Plough Angling Club Annual General Meeting

1^st February 2026

Attending: D Dance; L Teale; C Judkins; R Stone; J Pike; J Rolf; J Blackwell; T Warncken; M Cramp; N Ponting; S Ferris; G Thomas; D Hurst; G Lamble; P Wilson; P Mansbridge; B Hailey; P Moss; N Parnell; V D’Souza; A Earl

Apologies: I Frank; G Cramp; B Sutton

• Minutes of 2025 Annual General Meeting (L Teale)

There were no matters arising from the 2025 minutes.

It was agreed that the minutes from the last AGM were an accurate reflection of the meeting (proposed by R Stone, seconded by C Judkins).

• Sea Anglers’ Report (C Judkins)

Of the eight trips scheduled this past year, only two took place owing to bad weather. It was especially disappointing for the Sea Group that the three-day festival had to be cancelled.

We had a fruitful sailing from Weymouth on 27^th April. The day started with a spell of Conger Eel fishing, with 10 caught. A 45lb specimen was taken by Owain and one of 35lb by Ian. As a bonus, a 35lb Tope was taken by Paul. The day was completed fishing for Black Bream (3 caught, 2½ – 3lb) and Bass (5 caught).

We had another enjoyable sailing from Weymouth on 15^th June. 18 Conger Eels were caught, some of which were over 30lbs, with Terry Warncken taking a 22lb fish on his first outing. 2 Tope were caught by Barry, and a 20lb Blonde Ray by Bob. A small Turbot was also caught and released. Photographs and a report of the day are on our website.

DEFRA (Department for Food and Rural Affairs) has introduced a ban on commercial pollock fishing; however this species can still be fished for by rod and line, with a three fish limit for each angler. The limit for bass has been increased from two to three fish for each angler.

• Match Secretary’s Report (D Dance)

The Match Secretary reported that a total of 25 matches had been fished since the last AGM. Matches fished at Newbridge and Buscot Park, on 12^th October and 8^th June respectively, were the most popular, with 13 and 14 members attending.

The Christmas Shield match was postponed twice because The Thames was in flood at Newbridge.

Nineteen members have fished at least one match this season.

The largest bag was 65lb 15oz, taken by Chris Judkins at Soke Road. Full results for all matches can be seen on our website.

The Match Fund currently stands at £200. Expenditure from the Match Fund was: £128 for the new trophy for Largest Fish caught during a match; £110 to subsidise the two matches at Buscot Park and £9 for postage.

The following trophies have already been contested and won this season (six trophies are still to be decided):

Jon Blackwell Twilight Trophy: Jon Blackwell

Gerald Sedgewick Memorial: Ray Rolfe

Ron Foster Memorial: Chris Judkins

LOMO Pairs: Phil Mansbridge, Nick Ponting

Colin Rice Trophy: Danny Dance

Gifford Fean Memorial Trophy: Steve Ferris

Plough Angler of the Year: Matt Cramp (winning 6 of 7 matches)

There are currently two in contention for the new Largest Fish Trophy. Both Phil Mansbridge and Matt Cramp caught 13lb 8oz carp in matches.

The match fixtures for 2026/27 season are available on our website (see Events page). We have a new venue this coming season on 31^st May: Priory Farm Lake in Lyneham, courtesy of Coldstone AC.

The Match Fund will again subsidise the two matches we have scheduled for Buscot Park this coming season.

The Match Fund continues to fund Club polo, sweatshirts and fleeces for those anglers who have completed 50 and 100 matches. An order will be placed with the supplier once we satisfy their minimum order.

Bookings have already been made with Stacey’s Lakes for matches at Soke Road on 27^th June 2027, and at Whitehouse Pit on 26^th September 2027. The cost of each venue is a very reasonable £50.00.

The Match Secretary would like to thank Stephanie Warncken for baking delicious cakes for us this year. The cakes are much appreciated and provide a focal point to our gathering after the match.

• Club Welfare Officer’s Report (R Stone)

A condition of our Club’s insurance policy with the Angling Trust is that we appointed a Club Welfare Officer to safeguard all our members and ensure a safe and inclusive environment.

There have been no safeguarding issues reported to date.

Our safeguarding policy and documentation are available on our website (Safeguarding – www.ploughangling.org.uk).

For information, the Angling Trust continues to offer an online training course, providing essential safeguarding knowledge for angling organisations in supporting children and adults, targeted at Welfare Officers and Club Committee Members.

• Treasurer’s Report (J Blackwell)

Refer to printed minutes.

The accounts were checked, opening and closing balances verified by those present (proposed by J Rolf and seconded by P Mansbridge).

• Vice–Chairman’s Report (T Warncken)

Firstly, I would like to thank all those members who have attended our many Work Parties at Plough Pond and Newbridge this past season.

The grant application process proved to be a lot of work, in particular the Proof-of-Concept phase. Again, thank you to those Members who helped us achieve a successful outcome.

The fight against predation at Plough Pond continues and we have not been overly affected this past year. Patrols at the Pond, installation of cormorant tapes and sunken barriers have all helped.  Special thanks to Nick Ponting for designing the sunken barriers.

We are building a good relationship with Priory Fisheries to supply us with excellent quality fish for Plough Pond. If funds permit, we intend carrying out an annual stocking programme.

The first stocking took place on 12^th March 2025:

50           Bream, 1lb

45           Crucian Carp, 6 – 8”

45           Tench, 6 – 8”

A second stocking took pace on 15^th January 2026:

60           Bream, 1.5lb

32           Mirror Carp, 4lb+, C3 Grade A

• Chairman’s Report (L Teale)

Membership and Communication

Membership of the Club is as follows:

	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26
Adult:	89	102	78	63	75
Sea:	7	7	5	5	4
Junior:	6	11	11	8	7
Total:	102	120	94	76	86

The new Members this past year came from enquiries via the Contact Page on our Website and from the contact details on the signs on the gates at Newbridge. 16 Adult Members and 7 Juniors did not renew their memberships. 21 of the 23 were only with our Club for 1 or 2 seasons.

We anticipate results at Plough Pond to continue to improve for both match and pleasure anglers, owing to the annual stocking policy and the increased predation measures in place during the winter months. The condition of the track has been improved markedly by the landowner and should not deter our members from fishing the Pond. We have learned to live with the fencing along the Thames Path at Newbridge in Fields 1 and 2. Car parking at Newbridge is still to be resolved. The pedestrian gate remains locked, following sheep worrying by dogs in Field 1. We are fortunate to have the support of Adam, who farms the sheep and is also a Member of the Club. We will continue to work with him on this matter. Hopefully, our ongoing efforts will be reflected in a stable and increased membership in future seasons.

In communicating with Members, I have email addresses for 72 of the 79 Adult Members and this is my preferred method of contact. I don’t have email addresses for the 4 Sea Anglers. 2 of the 3 Adult Members without email attend our monthly meetings regularly and keep in touch that way.

Our monthly meetings, held on the third Tuesday of each month, are attended by a core group of 9 to 12 Members, with all the Club’s Officers normally present. All Members receive agendas and meeting minutes by email. We thank Sue and Carl at the RBL Sports & Social Club for hosting all our meetings free of charge and for providing hot snacks, a welcome recent addition.

Angling Trust and Environment Agency Contact

Plough Angling Club is an active Member Club of the Angling Trust. The Club interacts with the Angling Trust through regular virtual forums online; the Voluntary Bailiff Scheme; the Water Quality Monitoring Network and Fisheries Improvement grant applications. We are in regular contact with our Fisheries Officers at the Environment Agency concerning water quality reporting at Newbridge and our ongoing habitat improvement project funded by them. To say that we are quite a small angling club, we remain quite visible with both agencies.

In December 2025, the Club was awarded a Fisheries Improvement Grant of £4,364 from the Environment Agency, for a habitat improvement project at Plough Pond. The award of this substantial grant is the culmination of a great deal of work by Terry Warncken in the proof of concept phase and a realisation of his vision for Plough Pond as a viable fishery for the future. The project has commenced with the removal of a number of dead poplar trees from the island, which were providing roosts for cormorants and blocking light. The project will continue with the installation of pre-planted coir rolls around the entire periphery of the island. These will be planted with Carex Riparia; Iris and other native plants to not only improve the habitat but will give us improved water quality and extensive fish refuge from predators. Needless to say, the support of our members will be crucial for the successful delivery of this project.

Thank You

The Plough Angling Club continues to benefit from a group of very enthusiastic and likeable members. It has been a privilege for me to be involved in the running of our Club over the past seven years.

This Club could not continue to operate without the selfless efforts of a few dedicated Members. The Officers of the Club work well as a team and bring a multitude of skills and knowledge. As well as the Officers, there is another group of Members who are ever present at our Work Parties and monthly meetings and are invaluable to the smooth running of our Club. 

I think the following deserve a special mention this year:

• Terry Warncken has provided us with vision, enthusiasm, and Stephanie’s cake throughout the year.
• Danny Dance is ever present. He continues to work tirelessly for the Club in all respects. Thanks to him, we have a very varied and full match calendar.
• Jon Blackwell provides the wisdom. His contribution to not only the books, but also to considered argument at our meetings is essential.
• Nick Ponting has been invaluable, particularly this past year in our dealings with the landowner of Plough Pond. We now have a formal agreement in place for 5 years, which gives security for both the landowner and the Club. With this agreement in place, the Club is now able to continue our long term improvements and stocking programme.
• Chris Judkins has continued to head a very flourishing Sea Group, a unique aspect of our Club. Thanks to him we have a good relationship with the Skipper and a full programme of sailings.
• Our work Party stalwarts deserve a special mention: Barry; Richard; Jim and Vince. Thank you for your hard work this past year. More is to come.

Finally, as you can see from the next item on the Agenda, I intend stepping down as Chair after this meeting, after seven long and happy years. Rest assured that the transition will be seamless. I hope you will look favourably on my wish to take on the role of Secretary. It has been and remains a pleasure to be a member of this fishing club.

• Election of Officers

Position	Current 2025/26	Proposed for 2026/27	Proposed, Seconded by
Chair	Leslie Teale	Terry Warncken	Leslie Teale, Nick Ponting
Vice-Chair	Terry Warncken	Nick Ponting	Leslie Teale, Phil Mansbridge
Treasurer	Jon Blackwell	Jon Blackwell	Jack Rolf, Steve Ferris
Secretary	Vacant	Leslie Teale	Nick Ponting, Jim Pike
Club Welfare Officer	Richard Stone	Richard Stone	Jack Rolf, Steve Ferris
Sea Secretary	Chris Judkins	Chris Judkins	Jack Rolf, Steve Ferris
Match Secretary	Danny Dance	Danny Dance	Jack Rolf, Steve Ferris

The new Chair, Terry Warncken, was duly elected in a unanimous vote by those Members present.

The new Secretary, Leslie Teale, was duly elected in a unanimous vote by those Members present.

The new Vice-Chair, Nick Ponting, was duly elected in a unanimous vote by those Members present.

The Treasurer, Club Welfare Officer, Sea Secretary and Match Secretary were re-elected into their existing roles in a unanimous vote by those Members present.

• Proposals

The Club’s Officers propose to increase the Full Membership Subscription from £30 to £40. The Junior Membership will remain at £5.  Proposed by L Teale and seconded by N Ponting.

In support of this proposal, Leslie Teale presented an analysis of income and expenditure for the 2025 calendar year.

This proposal was agreed in a unanimous vote by those Members present (17 in favour, 3 against).

As Proposal 9.1 was unanimously agreed by those Members present, Proposal 9.2 (to increase the Full Membership Subscription from £30 to £35) was no longer applicable and was withdrawn.

General Rule 11 (Keepnets)

Proposal to amend General Rule 11 to mandate the use of three keepnets at Plough Pond for both pleasure and match fishing. Keepnet 1 to retain small silver fish less than 2lbs weight. Keepnet 2 to retain large silver fish of 2lbs and above. Keepnet 3 to retain small carp less than 8lbs (this net to be made from carp safe material). Carp larger than 8lbs to be returned to the water and not retained in a keepnet.

The consensus from those present was that this proposal needs further clarification and consultation before it can be accepted.

The current wording requires simplification. For example: “If you are retaining fish during a match or pleasure session, then 3 keepnets are required” (N Parnell).

There should be a time limit on fish retention in keepnets (S Ferris).

• Any Other Business

A discussion took place about the requirement at Plough Pond for anglers to have a Landing Net of at least 24”. This requirement was introduced following the stocking of many double-figure carp. However, a large net can be difficult to use for smaller fish, which still need to be landed safely. Common sense should prevail. Some anglers carry two landing nets (one smaller) and use whichever is appropriate.

At Newbridge, the pedestrian gate remains locked, following sheep worrying by dogs in Field 1. We will continue to work with Adam to re-establish our parking area in preparation for the new season.

The meeting wished to thank the Officers of the Club and Members who have worked diligently behind the scenes this year to ensure the smooth running of the Plough Angling Club.

Please note that the next meeting will take place at the RBL Sports & Social Club on Tuesday 17^th February 2026, starting at 7:30pm.  At this meeting, existing members will be able to renew their permit for the 2026/27 season.  Please note any payments need to be in cash, cheques will not be accepted.

The meeting ended at 21:00.

The next Annual General Meeting will be held at the RBL Sports & Social Club, Mill Orchard, East Hanney, OX12 0JH, on Sunday 7^th February 2027 starting at 19:30.