Captains Day and Teams Challenge Shield – 29th March 2015

Despite a March date this year and an unfavourable forecast, this traditional opener to the County shooting season again attracted excellent numbers, with 20 competitors entering the individual Captains Day competition shot over Queen’s I rules. The numbers were swelled for the afternoon Club Teams event with five Clubs providing 30 shooters. Weather was drizzling, cold and windy at the start of the day; but little did we know what was to unfold later.

Individual Captains Day Prize Competition

Shot at 300, 500 and 600 yards, Captains Day offers a handicapped format enabling improving shooters to pit their skills against internationals and regular County team members. Prizes are also available for Top Gun scores without handicap.

WPRC fielded a squad of six and as conditions worsened in strengthening wind we progressed to the 600 yard detail, where by10:30 wind variations of between 3 and 7 minutes were recorded between shots.

Blown out by noon, the cream had risen to the top and results were announced, with a most pleasing 2nd place for Jonathan Binks, our new recruit in 2014. Well done Jon, the pride of the Club remains intact.

Captains Day Prize – Handicap competition

In the Gun Score competition running concurrently, the top three places were a close run thing, with GB Palma team member Andy Daw just pipping our Nick Verduyn to top spot.

Top Gun Score

Full results can be viewed on the following link: http://www.hertsra.org.uk/ and Click on What’s New and Captains Day Result

Herts Clubs Teams Challenge Shield

Following the successful morning program, five full Club teams of six shooters assembled in the afternoon to shoot over a planned 300 and 600 yards course of fire. Because of worsening conditions we had already elected to shoot the two details at 600 yards and avoid a lengthy range change. But just before the start at 13:45 and already in wind conditions that made it hard to stand upright, we changed the competition yet again to just one detail of 2 sighters and 15 to count.

Shooters battled to manage the buffeting effects of wind now reading between 5 and 9 minutes but with gusts way off the scale. Our wind coaches Colin Skellett and Nick Verduyn clutched at hats and score cards and measured wind strength by the degree that flagpoles were bending! As we neared the end of the match, which was to take almost 3 hours to shoot the six details, the last shot was fired one minute before the hooter thankfully sounded at 16:30.

All agreed that the experience was amazing and for some, who after 50 years of shooting at Bisley, the conditions had been unique.

We had a result however and remarkably the team scores were very close. For the 9th time in the past 10 years WPRC had again prevailed with a win by 2 points over a continuously improving NHR.

Team results with scores ex 450 were as follows:

Top Gun in the afternoon to take the individual prize was Andy Daw with 67.5

WPRC Team was:
Colin Skellett (Captain)
Nick Verduyn
John Cade
Ashley Coleman-Cooke
Jonathan Binks
Bob Jackson

WHAT A REMARKABLE DAY !