moved on with their dodgy tickets.
At the 6pm weigh-in, the results were:
Windsor Cup: Ben Pierce (Dunedin) 4lb 8oz Brown Jack
Runner Up: Tom McCowan (Dunedin)
Best Condition: Tom McCowan (41 Factor)
Junior Achievement: Conor Morris
The Usual Suspects: Zero
Presentations were held after dinner and Sponsors Grant Wakelin and Shane French were on hand to complete the evening. It was not quite over when Peter Grice leapt to his feet and warned the youngsters that the 'old bastards' would be back bigger, better, greyer and crankier next year to put them in their place. Sounds like we have a competition within the competition from now on!
Our 2009 Champion, Ben Pierce, was humbled to recieve the Cup and appreciated the history and those before him. What we failed to mention to Ben was the "Curse" of recent years....nobody talks about Barry Lucinsky or Mike Hope-Cross anymore as they have failed to land a fish in the year following their win.
 
 
 
|