Winter 2002 - National Rifle Association

2002INTERCOUNTIESMEETING2002by Karen RobertsonA nice easy start to the weekend with the individualmatch, the R Jarvis, at 300 yards; the wind gentlymoving between zero and half right. Eleven shootersscored 75.12 with Nigel Ball (Norfolk) winning the tieshoot with 25.5. Top Under 23 shooter was Matt Ensor(Surrey) with 75.9.The wind stayed pretty much the same for the start ofthe Lt Col H Jones Memorial Match resulting in 59possibles at 300 yards; top scorer at this distance wasDavid Richards (Hampshire) with the only 50.10 on therange. Surrey stormed into the lead after 300 yardswith six possibles and two 49s for a total of 398.57; insecond place were Hertfordshire with 396.48 and thirdwere Sussex with 395.52.London achieved the highest team score at 500 yardswith 398.54 moving them up into equal third place.The top three teams all scored 392s and so the relativeplaces stayed the same. Nick Leaper (Essex), JohnStevens (Yorkshire) and Peter Bromley (Kent) all scored50.9s with sixty others also scoring possibles.Sixty-eight possibles at 600yards but only one 50.10,this time from DavidCalvert (Ulster) whose totalof 150.26 was the highestscore of the day as well asbeing a personal best;David’s Captain and teammate Richard Bailie (left)also achieved a personalbest of 150.16. Four othersalso put them all in: DavidRichards (Hampshire)150.22, Mike Fugeman(Berkshire) 150.21, AlastairSpeirs (Northumberland) 150.19 and Ginny Measures(Lincolnshire) 150.18. However Chris Belk(Northumberland) and Keith Trowbridge (Lincolnshire)both need to practice on those tenth shots at 600 yardsas they both dropped their last for 149s.Back to the all important team scores and Norfolk wasat the top at 600 yards with 396.43 but it was Somerset’ssecond highest range score of 395.51 which reallysorted out the final placings. Of the previous leaders,Surrey had scored 389.45, Hertfordshire had 390.40and Sussex 394.42 but Somerset’s match total of1181.154 just pipped Sussex into second by 14 V bulls.Sunday was generally overcast and chilly with someinteresting wind conditions to keep the coaches ontheir toes. At 900 yards there were 17 possibles with afine 75.14 from Jeremy Thompson (Hertfordshire); justbehind him on 75.11 were David Calvert (Ulster),Richard Mott (Middlesex) and John Pugsley (Devon).Jeremy’s 75.14 helped Hertfordshire into the top slotwith a team total of 591.70 - seven points clear of Ulsterand Oxfordshire in second and third positions.However it all got a bit more difficult at 1000 yards -75s and 74s were nowhere to be seen as the coachesstruggled. There were only four scores of 73 whichcame from Rachel Merridew (Buckinghamshire), SarahRennie (East of Scotland) and John Warburton(Yorkshire) all on 73.7 and Duncan Bedding(Hertfordshire) on 73.5. The average score across therange was a measly 66 and many teams had sufferedbadly; Surrey’s team average of just over 70 gave themthe top score at this range but it just wasn’t enough toknock Hertfordshire from the top. Final results in theLong Range Match were Hertfordshire 1142.108,Surrey 1140.98 and Sussex 1128.97.Duncan’s score of 74.6 at 900 yards gave him the topscore of the day of 147.11 as well as the top score ofthe weekend of 296.25. Just behind Duncan were JohnWarburton (Yorkshire) on 295.33 and Richard Bailie(Ulster) on 295.27.Unsurprisingly the results of the overall aggregate didnot differ from the results of the Long Range matchwith Hertfordshire in first place with 2320.245, Surreyin second with 2319.247 and Sussex in third with2309.237.Another excellentweekend of shootingwas over and, asalways, thanks weredue to all thosewhose hard workhad made it possible.Top: The teams at workon Stickledown.Left: A very happyRichard Bailie.Right: Jo Hossack wrapsup warm.(All photos: Karen Robertson)33