I have been involved in the County Championship match competition and managed to get through to the final by virtue of a second place in the regional final at Passies Pond down in Sussex - and a carp and skimmer catch using Sonu Fin Perfect Expander pellets helped me to success.

I kicked off on the Method feeder and had 15lb after an hour, comprising an 8lb carp, a slightly smaller sample and then an F1 before it went a bit iffy. I knew there were a few skimmers in the peg because one or two had been attacking the Method feeder, so I decided to fish for skimmers and see how the match unfolded.

Because there is always a chance of a rogue carp showing up, I decided to fish what I call a 'no compromise' rig, which comprises a Preston 15H elastic through a top kit with a Pulla kit. This is just about soft enough to handle skimmers but has enough power, especially with the Pulla kit, to subdue any big carp that show up.

The rig was a .3g float with a strung out shotting pattern made up of four number eight shots and two numbers 10s. I used Sonubaits' Fin Perfect expanders in 4mm and 6mm sizes on the hook, which was a Preston PR32 and the idea with the strung out shot was to hoodwink fish at all depths as the rig dropped through the water.

I just kept feeding a small ball of Sonu Match Method Mix Dark, with a few 1mm Sonu Fin Perfect micro feed pellets mixed in, to keep the skimmers on the munch. Whenever bites tailed off, I'd introduce another small ball of feed.

Then in the final two hours I plundered a margin line with worm and casters and caught 11 big carp to round off an enjoyable match with a total weight of 67lb.

That was good enough to get me through to the final and a chance of a slice of the £10,000 up for grabs to the winning team of five. I'll keep you posted on how I fare!