It is boiling up to a thrilling finish among teams and individuals in the Zziplex Beach League.

Tony's Tackle Team Penn, Anglers Den and Worthing Prime Suspects were involved in a triple tie on 49 points in a tense fifth round match, followed by Conoflex Prime Mustad on 48, Prime Repose on 44 and Arun Angling Centre and Hastings Angling Centre, both with 43.

Going into the sixth and final round at Pevensey Bay on January 28 (fishing 11.30am-4.30pm), Anglers Den lead on 253 points, Hastings AC and Conoflex Prime each have 243 and Tony's Team Tackle 239 so they will be involved in a real battle for the title.

Other placings: Arun 216, Bognor Angling Centre 197, Hastings AC B 189, Prime Suspects 188, Prime Repose 187, Pevensey Bay Aqua 169, Minesota Jax 164 and Hook Line and Sinker 159.

In the individual title race, Colin Sargeant of Tony's Tackle and Rex Palmer of Anglers Den each have 63, Ralph Crosby of Hastings AC 62 and Trevor Rooney of Anglers Den 61.

In the knock out cup semi-finals, Hastings AC beat Prime Repose and Conoflex Prime defeated Bognor.

Fifth round zone winners were Tony MacDonald (Arun) with 4lb 10 1/2oz, Colin Sargeant on 3lb 12 1/2oz, Tony Burton (Prime Repose) on 4lb 6 1/2oz, Mike Kempster (Conoflex Prime) with 3lb 5 1/4oz and Lee Milton (Anglers Den), who has taken 3lb 8 1/4oz.

A good mixture of fish, including two turbot, were landed in the four-hour Pevensey Bay Aqua daylight match with fish and squid only as bait.

It was on a catch and release basis and Gerald Sargeant won on three metres. Colin Maynard had 2m 50cm and Budge Booker 1m 90cm.

Ian Hopper's whiting of 29cm was the longest fish with everything over 18cm counting.

Thirty-eight club members attended the first of the year's three-hour evening beach matches, but the wind had got round to the east and catches plummeted.

Mick Cosham had 2lb 6oz, Phil Metcalfe 1lb 15oz, Neil Carden lb 6oz and Dave Hilder 1lb 5oz. Neil Pamment had a 10oz flounder and Maynard a 12oz eel.

The beach at King Alfred, exposed to an icy easterly wind, gave six members of Harbour a fairly fruitless six hours with only 11 fish for 5lb 5 2/3oz, Clive Richardson had a 1lb 2 1/2oz flounder in his 3lb 1 1/4oz, John Budgen had two flounders for 1lb 2 1/4oz and Dave McBain a whiting of 7 1/2oz.

Sixteen fished the Paupersis rover over six hours and recorded 188 fish weighing 68lb 9 1/4oz.

Roger Stanton won with 20 flounders among his 25 fish totalling 14lb 31/2oz. Mark Dudeney had a 1lb 1oz flounder among his 19 fish bag of 13lb 11 1/2oz, Ralph Rice took 24 for 7lb 2oz, Ian Rose 25 for 5lb 2floz and Steve Tester managed 4lb 15oz.

Bognor Surfcasters had 16 casting from the beach at East Preston and Mike Checketts took two flounders, the best 1lb 6oz, for 1lb The majority were in favour of going ahead but their efforts produced 21 blanks out of 28.

Result: Ian Davidson (Rother II) 1lb 14oz of roach, Paul Knight (Rother I) 14floz, Dwain Reed (Rudgwick II) 12floz.

Final placings: Rudgwick I 142 pts, Rudgwick II 129, Rother III 127, Rother I 124, Rother Carringdale and Rother II both 122, Chichester 115. Rother Carringdale (inferior weight to Rother II) and Chichester are relegated.

The fifth round of Division D was fished on the River Lod, where the best catches were of roach and skimmers and came from the deeper stretches. Winners were as follows.

A section: S. Tubb (Chichester) 13oz. B section: S. Pudon (Haslemere) 3lb 2oz. C section: D. McCavish (Bognor) 2lb 6oz. D section: C. Marshall (ASH) 7lb 7oz, P. Cook (Chichester) 6lb 3oz.

It was very cold on the exposed Wallers Haven (Iron Bridge) for Isfield's hardy 15, fishing for five hours. Nigel Greenwood had 4lb of roach and skimmers, Alan Phillips 2lb 11oz and Alan Bates 2lb 10oz.

Switching from the River Arun at Wisborough Green, Crawley members arrived at Milton Mount lake at 7am for the first round of the Winter Championship and had to break the ice before they could start.

Fishing was grim with Phil Harris winning on 1lb 1oz, followed by Simon Clark's 12oz and Barry Wheeler on 5oz.

Fish caught were mainly gudgeon.

Crawley have their annual meeting and presentation of trophies on January 29 (7.30pm) at Crawley Rugby Club in Ifield Avenue.