MICK Jones and Dennis Greenalgh have cause for celebration after winning Newton Anglers' Association events on the Sankey St Helens Canal.

Jones triumphed in a Sunday Open Sweepstake which was badly effected by cold conditions and Greenalgh won a 25-strong Disabled and Over 60s Sweepstake.

Their winning weights were 1lbs 2ozs 0drms and 5-10-0 respectively.

On the pleasure angling scene, the bad weather has been having a detrimental affect on the majority of the club's waters.

The canal's upper pound stretch has been fishing quite well for roach, ide, rudd, perch and skimmers but sport on the lower pound has been very slow.

The Yew Tree Reservoir has continued to provide good catches of carp, silver fish and roach.

Catches well into double figures have been reported and the best baits have been caster, red maggot and worm.

The Vulcan Reservoir has gone off the boil with limited catches of roach and skimmers.

This will be due to frost and good sport will return once acclimatisation sets in.

At Haydock Park Farm, the lagoon has continued to produce some good catches of perch and roach to maggot, pinkies and casters but Cow Hey Dam has not been fishing at all.

Normality should be resumed once a few milder days are strung together.

Membership is still available at the Houghton Arms pub from 8.30pm on Mondays. Adults need two small photographs for their identification passes.

Results: Sunday Open Sweepstake (fished on the Sankey St Helens Canal's lower pound stretch): 1, Mick Jones, peg 106, 1lbs 2ozs 0drms; 2, Cyril Guest, peg 104, 0-11-4; 3, Kevin Ashurst, peg 110, 0-10-5. Disabled and Over 60s Sweepstake (fished on the canal's upper pound stretch): 1, Dennis Greenalgh, peg 32, 5-10-0; 2, Gordon Shorrocks, peg 30, 2-14-0; 3, Billy Welsby, peg 33, 1-13-0; 4, Sid Tarbuck, peg 31, 1-3-0.