Sunday, July 19, saw the 13th annual Terry Hermann Bass Competition in aid of Cancer Research UK get off to a great start - the weather was kinder than in recent years, with big sun and favourable winds.

A small fleet of various sized and shaped boats departed Tenby harbour and the surrounding area, all scattering to their own preferred special/secret fishing grounds to try their luck and catch the elusive 'big bass!'

At midday, it was looking bleak, with no fish having been caught, but the start of the afternoon saw a welcome change in fortune for several boats, with bass being netted frequently.

By 6.30 pm, boats were heading back into the harbour, with their crews headed for the Hope and Anchor for several pints of well-earned refreshment.

At 7.30, the evening's proceedings got underway, with Dai the Boot welcoming the impressive crowd that had assembled for the weigh-in and subsequent charity auction.

The weigh-in was keenly observed, with Faddy the odds-on favourite with an impressive 5.5 lb bass, closely followed by Mathew Bull, of Team Bull, with a 5 1/4lb bass. They were both, however, to be blown out of the water when last year's winner, Mike Evans, of Team Buccaneer, broke cover and weighed in an impressive 6 3/4lb bass. It would seem he not only rules with a rod of iron, but also keeps one to land the big fish!

Several ladies took part this year, with Sue Thomas showing the rest of her fishing mad family that she, too, could bring home the bass, with her impressive 4lb fish securing a voucher for Walk on Water surf shop, generously donated by Nick Merrony.

Youngest rod brought an international flavour to the competition, with world renowned Spanish big bass specialist Max Lawrence-Estaban, aged seven, winning the youngest rod, securing him the cup, a Walk On Water voucher, again generously donated by Nick Merrony, and a rod and reel, kindly donated by Kath John, of Morris Brothers.

All of the bass were auctioned off as they were weighed-in, with good sums being paid to secure them. It would seem that Billingsgate Fish Market in London had sent its new buyer into town, with local boy Johnny Nail home on a visit, buying enough fish to feed Fulham!

With all the bass gone, it was onto the cooked lobsters, supplied by Richard and Sarah Collins, of Simply Seafoods Tenby Harbour. These proved popular as ever and were soon also sold out. A giant lobster donated by Richard and Sarah was then auctioned off for good money.

With all the fish and lobster sold, it was on to the donated items auction. Here some big ticket items brought in good sums on the night. A shark fishing trip, generously donated by Steve and Kerry Bradley, of Jevington Logistics, raised £360 alone.

A champagne sunset cruise aboard the luxury motor yacht Carpe Diem, donated by Jenny and Tony Bradley, again of Jevington Logistics, was also snapped up, a rugby ball signed by some of the Welsh greats of the game also sold for £100 - thanks go to Mr. and Mrs. Barry Llewelyn for that donation.

Michael Jackson had a second coming when he made a guest appearance in the form of a four-foot cuddly toy donated by Ollie Booth. He sold for £50 and now resides at the Crown Inn, Lower Frog Street.

Some great photos and artwork were donated by Roger Paice and Martin Fisher, and thanks to them the coffers swelled by a further several hundred pounds.

All in all, the auction was a great success, with generosity evident in both the quantity and quality of the items donated and the sums that people were prepared to pay to secure them and show their support.

The raffle also proved very popular this year, with a Welsh scrum-half Mike Phillips shirt, signed by the Welsh squad, the first prize. This was kindly donated by Andrew Evans, of St. Bride's Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot. The shirt was won by Phil Thomas, of Saundersfoot, who immediately donated it back to be auctioned. This raised a further £360.50 for a great cause. A thank you must also go to Mathew 'Trucker' Davies who sold over 1,000 tickets himself on the night!

Raffle winners were: 1. Signed Welsh rugby shirt won by Phil Thomas - donated back to be auctioned off; 2. £75 cash won by C. Guess; 3. £50 cash won by Andrew Lowe - donated back.

A special thank you must go to Paul Thomas, of St. Florence, who donated Rob Howley's signed Lions shirt which was sold prior to the evening for £500. It now adorns the wall of the best decorated bachelor pad in Haverfordwest!

The competition organisers would like to thank their main sponsors for their support this year, Barclays, Hope and Anchor, Molson Coors, Gerald Blain, Park Road Fish and Chip Shop, Atlantic Hotel, Valero, Qube Restaurant, Jevington Logistics, Blue Ridge Builders and Yorkshire Building Society.

Thanks also go to the 88 small business and individual sponsors who so generously showed their support by donating £50 to be listed on the back of the event polo shirt.

Thanks go to all at the Hope and Anchor for all their help, support and enthusiasm as ever, the young ladies who finished the evening off with a couple of songs and the residents of St. Julians Street for their tolerance on the evening.

In addition, thanks to Sally Munroe and Scott Bradley for the supply of event polos and hoodies and to Claire Miles, of Tenby Harbour Snack Bar, for selling them. Thanks also to Julie Jones for the great photos.

Christine and Mark Hermann would like to thank the event organisers, Karl Long, John Handicott, Roger Miles, Jason Rossiter and auctioneer extraordinaire Dai the Boot for all their efforts again this year. Also Pat and Geoff Somner, local Cancer Research UK fundraisers, for their help.

With the total looking likely to be a record-breaking £13,000, they would like to thank everyone for their continued support. It would seem that the competition will continue to grow in stature within the town and raise an ever-increasing sum in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Terry was very proud of his home town of Tenby and they are sure he would be honoured at the way this memorial competition has been embraced by the town he loved so much. So finally, thank you for your continued support, hope to see you all again next year, until then, tight lines!

Something fishy going on

Sharknado 4 to be filmed in Tenby! reports Kenny Sprat of the Fishguard Film Festival.

Over the weekend, two of Hollywood's biggest names, 'Gangster Boy' and 'Jack The Hat', were spotted out and about the town... apparently looking at locations to film the fourth film in the Sharknado series in and around Tenby.

The working title for the film is understood to be Sharknado 4: Hashtag Awesome Tenby Sharks (or HATS for short).

On the whole they were well received and are looking forward to the filming in the new year. One local was quoted as saying: "Yes, of course it's good for the town. It's a Sprat for a Mackerel Boy!"