With the coarse clubs warming up for the traditional start of what used to be the end of the close season on June 16, Billingshurst have had two pipe-opener matches at Malthouse lakes.

The first open attracted 24 and was won by unattached angler Neil Boniface with 33lb 3oz of carp and tench taken on a feeder and pole on maggot or sweetcorn. He picked up £100.

Ben McGrath, also unattached, had 17lb 6oz of mainly carp and third was 16-year-old Billingshurst member Robert Wilkinson, who had a lovely 12lb 2oz mirror carp on bread and a total of 14lb 4oz.

Dave Gisbourne, of the promoting club, with 19lb 6oz of carp and tench on the pole, picked up £180 when winning the second open fished by 37.

Club colleague Mitch Hudson had 11lb 11/2oz, while Barry Spink, of Grayshott Tackle, had 8lb 15oz and John Wilson (Billingshurst) 8lb 6oz.

There is another open tomorrow at Shillinglee with a 10am lakeside draw prior to six hours of fishing.

Crawley had 19 turn up for the first round of the Home Champion-ship at New Pond in Parish Lane at Pease Pottage.

Barry Wheeler had a common carp of 6lb plus roach and rudd for a 9lb 8oz top bag. Peter Sharpe had three bream, one tench and bits for 7lb 13oz, Simon Clarke two bream and a perch of 12oz for 6lb 12oz and Lennie Wells 6lb 8oz of roach and rudd.

Seventy beach anglers raised £1,800 for the children's ward at Eastbourne Hospital at Pevensey Bay but the fishing was a disaster.

The match included a 17-a-side challenge between the Aqua Club and Newhaven Shore but after four hours only four had caught fish.

Neil Pamment had a smoothound of 2lb 4oz plus an 11oz pout to be top and win the match for the Aqua Club. The other three with fish were all from Newhaven Shore: Gary Hardcastle with a 7 1/4oz sole; Tony Honeysett with a 7oz eel and David Gosling with a 5 1/4oz eel.

In Bognor Surfcasters matches all smoothounds caught are returned immediately and 5lb allowed for each fish.

In the match at Aldwick, where 16 competed, John Blewett had two and Peter Hide, Trevor Field, Ray Harwood, Mike Kempster and Mike Perfect one each.

The bait was peeler crab and they were the only seven fish caught.

Surfcasters have a match on June 10 at Pagham (11am start) and their open will be on June 24 at Pagham.

At Bexhill from the beach in midweek John Foster won with a 1lb 1oz silver eel included in his 2lb 3,oz. Dick Penny had 1lb 12oz.