Alan Wilkinson - R.I.P. 7th September 2017:

Funeral arrangements: (Everyone is welcome)

13:00pm Thursday 21st September 2017, St Michaels & All Angels Church, Hightown, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 9AN 

Afterwards: Byley Village Hall, Moss Lane, Byley, Cheshire CW10 9NG

It is with great sadness we share with you the passing of one of Cheshire’s finest shotgun shooters - Alan Wilkinson of Middlewich, Cheshire.
Alan, born in 1935, was a naturally gifted sportsperson, playing professional football for Crewe Alex with many famous players (such as Manchester United’s ‘Busby-Babe’ Duncan Edwards), until his career was brought short following a knee injury during a game.
Fortunately for our sport, Alan turned to Clay-shooting as a hobby, it was clear from the very beginning he was a naturally good shot and he soon progressed to represent Cheshire in many clay-shooting disciplines. He initially focussed upon Down-the-Line (DTL), a very a popular Trap-shooting discipline in Cheshire and Alan would have soon made the England Team leading the year’s selections, until appendicitis prevented him from completing the selection process.  This did not deter Alan and he was soon back winning many clay-shooting competitions in both the county and nationally culminating in his highest achievement, that being European Double-Rise Champion in the late 1990’s.

Alan will almost certainly be remembered for his razor-sharp wit, everyone around him would be wearing smiles of delight as he was great fun to be with and if your were in a shoot-off against him, you’d need to be at your very best both from a shotgun-skills perspective and mentally as he could ‘psych-you-out’ with a simple, but well-intended, quip!

Alan had many shotguns but his favourite, as the author recalls, was ‘Lulabelle’ and if ‘she’ accompanied him, you knew he was intending on winning the day's shoot…

Alan was most definitely a people-person and one of the sport’s and county’s favourite characters, he will be sadly missed.

After a number of years of illness, Alan fell asleep in the early hours of Thursday 7th September 2017 in the company of his devoted wife Shirley.

God bless you Alan!

With found memories from the Cheshire CPSA