Sporting shoots. Your personal accounts. 2022

[Will Hewland]

Honesberie for me. It always has a steady start then you hit the field of doom, but doom was more like apocalypse yesterday. A seemingly unbreakable distant rabbit, partially hidden, on one stand. Elsewhere a truly long r-l looper. The course really lacked balance I felt. Many people shaking heads. HG 92.

I actually shot OK considering, apart from one of the simple stands, a pair of sensible teal. 4/10! Just couldn’t read how gentle they were or stop myself overdoing it. My daftest performance on a stand in years. Wrecked a decent card, I would have been happy with 86 or 87. Sigh..

 

[donna]

We were going to Westfield but it got cancelled and then Saturday evening I got stung by a wasp in between top of my nose and the right eye. Stung like hell and woke up Sunday looking like the elephant woman (no change then ) not quite so sore now but swelling still bad and now going underneath my eye.  Looks like Phils given me a good slapping!  

 

[Daz W]

Sporting Targets for me today. First midweek shoot they've done I believe.  Quite a low turn out, which was disappointing, although it did make parking easier. 

Felt fairly similar to the Jack Pyke, with a bias towards close in stuff. Looking at the scores it was on the softer side, although there were some clever targets that you did have to think about. No real card killers, or targets that needed bus loads of lead. 

Couple of silly mistakes as usual, a few where it took me a couple to get the right lead. Finished up on 84. Happy with that.

 

[Will Hewland]

Sporting Targets for me today. First midweek shoot they've done I believe.  Quite a low turn out, which was disappointing, although it did make parking easier. 

Felt fairly similar to the Jack Pyke, with a bias towards close in stuff. Looking at the scores it was on the softer side, although there were some clever targets that you did have to think about. No real card killers, or targets that needed bus loads of lead. 

Couple of silly mistakes as usual, a few where it took me a couple to get the right lead. Finished up on 84. Happy with that.

No idea it was on! Don’t think they advertised it on their FB page or I would have seen it.

 

[Daz W]

No idea it was on! Don’t think they advertised it on their FB page or I would have seen it.

Yep, it was poorly advertised. I only clocked it by going to their actual website, and it was on a scrolling banner at the top. Explains the poor turnout.

I did seen something on FB, but only a couple of days ago. If there was anything earlier I didn't see it either, probably to the amount of Jack Pyke/High tower posts.

Next one is Weds 17th Aug, then after that back to Sundays.

 

[chippy]

Northampton today. It was hot but the breeze made it quite nice. A good round with some interesting sim pairs and a full use last stand with a monster crosser the ground said it was 75 yards but it looked further, pleased to hit 3x4 and finish on 88 even though the cpsa have me down as 80.

 

[donna]

finish on 88 even though the cpsa have me down as 80.

That’s happened quite a few times to Phil and myself, I take my phone with me now (on silent) and take a photo of our cards when we’ve finished, that way if there’s an error you can contact the ground and get them to alter it. 

 

[Daz W]

Northampton today. It was hot but the breeze made it quite nice. A good round with some interesting sim pairs and a full use last stand with a monster crosser the ground said it was 75 yards but it looked further, pleased to hit 3x4 and finish on 88 even though the cpsa have me down as 80.

Apologies Chippy, didn't realise we were on the same squad.  It was a pleasure watching you shoot.  I've got a photo of the whole scorecard if you need it.

 

[chippy]

Apologies Chippy, didn't realise we were on the same squad.  It was a pleasure watching you shoot.  I've got a photo of the whole scorecard if you need it.

Small world. Nice to shoot with a friendly squad. I contacted Northampton and they are going to look at it in the week. 

 

[Sian]

Went to Eriswell on Sunday to shoot the Sportrap, 150 straight through. Very good but it was way to hot for me and my first day out after Covid so perhaps a bit ambitious,  My only criticism would be to have a break somewhere 75/75 maybe.

 

[Bebo]

Churchill's today. Perfect weather, not too hot and no wind. I had a really good start, with everything feeling easy. Halfway around and only 3 missed. Started feeling a bit nervy, but got through the first 10 stands only 6 away. Stand 11 I did one of my regular sim pair meltdowns and dropped 5. Hung on to two going away targets on 12 as well that I should have hit. 

I should be pleased with 87, but it's annoying that I was so close to a score starting with a 9 and then bottled it.

 

[Richard59]

Hangmanstone today, only just managed to get in the “after 12” crowd control request, entry nr140 and fair few after I. Saw a few celebs inc MrH who gave the impression of having a decent day?  Not planned but met a regular shooting chum so in a three not on Tod. Left home twas overcast, sunny here but very blowy in places. Stands 1 & 2 had l-r wabbits, the very thought of these usually destroy my efforts but today I found them all, did have a fairly decent first six stands then a wobble ( or two ) the inevitable “can’t find this bu&&er” stand, a welcome straight then a bit of numpty end. Happy enough with the card though, yes a few things to / could do with / that’s if I am ever able to, iron out. I’ve had many worse days out and another is probably due. HGun Colin Waite 96, a chum Joe Hale ( of this parish ) 1st in AA 95 all in all a nice day out.

 

[Bebo]

Redricks for me. Good start, straight on the first two stands.  Then the first of three poor stands.  Held far to far back on a quartering battue and so annoyed I missed the second clay as well.  Smashed the second pair, then missed the next pair, just poor concentration.  Stand 4 and I muck up another sim pair.  That's 11 away on two stands.  Pull myself mostly back together, dropping either one or two on each of the next five stands I shot. Skipped a couple and went to Stand 12 for the final meltdown.  Shooting down into the valley at two targets going downhill.  Can't find the 2nd bird on the first two pairs, hit the third pair, then the whispers in my head start saying "make sure you hit the final two pairs and you're in with a chance of making your average."  That was it, started being careful, slowed the gun and missed both pairs! Dropped 2 loopers and a battue on my last two stands.  Finished on 72, but should have been much better than that.

My average popped above 78% for the first time after Thursdays shoot and put me in with a chance of getting into A for the first time ever.  I was chasing a score today and I really need to stop doing that.  It's making me try too hard, lots of the misses on my card were on the second half of the stands after hitting earlier pairs, a clear indication that I was measuring, slowing up and missing just off the back.  Annoying as I was hitting the big stuff well until I started trying to make sure.

 

[donna]

Westfields for us today, it was very windy but nice and warm.  Started well like you Bebo, then got to stand 4 and only hit 2, couldn’t seem to get a rhythm.  Next stand r-l off tower, 1 x std 1 x midi and another meltdown, only hit 2.  Straightened next 2 stands, dropped 1 off the platform and onto the simo driven where I struggled again and only hit 2.  Targets were very wind affected but not complaining about them, they’re excellent targets and funnily enough Steve mentioned that it was the driven and the 2 r-l off tower that caused most problems for people today so it wasn’t just me!   Got to meet Doug from the forum so it wasn’t all bad!  Probably good job our worst scores get thrown out and I think this was one of them but tbh there wasn’t many big scores today but enjoyable day out. 

 

[Will Hewland]

Hangmanstone today, only just managed to get in the “after 12” crowd control request, entry nr140 and fair few after I. Saw a few celebs inc MrH who gave the impression of having a decent day?  Not planned but met a regular shooting chum so in a three not on Tod. Left home twas overcast, sunny here but very blowy in places. Stands 1 & 2 had l-r wabbits, the very thought of these usually destroy my efforts but today I found them all, did have a fairly decent first six stands then a wobble ( or two ) the inevitable “can’t find this bu&&er” stand, a welcome straight then a bit of numpty end. Happy enough with the card though, yes a few things to / could do with / that’s if I am ever able to, iron out. I’ve had many worse days out and another is probably due. HGun Colin Waite 96, a chum Joe Hale ( of this parish ) 1st in AA 95 all in all a nice day out.

Nice to see you as ever Rich. It was a good course, I know because I had to walk it twice to avoid the queues.. Scores wise, definitely not a good day, but I’m in that patch at the moment. Using my third gun this year (5th if you include adjustments) so I still need to find my feet and stop doing daft stuff. I think in my desperation I’m not reading clays well enough. 
 

I started by missing three simple aways on my first stand OTT, as the wind pushed them down and I couldn’t seem to adjust for it. Then my last stand, stand 8, I completely misread it, wildly overleading until the last pair adding a bucket of more misses. Ho hum. Two shoots this week, must try harder. Or cleverer. Or something. 

 

[chippy]

Barrow yesterday it was the norfolk sporting championship, it seemed a little quiet but still had 170 entries. I hit 88 but missed 6 fairly close slow clays behind. They needed 2ft and I kept giving them less and less. 

 

[Doug Pinnegar]

Westfields for us today, it was very windy but nice and warm.  Started well like you Bebo, then got to stand 4 and only hit 2, couldn’t seem to get a rhythm.  Next stand r-l off tower, 1 x std 1 x midi and another meltdown, only hit 2.  Straightened next 2 stands, dropped 1 off the platform and onto the simo driven where I struggled again and only hit 2.  Targets were very wind affected but not complaining about them, they’re excellent targets and funnily enough Steve mentioned that it was the driven and the 2 r-l off tower that caused most problems for people today so it wasn’t just me!   Got to meet Doug from the forum so it wasn’t all bad!  Probably good job our worst scores get thrown out and I think this was one of them but tbh there wasn’t many big scores today but enjoyable day out. 

It was great to put a face to the name, Donna! 

Stand 4 was one of my best stands of the day. I filled it in, but it felt 'right'. 

Stand 5 seemed to trip people up, possibly because the sign suggested it was Midi OR Std, when I believe it was actually the other way around. 

Overall some good variety. I enjoyed the shoot as it was wound up, a bit, from normal. 

 

[Richard59]

Barbury today, overcast and not warm but not cool enough for layers, shooting with usual Barbury chums, been having an ok time of late so a hiccup was due, probably overdue and no it was not quite my type of course, I might be imagining things but lots of edge on stuff and a rabbit thrown from l-r which never seemed to want to break, an incoming orange off the end bank which needed hawk eyes, so that was I done there too. Overall was bit off with most things and after St6 wondered wether or not to call it a day, then had a decent spell which so nearly saved my blushes until St12, a fairly straightforward l-r 1/4ering away orange and a l-r looper, total brain fart stand for I, sad end to my day really. 

RF was HGun on 95 when I left, but no one should take a score from him as a benchmark on any shoot, saw lots of AAAs in the 80's which tells me it was probably a bit tougher than my first thoughts.

 

[Bebo]

College Farm today. Shot the first half of the course fairly well, was 7 away after 7 stands, even managed to straight a sim pair. Stand 8 was a floaty incomer followed by a quartering away looper. Could I hit the first bird? No. It looked straight to me, but must have been curling as having a go at the end I hit it shooting just to the right of it. 4 away. Dribbled away another 5 over the next three stands, before a final meltdown on 12. Weird angled quartering away edgy target that I just couldn't find. Only one I hit was when ai flinched, reset and shot it a mile out! Finished on 79.

That's my last Reg before the cutoff. Will finish on 78%, best I've ever managed. Now the wait to see if it's enough to get me into A for the first time.

 

[Sian]

AGL registered sporting today, a rare weekday appearance from Mr Hoskins whose had Covid (I gave it to him).  No longer infectious but still has his symptoms and found it hard work walking around.  A good shoot but unfortunately I spent my first four stands having to take a child protection call in between shooting.  Have to say the social worker was a good egg waiting for me to return to the phone.  Didn’t do much for concentration though and dropped 10 for those four stands.  I definitely could have done better but it was enjoyable.  Only 3 of us on the squad so fairly speedy.  I also went first when it was mine and Tony’s go so he could catch his breath.  74 for me and 80 for him.   Hotter than I expected.