Olympic win for England trap team

In Ireland Rod Gould was the trap team star, shooting 142 ex 150 to gain overall High Gun, but all shooters impressed at Cortlough Shooting Ground, as England won the Senior and the combined Ladies, Juniors, Veterans and Super-Veterans team trophies.

Caroline Povey and Anita North both shot well to take Ladies High Gun and Runner Up respectively, whilst Steven Dawkes took Veteran High Gun with John Winn leading the way in the Super Veterans category. The icing on the cake for England came in the form of the New Cap High Gun, received by Matthew Panter.

Team Manager John Offord, who himself won the award of Winning Team Manager, was delighted with what he described as a “brilliant result from a strong and experienced side.”

“As manager of the team” he continued, “I can say that I am immensely proud of the dedication and professionalism displayed by each and every member of the Team.”

Gold, silver and bronze medals in France for DTL shooters

The best Down the Line shooters from across the continent were pitted against one another at the Trap Club Dubourdieu Cestas this past weekend.

The England Senior, Juniors, Veterans and Super-Veterans teams all shot well to claim winning medals, with Marty Smith particularly impressive en route to being named European Champion following an outright score of 593 ex 600.

The Senior team secured victory with a 24 point lead, whilst the Veterans and Juniors won by 27 and 28 points respectively. The Super Veterans came out on top by the biggest margin – winning by 40 points.

Individual successes

However it wasn’t just team medals picked up by the shooters, as individuals shot with success throughout the team. Marty Smith was joined on the podium by Austin Coxhead and Paul Chaplow, who both shot well to take second and third place respectively, following a shoot off with Frenchman Peter Dennis.

The Super-Veterans shooters also saw individual glory, as Ian Coley MBE won the gold and John Hall took bronze following a shoot off. Nigel Lovatt collected the individual Veterans bronze medal, whilst Juniors Joe Booth and Hadyn Coley made up the medal haul, taking silver and bronze respectively.

Following the competition, Team Manager Debbie Bellamy said: “Trap Club Dubourdieu ran an excellent shoot. Scores and shoot offs were sorted and organised promptly and staff, officials and volunteers were welcoming, making the event one to remember.

“The targets were very testing and the squadding draw and rota made the competition fair in every way. Congratulations to everyone who has taken part over the weekend for their hard work and fantastic results!”