REPORT OF THE HOME INTERNATIONAL HELD IN NORTHERN IRELAND
By Chris Hassett 14th September 2007
By Chris Hassett 14th September 2007
Two members of the TVCTL attended the Home International held at Bally Duggen Shooting Ground (Club), in Northern Ireland, Bleddyn Lewis and myself. Bleddyn shot for the Junior Team of the WCTSA and I was the Welsh Teams Manager.
The weather on the 4 days was excellent, with little wind. The setting of the shooting ground was magnificent.
Because of the availability of land, the amount of walking between stands was a cause for complaint. The targets were set using the natural features, and many of the targets were into blue sky, making distance judgment tricky. A top score of 86 indicated the difficulty of the stands. It was notable that the High Gun was a Lady, Cheryl Hall. The 100 target course was shot in squads of 10, and there were 14 stands, all radio controlled, with no following pairs. Shooting 6 & 8 targets changes the accrual of an individual's score card, and I believe needs to be considered for the TVCTL.
Because of the availability of land, the amount of walking between stands was a cause for complaint. The targets were set using the natural features, and many of the targets were into blue sky, making distance judgment tricky. A top score of 86 indicated the difficulty of the stands. It was notable that the High Gun was a Lady, Cheryl Hall. The 100 target course was shot in squads of 10, and there were 14 stands, all radio controlled, with no following pairs. Shooting 6 & 8 targets changes the accrual of an individual's score card, and I believe needs to be considered for the TVCTL.
Bleddyn Lewis shot 71 for the Junior Team, which came 5th. However, they were only 12 shots behind the 1st team, England.
The Ladies Team came 2nd to England.
The Vets Team came 2nd to England, only 7 shots away.
The Senior Team came 5th to England.
The Ladies Team came 2nd to England.
The Vets Team came 2nd to England, only 7 shots away.
The Senior Team came 5th to England.
The TVCTL has the potential to produce more people to shoot for Wales, as long as we keep throwing quality targets. Personaly I think Clubs need to compete with a desire to improve all of their members' abilities, not just the top 10. Clearly the Welsh Clay Sporting Squad needs to up their game in the coming years. In any sports, the larger the base of participants, the higher will be the top end performances produced. The Clubs, especially in the TVCTL, need to recruit more shooters, especially Juniors and Ladies, and we need also to bring back all lapsed Shooters.
My view is that all shooters who wish to prove themselves, and/or improve, should participate in the Welsh selection shoots in 2008.
Regards
Chris Hassett
Chris Hassett