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Where Clay Pigeons Dare

The weekend of the 24th April saw the first clay pigeon Varsity match in over 20 years. Held at the internationally renowned EJ Churchill Shooting Ground in High Wycombe, nine Oxford shooters, many of who had only started shooting this year, took part in the 100 target course shot over 10 different stands. A variety of targets were presented to test the teams’ skills.

Three teams of 3 shooters competed, with Oxford winning the A team match. A nerve free score of 86ex. 100 from Oxford captain James Sills, the highest score of the day, put the team in control with Angus Logan putting in a solid 78ex. 100 and Charles Streeten completing the team. Cambridge captain Mark Cooper scored 80ex. 100 to put the pressure on, but Oxford’s superior experience came through to take the match on the final stand.

The B team of Doug Crockett, Will Gibbs, and Carl Wahlund unfortunately slipped to a narrow defeat, but with plenty of promise for future years especially after getting to grips with some of the more technical targets later in the course. The day also saw the inaugural Ladies Varsity match. The team, shooting on the same course, had only started shooting in the last 5 months and put in excellent scores with Lisa Martin top scoring for Oxford.

Cambridge took the match with experienced shooter Alys Holland scoring 79ex. 100 and taking 3rd place overall.
Given this was the first year of shooting in the University for many years, all competitors should be proud of their achievements and are looking forward to a clean sweep next year!

If you are interested in shooting, please join the Facebook group “Oxford University Clay Pigeon Shooting” for more updates. We run regular beginner shoots and also cater for more experienced shooters who want to improve their scores, or just keep their eye in, and have organised very much reduced rates at EJ Churchill.

 

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