Matchman Mick Noakes has managed to beat the jinx of the Gloucester Park golden peg to collect a bumper £335 payout at Sunday's Gloucester Park Open.

His winning 41lb 4oz haul rewarded him with the £110 day pools, and £225 from one of the golden peg pools.

The Gloucester Park golden peg pool was started in 2003, with each competitor contributing £1 to the pool at each match.

Before the match starts one competitor is selected at random, and if he wins the match he collects the accumulated pool.

As the pool grew it was split down into two, three, and then four smaller pools to give more competitors the chance of a big win.

Bizarrely drawing the golden peg has consistently carried a jinx with it, and for more than three years nobody drawing one of the golden pegs managed a big catch, let alone to win the match.

This suddenly changed at Sunday's match when three of the top five places were taken by anglers who had drawn golden pegs at the Basildon water.

Winner Noakes fished the centre section of the cockle bank where he landed four carp for 26lb 12oz during the early part of the match.

This was followed by a fishless couple of hours before a shoal of bream moved onto his bait.

A succession of bream and skimmers saw him add a further 14lb 8oz to his haul before the final whistle. All of Noakes' fish fell to maggot baits and feeder tatcics.