Signed up for this a few weeks ago after shooting a couple of really enjoyable unregistered FSP shoots hosted by Pete Munn over the summer.
This was the first of a winter series that will run on a farm, Nr Edgcott, with 8 squads assembled on a fairly busy looking farm against the backdrop of a massive waste incinerator being built (might help some locals locate it!)
We arrived at about 8.30 after driving through heavy fog on the M40, but the sun was starting to burn through by about 9 and although the ground looked atmospheric for a few minutes, we were soon in bright sunshine which turned warmer and warmer through the day.
I was with GavB (from this parish) and we squadded up with a few faces we knew already and started on the bank layout - which featured the only significant bit of topology on the layouts with targets being shot from a cutting with a bank (as the name suggests) on one side to throw some clays off and over. A couple of decent targets here including a fairly tricky incomer, which became a tough going away bird on the last peg which I missed single and double, and a very high crosser off the bank which was very satisfying to hit.
We had a short break, then onto the first of two layouts in a single piece of flat land - Hedge layout with a fast flat crosser and an incomer which cause a few people problems as we moved around the target - some great pairs here with long crossers coupled with fast going away birds.
Field layout was now bathed in lovely sunshine, and I think we arrived here just after two targets were quit sun affected - this had two fast, flat curling teals which were a challenge and again, a couple of excellent pairs - including a sim pair of crossers that tested a few.
Final layout for us was the Oak layout, set in a seperate field - and featuring a high chondel, a tricky teal that you shot from all three pegs and a couple of other tough targets.
We were blessed with beautiful sunshine after the fog had cleared, and i was reaping the rewards of a recent lesson with Ed Solomons which really helped me with some of the bigger targets and my transitions in doubles - so I squeaked my way to a new FSP PB of 77 (22, 20, 17, 18)
The squad were great fun, and the organisation of this one was good - with only one trap issue, which was quickly fixed.
Top day - and I am already booked on for the second one of the series.
This was the first of a winter series that will run on a farm, Nr Edgcott, with 8 squads assembled on a fairly busy looking farm against the backdrop of a massive waste incinerator being built (might help some locals locate it!)
We arrived at about 8.30 after driving through heavy fog on the M40, but the sun was starting to burn through by about 9 and although the ground looked atmospheric for a few minutes, we were soon in bright sunshine which turned warmer and warmer through the day.
I was with GavB (from this parish) and we squadded up with a few faces we knew already and started on the bank layout - which featured the only significant bit of topology on the layouts with targets being shot from a cutting with a bank (as the name suggests) on one side to throw some clays off and over. A couple of decent targets here including a fairly tricky incomer, which became a tough going away bird on the last peg which I missed single and double, and a very high crosser off the bank which was very satisfying to hit.
We had a short break, then onto the first of two layouts in a single piece of flat land - Hedge layout with a fast flat crosser and an incomer which cause a few people problems as we moved around the target - some great pairs here with long crossers coupled with fast going away birds.
Field layout was now bathed in lovely sunshine, and I think we arrived here just after two targets were quit sun affected - this had two fast, flat curling teals which were a challenge and again, a couple of excellent pairs - including a sim pair of crossers that tested a few.
Final layout for us was the Oak layout, set in a seperate field - and featuring a high chondel, a tricky teal that you shot from all three pegs and a couple of other tough targets.
We were blessed with beautiful sunshine after the fog had cleared, and i was reaping the rewards of a recent lesson with Ed Solomons which really helped me with some of the bigger targets and my transitions in doubles - so I squeaked my way to a new FSP PB of 77 (22, 20, 17, 18)
The squad were great fun, and the organisation of this one was good - with only one trap issue, which was quickly fixed.
Top day - and I am already booked on for the second one of the series.
