The Salopian no. 160 - Summer 2017

SCHOOL NEWS
55
Shooting
During the Easter holiday, Hattie
Bramwell (EDH LVI) spent 12 days
competing with the Under-19 GB Rifle
Team against teams from South Africa,
Canada and Australia in the South African
Fullbore Bisley Championships.
Shooting 42,000 rounds over the 12 days
of competition and in temperatures of 35
degrees, it was a test of stamina as well
as skill. The GB team did exceptionally
well, winning three team medals and
a number of individual medals. Hattie
was not only the youngest member of
the GB team – and indeed of the whole
competition – but she was also the
most decorated, winning a total of eight
individual medals.
The Under-19 Fullbore shooting
competitions were completed over many
distances ranging from 300 to 1,000 yards
using open sights. The rounds fly at
3,000ft per second and at longer distances
it can take up to a second for them to
reach the target. So the rifle shooter not
only has the rifle and target to contend
with, but also the wind – which can
cause havoc. They must interpret the
wind by watching the wind flags which
are on the range and adjusting their sights
accordingly.
Lily Freeman-Attwood at Bonheiden
Shrewsbury School equestrians have had
considerable success in recent months.
Lily Freeman-Attwood (EHD IV) claimed
two ‘grand prix’ titles at the Bonheiden
Youth Festival in Belgium during
the Easter holiday: riding a new pony,
Valmy de Treille, she won the big tour
1.25m pony grand prix; and on her trusty
steed Topspin, with whom she had
considerable success last year, she won
the junior 1.40 grand prix. Lily has also
qualified with her pony Capability Brown
for the Pony Foxhunter Championship
Final at the Horse of the Year Show,
which takes place in October. In May,
she competed as part of the GB squad for
“The GB U19 Rifle team 2017 consisted
of eight shooters, three girls and five
boys, from all over Britain, as far as
Guernsey to Northern Ireland” Hattie
explains. “Our three-and-a-half-week
tour was split into three main sections:
acclimatisation, competition and R&R.
“During the acclimatisation we did some
physical fitness to get used to the altitude
as well as team bonding activities. By the
time the shooting started, we had begun
to get used to the heat, reaching up to
37’C. However, the slight glitch was that,
having been used to T-shirts and shorts,
we now had to shoot in a thick jumper
and shooting jacket, which is made of
canvas and leather, so on the first day we
were all boiling! The distances we were
shooting ranged from 300m all the way
back to 900m.
“The team as a whole were very
successful, especially as the pressure was
on after last year’s team broke a junior
record in one of their shoots. We won all
three of our matches against the South
African U19s, which was fantastic.
“Some of us also went on to get
individual medals in the individual part
of the competition, which lasted for 12
days straight. I somehow managed to
Equestrian
the Nations Cup, held in the Netherlands.
And at the end of the Summer term,
riding Valmy de Treiile, she won the very
prestigious Charles Britton Equestrian
Construction Winter JA Classic title.
Jack Ashworth (S UVI) on Kafka and
Thomas Tulloch (Rt UVI) on Bally
Blackjack, have been selected to ride
for the North Wales and West Midlands
team at the National Under-18 Eventing
Championships this summer. Both boys
already compete at Under-21 level and
have had wins and excellent results
throughout the season.
At the end of the summer term, the
Shrewsbury School Polo players acquitted
themselves well at the SUPA National
Championships, which were held at
Kirtlington Polo Club near Oxford.
With a roughly equal number of wins
and losses, the two teams earned
middling rank places in the prize-giving.
The A Team, captained by Scott Walker
(SH LVI) and assisted by Freddie and Will
Blanchard-Butter (both SH LVI) and Milo
Herbert (R V), beat a Stowe team in their
first chukka. They did well to hold the
ultimate champions of the class, Radley,
to a two-goal win, but also succumbed to
get eight individual medals. My coach at
Shrewsbury, Tom Rylands, who is an Old
Salopian, was also shooting for the Senior
GB team who won all their matches
too, beating countries such as Australia,
Canada, America and, of course, South
Africa. This is only the second time a
current Salopian and OS have been on
the same rifle tour. Tom will also be
shooting with the GB team in Canada this
summer, when I will be shooting with the
British Cadet Rifle Team out there too.
“The final part of the tour was great fun,
as we had a day in the Kruger as well
as doing other activities like white water
rafting and tree canopy zip lining.
“I was extremely lucky to be part of
such an amazing tour and I hope future
Salopians can go on to do the same.”
Hattie is seated far right
Uppingham later in the afternoon.
The B team, captained by Esther
McLaughlin (EDH UVI) and reinforced
by Ned Moreau (Rt V), Paddy Barlow (R
IV) and Lyonel Tollemache (Rt LVI), fell
to another Stowe side in their first chukka
but went on to win against a combined
side and Felsted. Bertie Speed’s (I LVI)
combined Bradfield team lost their first
two chukkas, but in perhaps the most
vivid aristeia of the afternoon he seized
control of the ball from a Marlborough
side and led his team to an elegantly
achieved victory.
L-R: Lyonel Tollemache, Paddy Barlow, Scott
Walker, Freddie Blanchard-Butter, Will Blanchard-
Butter, Bertie Speed, Esther McLaughlin, Jim
Sheppe (Master in Charge), Ned Moreau (Milo
Herbert not pictured)