Three Staffordshire shooters claimed prizes this Sunday at the Prone Rifle Finals in the NSRA-Eley Competition. Rich Hemingway of Rugeley placed fourth in A-Class. Duncan Chilcott of Market Drayton placed 8th in D-Class whilst Alan Boyles placed 7th in E-Class.
Best of luck to Paul Watkiss, who has qualified for the Air Pistol finals in A-Class, to be held in October at Bisley.
Rugeley cleaned up at the Staffordshire County Championships on Sunday with members winning nine trophies.
Richard Hemingway retained his title as County Champion, ultimately earning five separate trophies – the Association Cup (Overall Confined Championship), the 50Metre Challenge Trophy, the Miniature Rifle Cup (A-Class Champion), the Michelin Cup (best 100yard scores in A-Class) and the Greatrex Cup (top NSRA County Medal holder).
Deb Truman became Staffordshire Ladies Champion. Graham Delaney won D-Class, with Lee Featherstone runner up. Paul Watkiss narrowly missed out on a medal, placing fourth in C-Class.
Congratulations to Rugeley shooter Olivia Beech, who claimed a Bronze medal at the July leg of British Shooting’s 50M Series on Sunday. The series – new for 2023 – is being held at the West Midlands Regional Shooting Centre at Aldersley, near Wolverhampton.
After a hard fought qualification round, six athletes qualified into an adapted Final, which allowed Para-athletes to compete alongside the able-bodied competitors on an equal footing. Olivia eventually placed third, behind silver medallist Wesley Cann and gold medallist Beth Edwards.
Rugeley member and Staffordshire County Captain Richard Hemingway won the Welsh Confined Prone Championship this weekend. Shooting at Tondu Target Shooting Club near Bridgend, Rich saw off strong competition from GB & Commonwealth shooters.
Qualifying mid-table on Saturday in difficult conditions, Sunday saw a calmer outlook and strong start for Richard as he clocked up a significant lead in the first half of the match. Rising winds saw scores fluctuate in the second half, but despite a difficult finish he had done enough to claim his first Welsh Championship title. Sian Corish was runner up, and Liam Webster – formerly of Rugeley and friend of the club – placed third.
Congratulations to Rugeley member Megan Bamsey, who earned national honours when she was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2023 ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany. The team of five competed across Air Rifle and Air Pistol disciplines. Megan placed 91st in the Women’s Air Rifle, between teammates Rhona Love and Seren Thorne. In the Mixed Pairs, Megan placed 35th with Bertie Galloway.
Rugeley member Rich Hemingway claimed Bronze in X-Class at the Torfaen Open on Sunday. With light winds, Simon Green of Appleton led the field with 624.3. Sam Harris of Chippenham followed closely with 623.0 for Silver whilst Rich scored 620.2.
Former Rugeley member Liam Webster placed third in A-Class with 614.2. The Torfaen Open is held annually at Long Ashton Rifle Club near Bristol. The match consists of an ISSF Prone Rifle 60-shot course, shot on Megalink electronic targets.
Rugeley shooter Paul Watkiss claimed a Bronze medal at the Swadlincote Open Airgun Meeting on Sunday. Shooting Air Pistol in A-Class, Paul scored 548, tying for Silver but losing on inner-tens to Lucy Evans of the West Midlands Regional Squad (and just selected by GB for the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl later this year).
Mick Chaganis placed 10th in B-Class for Air Pistol, and 3rd in Air Rifle B-Class. Congratulations to both.
Members of Rugeley Rifle Club were on hand to assist with British Shooting’s 2023 Schools Championship. Held over two days at Chase Leisure Centre in Cannock, 159 air pistol shooters and 107 air rifle shooters competed across Junior, Intermediate and Senior classes after qualifying through regional shoots around the UK. Congratulations to all the participants and medallists on a fantastic two days of competition.
The event was sponsored by Steyr Sport and Hill Pumps. A number of world class and Paralympic athletes on hand to award medals and inspire the next generation of target shooters. More photos at British Shooting’s Facebook Page.
Megan Bamsey, Mike Bamsey and Richard Hemingway represented Wales at the recent Commonwealth Shooting Federation (European Division) Championships. Club Chairman Martyn Buttery also attended, captaining the England team.
Mike medalled in every event he contested, winning:
Rich Hemingway placed 4th in the 50M Prone Final, whilst Megan placed 6th in the Women’s 10M Air Rifle. Friend of the club Liam Webster earned his first cap for Wales, shooting in the Prone Development match.
The 2022 Championship was hosted by the Welsh Target Shooting Federation, with airgun shooting taking place at Sport Wales in Cardiff and .22 at Tondu Target Shooting Club near Bridgend. Free practice opened on Thursday 8th September. With the passing of Her Majesty the Queen on Thursday evening, it was initially thought the Championships might be cancelled. Guidance was received from the Lord Lieutenant to continue discreetly and respectfully in memory of Her Majesty. A minute’s silence was held before each match.
Full Results can be found on the WTSF website.
Rugeley members made their mark at the Centenary edition of the NSRA’s Bisley Rifle Meeting, which returned after a two year hiatus. A strong contingent, the club sent 10 shooters down, competing over the weekend and full week.
Richard Hemingway finally broke his run of middling Bisley performances to earn promotion to X-Class, joining Martyn Buttery and Ryan Williams in the top tier. Finishing third in the Weekend Aggregate and equal-fourth in the Grand Aggregate, either result was sufficient for promotion. Rich also won the incidental Prince William of Wales match and placed third in the Centenary Competition.
Vic Tyne placed third in Class for Competition 10 – the 100Yard portion of the Weekend Aggregate.
The meeting was opened by Michael More-Molyneux (Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey), on behalf of the Queen, who is patron of the NSRA. Lord Lieutenants represent the monarch in their county. The week included a number of 1922-inspired competitions, including deliberate and rapid-fire matches using targets from the period.
Michael More-Molyneux DL, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey at the Bisley 100 Opening Shot Ceremony with NSRA President Geoff Doe (left) and Chief Range Officer Jon Leech (centre).
credit: Hemmers, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
