Summer 2013 - National Rifle Association

PhoenixKeeping theflyingNeil Francis(GR&P rep)With more than 75 competitions over one weekend, Neil Francis discovers thatit’s the unsung heroes who make the Phoenix a successWelsh wonder: Gwyn Roberts collected thePhoenix Gallery Rifle Champion trophyThe weather was reverse echelonfor the 2013 Phoenix meeting, heldfor the 17th time over its traditionalend-of-May bank holiday weekend. Fineand sunny for the whole weekend, andhorrible and wet both leading up to themeeting and again when everyone wasback in the office afterwards. Ok, we knowthe meeting starts on Friday and that daywas probably the most miserable, cold,wet and wind-ridden that’s ever existed(unless you were at the SAW), but at leastthe range jackets the ROs received thisyear were put to good use.A bad day’s shooting is still better thana good day in the office, and despitethe difference of Friday’s weather fromthat on Saturday and Sunday, whichwas truly astounding and quite franklyunbelievable, the meeting itself was atraditionally standard affair with no major16 www.nra.org.uk