ANNUAL CLAY SHOOT 2023

After a 3-year Pandemic gap, SPA held their 2023 Clay Shoot on Friday 19^th May. The venue was Beacon Hill Farm, the new home of the long-established Acorn Shooting School, owned and run by Des Sturgess. The threatened rain never happened, although at one point there were thunderstorms all around, and the shooters enjoyed dry weather shooting, with ample refreshments provided all afternoon.

15 Teams of 4 turned out, shooters varying in ability from complete novices to Olympic Standard. Acorn provided an excellent, and at times challenging, variety of clays from 7 different stands, over which each shooter attempted 50 clays. In addition we had the Team Flush, and this year thanks to the generous sponsorship of Simpson Hilder, each Team had the excitement of a 100-clay flush.

The scores were totalled at the end of the day and the team prizes went to:

TEAM FLUSH (sponsored by SIMPSON HILDER) was won by BADDOW’S BANGERS, Mike Pennock, David Allsop, Alex Foster and Paul Dunlop.

RUNNER- UP TOP TEAM (sponsored by SPA) was GUNS AND DOZES, Jonathan Brown, Alice Toop, Jennie Cartwright and Andrew Watling.

THE DAVID OLDS MEMORIAL PRIZE along with prizes provided by DUTTON GREGORY went to this year’s TOP TEAM, which was BLAZING SADDOS, Mark Hiskett, Howard Jenkins, Harry Cliffe-Roberts and Alan Sydney.

This year we decided to make the awarding of the Top Gun prize (a magnificent glass trophy and magnum of wine both provided by E3 Consulting) more of a “spectator sport” and the four highest individual scorers of the afternoon were entered into a shoot off, watched closely by all of the other entrants. The four highest scorers were Jennie Cartwright, Ollie Noble, Harry Cliffe-Roberts and Mark Hiskett (scores 45,37,39 and 37 respectively). The shoot-off comprised 3 pairs each of very difficult clays. The first round eliminated Mark, but Jennie, Ollie and Harry drew with 5 out of 6 clays hit each. The second round eliminated Harry, and the third round produced a winner by one clay – Ollie.

RUNNER-UP TOP GUN (sponsored by 820 GIN) JENNIE CARTWRIGHT

TOP GUN (sponsored by E3 CONSULTING) OLLIE NOBLE

Full results table:

TEAM	TOTAL TEAM SCORE (EXCLUDES FLUSH)	TEAM FLUSH	HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL
Baddow’s Bangers	108	73	29
Blazing Saddos	122	63	39
Shoot Happens	75	55	33
Clays of Glory	97	58	34
Guns and Dozes	115	68	45
The Hammer Falls	93	68	35
Clay Protection Society	64	65	20
Triggernometry	66	40	24
Darcy	45	NS	17
Send the Dog	91	49	37
Banditos	102	69	35
Pooping Pigeon Poppers	69	66	24
Blazing Bullets	99	55	34
Shotguns, Bricks & Mortar	75	56	24
Last Blast	101	62	29