After four rounds – there were four shooters who had hit the perfect 100 score, forcing themselves into a shoot-off. After a further 25 targets – all four shooters were sitting on 100+25 so the event moved into a sudden death shoot-off, with all four shooting pairs from peg 4 until someone missed. Richard Faulds held his nerve, emerging triumphant and taking the gold medal. A feat made even more impressive by shooting the whole event with full/full chokes.

Scoring was amazing right across the event  – congratulations to all the winners.

There is plenty of discussion about this over on the ShootClay Forum, as well as a fantastic gallery of photgraphs by Don Brunt over at Double Barrelled Picture Company .

Full results from the event:

High Gun

• R. Faulds 100*
• Runner Up A. Lee 100*
• Third Overall S. Baughan 100*

Class AA

• 1st J. Cain 100*

Class A

• 1st D Godwin 99*

Class B

• 1st M. Rolstone 98

Class C

• 1st IF. Crum 97

Ladies

• High Gun J. Hirons 99
• 2nd K.Poulsom 97*
• 3rd NC Davies 97*

Junior

• High Gun S. Baughan 100
• 2nd D. Godwin 99
• 3rd J. Simpson 96

Veteran

• High Gun V. Bradley 99
• 2nd B. Tullett 98
• 3rd P.Bloomfield 98

Colts

• High Gun IF. Crum 97
• 2nd M. Pegg 96
• 3rd N. Hales 94

Parent & Child

• C. Hales & N. Hales 95/94

Top 5 man Team

• C. Havill, A. Flanagan, R. Del Rosso, S. Roberts & R. Rogers

The TopGun defenders come packaged in a simple blister pack with a set of AAA batteries included – to replace the batteries is a simple process – just prise the ear cups apart using a thin screwdriver or a knife blade and remove the outer foam baffle, then replace the batteries and clip back together. The build quality is good, with a flexible and adjustable headband and a nice solid feel. There is an MP3/Radio socket which is particularly useful for groundsmen or trappers who need to stay in communication.

The headphones are quite slimline, with a microphone baffle and a volume control on each cup, they sit nicely on your head with a light touch so you don’t feel like your head is being squeezed wearing them. Switching the volume control on, I was able to adjust everything I wanted to hear – so conversations were at a normal level, but when my gun fired, the volume immediately dropped and cut out so that the percussion of the Shotgun wasn’t heard at all.

I found the TopGun Ear Defenders really comfortable, and they definitely provided excellent protection against multiple shots that go on around a registered shoot – I thought the constant dropping of volume would annoy me – but when you are in the cage the isolation of the headphones is excellent, I found that turning the volume down meant I got minimal noise from other shooters and it helped me enjoy the silence a little more. In the field, shooting game, I’d suggest turning the volume up a little more so that you can hear birds taking flight – very useful indeed. The ear cups are slimline enough that they did not interfere with my gun mount at all a key point for me, as I find some ear defenders too bulky and bashing against the stock when I am shooting.

Usually I swear by my in-ear defenders – but I shall be using these as well, particularly when the weather is colder as they have the added benefit of keeping your ears warm – in some instances, I may use both together for times when I really want to concentrate. Typically the electronic style ear defenders are a pricey proposition – with some running into the hundreds of pounds, but as seems to be the case with TopGun, they have found a much better value for money price point (£59.95) without sacrificing any of the quality needed.

Overall – I really rate these ear defenders, they come at reasonable price point with good build quality and performance – they will definitely look after your ears whether shooting Clay or Game. I would have liked them to have come with a carrying case or pouch, but this is a minor quibble as I suspect they will be in my shooting bag for a long time!

The TopGun Electronic Stereo Ear Defenders are available at £59.95 from Marsdens Country Clothing.

Tru-Shot could well be one of those moments – a camera & recorder pairing that will enable a Clay Shooter (of any discipline) to record themselves shooting, and see exactly where and when they pulled the trigger against the path of the target.  It’s a simple concept, but one that requires some pretty high-tech kit, and some shooting know-how to make it work together.  The brains behind the project are Dennis Stepney, a well-known shot, instructor AND gunsmith and Adam Twine who has 30 years of shooting experience, including at OT.

Weve been speaking to the guys about their product and some of the ideas they hope will ensure Tru-Shot becomes an established name in Clay Shooting training & coaching.

The team at ShootClay are really excited about getting their hands on this, in a couple of weeks we’ll be running a full test and putting together a review for the site – in the meantime, you can see an overview and a great introduction video over at the freshly launched Tru-Shot website.

Finishing qualification on 118 – the final went down to the wire with both Ed Ling and Giovanni Pellielo on 140 each for the bronze place.  Then there was a tense shoot-out with the first man to drop a shot being out, the Italian won through after 14 shots

The result is a serious boost for Team GBR and Ed as they prepare for London 2012.  Big congratulations from everyone at ShootClay

Full results over at ISSF - but the all important top four:

1. Massimo FABRIZZI
2. Alexey ALIPOV
3. Giovanni PELLIELO
4. Ed LING

The second Wilton Rotary Charity Clay Shoot, in aid of Wilton Rotary Club Charities, will take place at Wylye Valley Shooting Ground on Sunday 24th June 2012.  Guns will enjoy 75 targets over eight sporting stands in this spectacular setting.   

Owned and run by Ian Stones, the clay shooting ground has been established for over fifteen years.  The main feature is a high bank on one side, which runs from 40 feet to over 100 feet high. This lends itself to very interesting target presentations, unique to Wylye.  It has a comfortable clubhouse and provides hot and cold snacks on competition days. A mains toilet block is available for your convenience.  There is a large car park and a tarmac road bisects the ground allowing clean, dry access to all the shooting stands. Wellies are not a requirement! 

Wylye Shooting Ground is located at Deptford Field Barn, Wylye, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 0QL a short distance to the east of the junction of the A303 and the A36 between Wilton and Warminster.

All proceeds from the event will go to beneficiaries of Wilton Rotary Club’s Community Service Programme. Entry Forms are available to download from www.wiltonrotary.co.uk or please contact the Rotary Club Secretary on 01725 510679 

Entry Fees: £25 for First Round; £15 per Subsequent Round. 

Prizes to include High Gun £100.

I know that some of the ShootClay faithful will be over in Portugal at the European FITASC champs – but I’m sure some members of the ShootClay Forum will be up for this noble and enjoyable event.

The registered Sportrap event will be held from May 25th to May 27th on a 100 bird course, with the added extra of a 25 bird pool shoot. There will be cash, cartridges and clothing in all the classes and the event is sponsored by Clay Shooter, Lyalvale Express and Top Gun Clothing.

To add to the shooting, Southdown are putting on an English Open Party on Saturday the 26th of May with Live Bands, Fireworks a Hog Roast/BBQ and a bar… I’ve met the team down at Southdown and I expect this will be great fun night to top off a top weekend of shooting.

If you want to shoot the Open Sportrap with buddies – then its a simple exercise to just call the ground, and book in – squads go off from 9am at 20 minute intervals, with the last entry at 5pm.

To find out more – check out www.southdowngunclub.co.uk or call 01903 877 555 to enter.

Sportrap Flyer

According to reports, the famous Star Trek actor has complained about the sound of shooting near his Cotswold house and he and several other local residents have petitioned the local council to lessen the noise.

In response, David Taylor, Shooting Campaign Manager for the Countryside Alliance, said:

“We understand that shooting grounds can generate a lot of noise and I am certain that Oxfordshire Shooting School will be doing all it can to lessen the impact on the surrounding area. However I would say to residents: instead of getting angry, get involved! National Shooting Week is an annual event designed to encourage people who have never experienced shooting first-hand to have a go, and is coming up in June. I think Sir Patrick will be a little more forgiving of the noise once he, or his family, have had the opportunity to have a great day out shooting a few clays.”

National Shooting Week takes place 2^nd- 10^th June and is open to all.

Go to http://www.nationalshootingweek.co.uk to check where your local shooting ground is located!

Arrival

The ground is pretty easy to find – accessible from the A34 or J14 of the M4 and situated on the edge of (top secret) RAF Welford – Bing Map here. The ground is entered via a short track, and car parking is in a wide clearing in the middle of a large copse where the shoot is laid out.  There is a welcoming clubhouse, with a wood burner and plenty of activity, as well as a small kitchen for the usual refreshments (more later). Booking on was swift and efficient – and we soon had our scorecards ready to head out onto the layout. There is a pool shoot (£2 for ten shots) for those looking to get limbered up (or maybe win a few bob) - we saw two fast crossers being shot at from the five stand layout, and it looked pretty busy.

The Shoot

The 12 stand layout we shot as set on a clearly laid out path around the woods, with a decent mixture of stands shooting inside and out of the woods.  Every stand was really competently reffed and a number of our squad were impressed with the way the referees worked – all of them wearing saftey glasses and being well looked after, and also clearly calling out the next shooter (“Last Pair, Mr Smith to follow”, ensuring that everyone was on their toes. We had a trap breakdown during stand one and three of the team were at the stand within seconds to get the rabbit fixed.

One touch I particularly liked was that the trap ‘refillers’ had a sign that THEY hung on the front of the cage to indicate it was being serviced and no shooting should take place, I like the safety aspect of this (like a lock-off system) and also that it let the shooters know to expect a short delay.  So – full compliments to the staff and refs at the ground. If I had one wish for improvement here it would be that they have a sign showing the make up of the target presented (std/midi etc), whilst the scorers were happy to show a pair, they didn’t always know if a target was a midi – this is a minor quibble.

Target wise – some testing birds out there, the course was well thought out with a good variety of targets, including a few tower birds, some rabbits and the usual loopers and battues.  I liked the use of the tower to through driven, crossers and even a tricky looper that started over your head.  There was nothing ridiculous out there, with targets designed to beat you on speed and gun use rather than distance or difficulty to pick-up and see. Targets were in a multitude of colours, important against the woodland backgrounds – I saw yellow and orange targets in use.

Apres-Shoot

After we finished up, it was back to the club house to discuss scores and get refuelled.  Four Counties has a large seating area, inside and out with a kitchen serving up decent food at a good price – I highly recommend the burgers, and I saw more than a few full english in front of hungry shooters.  The clubhouse is warm and welcoming and a great place to relax after a round.

The team on the front desk were quick to get scores up on the board, and they post scores in the club website within a couple of days of completion. Payouts are clearly marked and the whole days shoot is transparent.

Overall

Four Counties is a model of how a shooting ground should be run, welcoming, well organised with good targets for competition.  My only (minor) criticism is about the fact the regular shoots are 50 and 70 birds – and whilst I appreciate that caters for local shooters well – I would like to suggest that they run one 100 birder a month for those shooters that like that format. The Championship shoot we attended was busy enough that I think it would be worth the effort and would make Four Counties a more regular stop on the registered shoot rota in the area.   If you get down there, there is the added bonus that you might be shooting against a local Olympian!

I (and the ShootClay members with me) really enjoyed Four Counties, and will definitely be making the trip back for more – hope that we see you there. Check the forum for meetup dates. We’re all going back for the County FITASC championship which I’m expecting to be a great day out.

The Four Counties CTC Website is here : http://www.fourcountiesctc.co.uk/

Clay Shooter of the Year – sponsored by Archant Dialogue

• Winner – George Digweed MBE
• Runner Up – Cheryl Hall
• Runner Up – Peter Wilson

Club/Ground of the Year – sponsored by Promatic

• Winner – Northall Clay Pigeon Club
• Runner Up – The Oxford Gun Company
• Runner Up – Sporting Targets

School of the Year – sponsored by The Oxford Gun Company / Schools Challenge

• Winner – Warwickshire College
• Runner Up – Bredon School
• Runner Up – Millfield School

Shooting Development project of the Year – sponsored by WorldWide Sports Insurance

• Winner – CPSA East Midlands Region
• Runner Up – Northall Clay Pigeon Club
• Runner Up – The Oxford Gun Company

Young Shot of the Year – sponsored by Browning

• Winner – Amber Hill
• Runner Up – Taylor Hedgcock
• Runner Up – Joe Booth

Volunteer of the Year – sponsored by Sport England

• Winner – Phil Weston
• Runner Up – Peter Pardoe
• Runner Up – David Allen

Coach of the Year – sponsored by Glenbrae

• Winner – David Dale
• Runner Up – Stephen Nutbeam
• Runner Up – Dave Beardsmore

The GB Number One – hit 198 ex 200 on his way to the win, beating the previous record set in 2009.

Big congratulations from everyone at ShootClay, a fantastic achievement and one that lays solid groundwork for an important season.