Beach boy is a chip off the old block

May 15 2008 by Anthony Woolford, South Wales Echo

THE big talking point at the end of the Newport Sea Anglers Open competition at St Brides was the performance of Lewis Tapper, the seven-year-old son of Marshfield beach ace Roy Tapper.

He finished fourth in the 113 angler field with a 1.40kg bag of eels that gave him 17 Seamaster points and was just 2gm behind his father’s third-placed catch.

M11 Mechanical Installations International Ltd and Monolithic Refractories Ltd sponsored the competition and the £300 first prize along with £100 pool money and 20 Seamaster points went to Cardiff angling lamp manufacturer Bob Radman who beached a ray weighing 2.40kg.

Newport angler Steve Doyle was runner-up and £300 in pocket with the 1.87kg of eels that gave him 19 Seamaster points.

After the Tappers it was Risca’s Robert Evans fifth and collecting 16 points with 1.19kg and Colin Pearce, from Newport, picking up 15 points with 0.70kg.

The others with Seamaster points were: K Pickett 0.47kg 14 points; L Secker 0.39kg 13; G Thomas 0.33kg 12; D Higgs 0.30kg 11; K Young 0.25kg 10; P Bunce o.23kg 9; M Notley 0.21kg 8; L Lovell 0.20kg 7; S Smyth 0.17kg 6; M Cowell and P Osmond both 0.15kg 4.5 each; J Crowley 0.14kg 3; M Doubler 0.13kg 2; J Bunce, A Hutchings, M Morganson and S May all 0.12kg 0.25points each.

After five qualifying competitions Roy Tapper is leading the points table with a total of 58 and young Lewis is also well positioned, holding down 10th place with 27 points.

Reigning Seamaster Champion Andrew Hutchings, from Cardiff, is second in the points table with 49.75.