CPSA Pull Magazine

25^th Feb ESP Team Selection Shoot Catton Hall This was the first selection shoot and James and Josh put on an interesting shoot. With presentations which on first glance didn’t look too difficult but could catch out the unwary if you weren’t up to speed with your technical skills, especially in the wooded area. The turnout was a little down on last year with 25 Cheshire shooters taking part in the selection process. The weather started off a bit chilly, but bright and dry, and warmed up as the day went on. High gun on the day was Nick Beavis with 93, second in seniors was David Sutton on 92, and third senior was Andrew Gorry with 85. First in Vets was Ian Stubbs on 90, then Neil Waterman and Peter Brown. With 87. Top Lady shot was Karen Hall on 66 followed by Yvonne Hancock with 56.                       

The Ladies Clay Shooting League. We are very proud of the fact that some Ladies shoot for fun and others have gone on to shoot competitively for their county and  country. When the Ladies Clay Shooting League was first set up it was to try and encourage more ladies into clay shooting in order to help the counties in our region, we have since developed over the years and become a great place to meet socially, and / or develop your shooting skills. We run an 80 bird sporting event at different grounds each month, for all levels of shooters. Following the rules laid out by our governing body, the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (CPSA). We guide you through the process in an informative and friendly manner so that you are more than prepared when and if you take the plunge into competitive shooting, or you can shoot just for fun. Not only will you learn the rules but our qualified instructor is there to help with advice, gun fit, and coach you on different targets and shooting methods in a friendly environment. Tell us what you are looking for, and we will help you. Miles Machin 07828 149111 or ladiesclayshootingleague@outlook.com                                                                

9^th March CPSA Annual Awards 2024. We are thrilled that Cheshire made it through to the final three in the “County Committee of the year” and came runner up on the night. A great achievement. A big thank you to all who voted for us.    

Forthcoming dates

31^st Mar WM Individual DTL Champs, Holmes Chapel                                           

7^th Apr WM Individual SKD Champs, Doveridge                                                    

14^th Apr WM Individual ESK Champs, Doveridge                                                 

14^th Apr WM Individual OT Champs, Fauxdegla                                                  1

14^th Apr WM IC OT Champs, Fauxdegla                                                               

14^th Apr Cheshire County OT Champs, Fauxdegla                                                                                          

1^st May Guerini Challenge, Mickley Hall                                                                

2^nd May Summer series Mickley Hall                                                                                        

9^th May Summer series Mickley Hall                                                                    

10^th May 100 Reg ESP Mickley Hall                                                                              

12^th May ESP Team sel, Garlands                                                                           

3^rd 4^th Aug World ABT Fauxdegla.

 

Please check with our website as these dates or locations may change. 

 

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1^st Oct West Midlands Area Individual Sport Trap Garlands S G. Congratulations to Cheshire shooters, Lucy Earl for winning a Gold medal in both Juniors and Ladies category with a 77. Whilst Tony Dean and Nigel Lane took Gold and Silver respectively in Vets with 90 and 86.

13^th / 14^th Oct Cheshire Super Sporting County Championship & Kevin Howarth Memorial Shoot. Mickley Hall S S. Firstly, a massive thanks to everyone who took part in this event over the two days, it was a great turnout for the combined shoot and your support is greatly appreciated. The Kevin Howarth Memorial shoot raises money for the North West Air Ambulance, and thanks to your participation we have again managed to raise a sizeable amount for them. As the shoot was over two days, the conditions were certainly variable, with steady rain on Friday, then sun and heavy showers on Saturday. However this didn’t dampen spirits and everyone enjoyed themselves. Scott Barnett and Phil Jones excelled themselves by putting on a thoroughly entertaining course which ranged from a 5 yrd fast rabbit to a 50 yrd battue, with everything in-between. Cheshire Super Sporting County Champs; Overall Guy Robinson 93, Mens Carl Vickers 88, Ladies Lucy Earl 83, Vets Miles Machin 89, Juniors Lucy Earl 83. Kevin Howarth Memorial Trophy; Guy Robinson, Danny Hampson, Dave Harley, are all joint High Gun with a cracking 93.

Cheshire shooters going to USA. Two Cheshire shooters have been selected for the England ESP team. They are Lara Dale and Sam Ward. They will represent England at the World Sporting Championship in May, at M and M Hunting Preserve in Philadelphia. We wish them every success.

CPSA Top Shots of 2023. Many Cheshire shooters are included in the 2023 list of top shots. They are, in no particular order.   Mark Dale 18^th overall in Super Sporting.  Mike Faux 5^th Vet in Olympic Trap. Paul Culverwell 9^th Vet for Olympic Trap. Lucy Earl 9^th Lady English Sporting, Lara Dale 10^th Lady English Sporting. Christian Bethell 6^th overall and 6^th Senior English Skeet. Isabel Cartlidge 1^st Lady and 2^nd Junior English Skeet. Steven Randles 19^th overall FITASC Sporting. Mark Wright 3^rd overall, 3^rd Senior, and 3^rd Vet in Helice, and 6^th Vet in Universal Trench. Toby Hurstfield 4^th Junior DTL. Edward Furber 7^th Vet DTL.  Hazel Denney 6^th Lady ABT.    Congratulations to you all.                                                                  

Would you like to shoot for your county. If so, please register your interest with the relevant team manager. For DTL it’s David Hurstfield at Holmes Chapel shooting ground 07841825307. For ESP it’s Nigel Lane 07943647474.               For fast trap disciplines (ABT, OTR, UTR) it’s Mike Sargeson, (m.sargeson@fleetfactors.co.uk). For FITASC it’s Scott Barnett 07766252438.

Forthcoming dates.  

25^th Feb ESP Team selection shoot Catton Hall SG

10^th Mar ESP Team selection shoot Kingsley Moor SG.

15/16^th Mar ESP Team selection shoots Mickley Hall SS.

26^th Mar Cheshire ABT Championship Fauxdegla SG                                                                                             

31^st Mar West Mids Individual DTL Championship Holmes Chapel SG.

9^th Apr DTL Team selection shoot Holmes Chapel SG                                         

14^th Apr ESP Team selection shoot Kingsley Moor SG.                                                                                               

14^th Apr West Mids Individual ESK Championship Doveridge CS.                                                                               

30^th Apr Cheshire UT Championship Fauxdegla SG.                                                     

12^th May ESP Team selection shoot Garlands SG.

 

 

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23^rd Sept Cheshire County ESK and SKD Championship North Wales S S It was a glorious day with ideal weather conditions. A small group of dedicated shooters arrived to do battle. Two shooters had brought their “A” game, with Ross Nabney and Isabel Cartlidge both scoring 97 in the English Skeet competition. After a shoot off Isabel was County Champion, Ladies Champion, and Juniors Champion. Ross was Men’s Champion, and Jim Wagstaff Veterans Champion. After lunch, in the Skeet Doubles competition it was Isabel who took the honours again. Winning County Champion, Ladies Champion, and Juniors Champion. Christian Bethell won Men’s Champion and Maurice Cunningham Veterans Champion.

 24^th Sept West Midlands Area and Cheshire Single Barrel Championship Holmes Chapel S S. Today we held the West Mids Area Single Barrel Championship, what a day to hold it, just when you get to use one barrel the wind blows!! Never the less we had a good turn out for this event. The wind definitely didn’t help anyone, the overall winner was Mr P Relph with 94, this makes him Area Champion and Cheshire Champion. Congratulations to Peter! D Price (H and W) won seniors silver with 93, and M Grant (Shrop) won seniors bronze on 92. There was a tie for Veterans Champion C Heathcote (Staf) and G Evans (Shrop) both on 93. Veterans silver went to A Ellison (Shrop), C Moule (H and W) and I Roper (Derb) all on 91. Ladies Gold went to J Hitchmough, and Ladies Bronze to D Barnett. Junior Gold went to T Hurstfield. The Cheshire Championship results are, Overall Champion P Relph, Seniors Champion S Smith, Ladies Champion J Hitchmough, Junior Champion T Hurstfield, and Veterans Champion P Sant. Many thanks to everyone for attending this, we do appreciate you coming, we’d also like to thank all our staff for their invaluable support.   

1st Oct West Mids Inter Counties ESP Garlands S. G. Cheshire won Gold medals in both Ladies and Vets, whilst the Senior team won Bronze. Lucy Earl, Lara Dale and Karen Hall made up the Ladies team. Vets consisted of Guy Robinson, Miles Machin and Nigel Lane. Senior team was Sam Ward, Scott Barnett, Ian Morris, Steve Randalls, Carl Vickers, and Mark Dale. Our Junior team of Ed Morris, Jacob Whitehouse and Thomas Rockall missed out on the medals but put in a really good effort considering that this was the first big competition for Jacob and Thomas. 

7^th October National Inter counties ESP Atkin, Grant and Lang Although there was good shooting all round it was left to the Ladies to bring back the medals and honours. Firstly the Ladies team won Gold, which was an excellent result, and Lara Dale shot 94, a personal best, to take Ladies High gun and win A Class. What a smashing effort considering High Gun for the event was 97.

14^th Oct National Inter Counties ESK National Clay Shooting Centre Bisley. Cheshire fielded a seniors team this year, and were one of the first squads out at 9am. They were leading all morning, then when the scores came in from one of the Essex teams, they were tied for the top spot in the early afternoon. The last squad went out at 3pm so it was a long wait till all the scores came in. Another Essex team had beaten us by just two clays. So it was Silver badges for Cheshire, and many team members won money for class places. Christian Bethell and Isabel Cartlidge both shot a magnificent 98, and Isabel also won Ladies High Gun. A big thank you to all the team members from Colin Babcock ESK Team MGR.      

 

 

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16^th 17^th June Cheshire ESP Selection Shoot Mickley Hall SS. There were 25 shooters taking part, the weather was fine for both days with hardly any wind. Once again Mickley Hall had laid on a course which encompassed many diverse stands and setups which promised an engaging experience for shooters of all levels. However, a rather limp rabbit which was part of a simo pair in the DTL stand did catch a couple of people out! Plus, there was also a fast left to right dropping mini in the Frog stand which was somewhat entertaining and caused a few headaches. Sam Ward and Carl Vickers took Cheshire high Gun with an excellent 94. Only one clay behind was Lara Dale along with Dave Sutton who tied for top spot in A class with 93. Considering Lara used to shoot Olympic Skeet and has only just switched to Sporting less than a year ago, that is a brilliant result which was also the best in Ladies. Other honours go to,  B class Peter Fitkin 82, C class Vincent Shaw 74, and Colts Henry Trevelyan with a respectable 89.    

25^th June ESP Championship and Selection Shoot Catton Hall. There were 22 shooters taking part and the weather was kind to us. Catton Hall provided an idyllic backdrop for competitors looking forward to an enjoyable day of shooting and they were also greeted with the usual warm welcome and hospitality one comes to expect. James and his team had once again laid on a course befitting the Cheshire Championship and it didn’t disappoint with meticulous attention to detail, which provided something for everyone from AAA to C class. Scott Barnett is the new Cheshire Champion with an excellent 94. Following closely were Nick Bevis to take Mens Champion with 91, leaving Guy Robinson and Nigel Lane who had also scored 91 to vie for the Vet’s trophy. This will be decided in the future by a shoot off. Lucy Earl was suffering from a bout of hay fever but still managed to put in a credible 78 to retain Ladies and Junior Champion. In a new category for this year, Thomas Rockall became Colt Champion with 62. Other scores worth mentioning were, Andrew Earl 82, Vincent Shaw 76.

Thank You Eastfield Joinery. I would like to pass on my appreciation and gratitude to John Dentith who is the proprietor of Eastfield Joinery, Shavington and fellow Cheshire shooter. John has kindley made and donated a magnificent wooden trophy cabinet, for Cheshire CPSA in which we can display our Cheshire Sporting Championship trophies. His craftsmanship and attention to detail have created a stunning piece that not only serves as a functional display for our trophies but also adds an elegant touch to the club room at Catton Hall. Nigel Lane ESP Manager.  

 

 9^th July West Mids Individual and Inter Counties Olympic Trap Fauxdegla SG. Cheshire fielded two teams against stiff competition from Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Hereford, and Shropshire. Highest Cheshire score was Chris Bushell with 88 and 3^rd in B class he also won West Midlands Area Veteran Bronze.  Following closely was Paul Culverwell on 85 for 3^rd in C class. Others scoring in the eighties were, Andrew Pownall, Kevin O’Reilly, and Robert Gallagher. Winning West Midlands Area Team Bronze was the team of Paul Culverwell, Andrew Pownall, Kevin O’Reilly, Robert Gallagher, David O’Donnell, and Mark Wright.  

Hazel Denney won West Midlands Area Ladies Silver. Congratulations to you all.

16th July The Craig Bebbington Shoot Cancer Down Charity Shoot Holmes Chapel S G   Firstly we have to say thank you all for attending and for making a very special day even better, your donations made for an amazing raffle !. So thanks to one and all. We have just a few special people to thank, Total Interiors for the High gun money, Paul Chaplow Plumbing, Gamebore cartridges, Hull cartridges, HCSG, and Alan Rhone for all their generosity! We hope that you enjoyed it as well, you raised £1200 from the shoot, unsure on what the raffle made at this moment. So to the shoot, we had one of our own Cheshire shooters taking the prize of £200 and the trophy with 100/296. So well shot too Mr P Relph, great shooting Peter. Also shooting well were Paul Sant 96/284, and Keith Waters 96/283. Toby Hurstfield won Juniors, highest placed Cheshire Lady was Sarah Milroy.

 

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21^st May Cheshire O T County Championship Fauxdegla S G. A dedicated group of shooters made the trip over to Fauxdegla and battled it out for the honours. We have a new County Champion in Mike Faux finishing with 89, and third in B class. Veterans Champion is Andy Pownall following closely with 87. Men’s Champion David O’Donnell also on 87. Ladies Champion was Hazel Denney. Congratulations to you all.

21^st May English Open Sporting Championship Eriswell Lodge S G. Congratulations to Cheshire shooter Lucy Earl for winning Lady Junior High Gun.                         

28^th May DTL Team Selection Shoot Holmes Chapel S G Cheshire high gun on the day was John Yarwood with a brilliant 99/296. Following closely was Steven Dutton with 98/293, then came Keith Waters on 98/289. Also shooting well were Peter Richards 98/287, and John Barnett 98/286. Geoffrey Rogers 96/281 and L Furber 95/280. 

31^st May English Open Skeet Doubles Dartford Clay Shooting Ground. Congratulations to Cheshire shooter Isabel Cartlidge for coming Lady runner up, and third in Juniors.

9^th June DTL Sponsors Day Bywell Shooting Ground. This event attracted 297 entrants from far and wide including Eire and Northern Ireland. Cheshire shooters were well represented. High gun was Daniel Price (H and W) with 100/299. Scoring was very close at the top of the leader board, a shoot off was needed to decide second and third place after three people finished with 100/298. Coming very close to the top spot was Edd Furber with 100/297 and joint third in AA class. Close behind was Peter Relph on 99/295. Then Toby Hurstfield with 98/288. David Hurstfield on 97/285. Also shooting well were John Barnett and Jane Hitchmough.

10^th June DTL Dougall Memorial Bywell Shooting Ground. The shooters were met with blue skies, sunshine and a light breeze so the scene was set for a great days shooting. The field had now grown to 344. It turned out to be a high scoring day with three shooters finishing on 100/300. Five shooters finishing with 100/299, and seven on 100/298, one of which was Edd Furber who was also first in Veterans, congratulations Ed. Also shooting well were Chris Bushell 99/293, Paul Sant 99/290, John Barnett 98/289, Toby Hurstfield 97/289, Peter Relph 95/281 and Jeremy Frith 95/280. Sarah Milroy was the highest placed Cheshire Lady.   

11^th June DTL English Open Bywell Shooting Ground. With a cooler start and the sun set to make an appearance, the shooters were keen to get started. This was the biggest field of the weekend with 350 taking part and12 being from Cheshire. Scoring was high with six shooters managing the magic 100/300, two shoot offs were needed to decide the top places. Three scored 100/299, and three scored 100/298. Highest scoring Cheshire shooter and having a weekend to remember was Edd Fruber with 100/297, then came Chris Bushell on 99/291, Paul Sant with 97/287, David Hurstfield with 97/285, Jeremy Frith on 96/284. Also shooting well were Toby Hurstfield, Peter Relph, Ian Kippax, John Barnett, and Andrew Milroy. Highest placed Cheshire Lady was Jane Hitchmough. Well done to you all.

 European Compak Championships. The British Compak team travelled to the beautiful area of Umbria in Italy recently to compete at the European Compak Championships. The Seniors team comprising Tony Dean, George Digweed and Simon Fenner won the Bronze medal, narrowly beating Greece by 1 target. George claimed individual Silver in Seniors category. Hopefully GB can achieve a higher positionat the World Championship’s in Greece later this year.

 

 

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17^th Apr English Open All Round, Nottingham and District. Cheshire shooter Lucy Earl had an awesome day shooting 93 for first in A class, Ladies high Gun, and Junior High Gun. Congratulations Lucy. 

28^th to 30^th Apr English Open ESK Nottingham and District. Cheshire shooter Isabel Cartlidge had a brilliant day shooting 97 for third in Ladies and third in Juniors. Congratulations Isabel. 

World Compak Championships, Cape Town Aug 2022. Tony Dean was shooting in the Great Britain Team and secured 4^th place in Seniors with 192x200, (only 2 targets behind first place winner Mr George Digweed MBE, close margins). Following on from this success, Tony took the Gold at the UK FITASC Championships in Falkirk in October to end the year in a strong position. Combining the result at Falkirk with a Silver medal at the FITASC British Grand Prix  at West Midlands Shooting Ground in April, he secured another place on the GB Team for the European FITASC Championships in Cyprus in May. Well shot Tony. The Rizzini certainly seems to be coming on line nicely. We await the next instalment.

8^th Apr Ladies Clay Shooting League, Mickley Hall S S  This was the second event of the year. The weather was very kind to us with bright sunshine and very little wind. Scott Barnett had set up the course with a good variety of targets. Having a great day, with her first High Gun and first in B class was Karen Bowland on 67. In second place on 67 was Nicola Booth. Following close behind on third was Val Barrow with 64. Well done to you all.

28^th Apr 29^th Apr Cheshire ESP Selection Shoot Mickley Hall S S. It was another good turn out with 39 Cheshire shooters entering the competition, and we had a good split amongst all the classes. It was really pleasing to see the number of B and C class shooters taking part in this as any of you could be a future Champion for tomorrow or just represent Cheshire at the West Midlands Inter Counties Championships or the Clubman Championships. The conditions for both days were fine albeit Friday was a little bit on the dull side and cooler. Once again, Scott Barnett and his team put on a cracking array of targets which made for a challenging round which was certainly tough in places, as reflected by the scores. Sam Ward (AAA) and Guy Robinson (AA) taking Cheshire overall high gun with 93. Other honours go to Men’s, Steve Randles 88, A - Mark Davenport 87, B - Peter Firkin 76, C - Hazel Denney 78, Juniors - Ed Morris 77, Colts - Jacob Whitehead 58.

30^th Apr Cheshire UT Championship, West Mids Area Individual and Inter Counties Championship. Fauxdegla S. G. Our new Cheshire Champions are Mike Faux high gun, Ladies Champion Hazel Denney, Mens Mark Wright, Juniors Tom Watson, and Vets Bob Gallagher.  In the Inter Counties competition, Cheshire won team bronze,  Hazel Denney was overall Ladies High Gun, and Mike Faux won Bronze in Vets. Congratulations to you all.

14^th May Cheshire ESP Selection Shoot Kingsley Moor SG The first three stands were relatively straight forward, but the fourth had a rather tricky looper/dropper which popped up from behind a tree. Dropping targets also featured on a couple of other stands in the wooded section: a simo left to right pair which by the time you had shot the first clay at it’s peak, the second, a battue, had only just opened up and was well on it’s way down. Further along the track was another stand where the clay appeared from behind a tree right to left, well on it’s way down at speed which was certainly entertaining. The final stand I’d like to mention was the simo teal which in my opinion was somewhat testing! Nick Beavis won Cheshire High Gun with an excellent 93. Other honours go to Men’s Mark Dale 84. A - Lucy Earl Juniors and Ladies 90. B – Stephen Hough75, C – Joseph Hill71, Colts Jacob Whitehead 62.

 

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26 Mar Automatic Ball Trap Cheshire Championship Fauxdegla S G A dedicated group of ABT shooters made their way to Fauxdegla shooting ground to compete for this years Championship. It was a close contest with tight scoring. Our new County Champion with 91 is David O’Donnell, Seniors Champion is Mark Wright on 89. Veterans Champion Rob Gallagher with 87, and Ladies Champion Hazel Denney on 80. Congratulations to you all.               

29^th Mar 31^st Mar DTL World Championship South Africa Toby Hurstfield was a member of the England Team and shot very well. The England teams showcased their prowess, winning bronze in the Ladies, Super Vets and Vets categories. Nigel Chapman won the Worlds Veteran Title and silver in AA class. Overall the England DTL Team and individuals were praised for their professionalism and outstanding performance on the world stage.

1^st April Sportrap Cheshire Championship North Wales S S. The Cheshire County Sportrap Championship was held at North Wales Shooting School this year in conjunction with Merseyside. From the rather gloomy forecast at the beginning of the week, Saturday turned out to be quite a bright sunny day albeit with a slight chill in the wind. Many thanks to NWSS and Brett Davies in putting on four entertaining layouts, especially the trap which included a trampoline, ingenious and certainly ticked the fun box. The driven layout proved to be the most testing especially on the simo pairs. All in all, there were 48 entrants of which 20 were from Cheshire. Steve Randalls, the defending champion did not disappoint in retaining his title with a cracking score of 95. Congratulations and well done to the following winners. High Gun Champion Steve Randalls 95. Mens Peter Lloyd and Ed Morris 90. Ladies Lucy Earl 76. Vets Colin Milton 86. Juniors Ed Morris 90.

9^th Apr DTL Selection Shoot Holmes Chapel S G. There was a great turnout with 25 Cheshire shooters making up the total field of 76. There was a bit of a head wind to contend with, but it did not seem to bother Mr A Evans (Wales) and Mr P Cerri (H and W) who shared high gun, each on 296. Highest Cheshire score was from Edd Furber with 97/288 for joint second in A class, following closely were Peter Richards on 96/286 and Chris Bushell 97/286. Also shooting well were T Moir with 95/282 for second in B class and W Bushell on 94/277 for joint third in B class. S Scudder shot 90/261 for third in C class. Top scoring Ladies were Jane Hitchmough with 93/267 and Sarah Millroy on 91/262. Well done to you all.

9^th Apr ESP Selection Shoot Kingsley Moor S G. Once again, a big thanks for those of you who made it to the 2^nd Cheshire Selection Shoot, I know Easter can sometimes be a bit tricky to get away so well done to the 28 Cheshire shooters that took part from a total entry of 128. Miles Machin certainly didn’t disappoint with the course set up, which was a bit stiffer than normal and you certainly had to be on your game as it had a fair number of testing technical targets. Which included shooting down into the valley at a fast right to left climbing orange clay at 50-60yards. This is certainly reflected in the scores. High gun was Nick Beavis 80, Mens, Lee Williams 73, Ladies, Karen Hall 62, Vets Nigel Lane 74, Juniors Ed morris 74. 

23^rd Apr ESK West Midlands Area Individual Championship Doveridge CS. Isabel Cartlidge shot very well with a 97, for joint 3^rd overall, 3^rd in A class, 1^st Juior, and 1^st Lady. What a day to remember. Also shooting well were Colin Babcock on 95, and Ross Nabney on 94.

 

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26^th Feb ESP Team Selection Shoot Catton Hall

The 2023 Cheshire ESP Selection Shoot got off to a good start at Catton Hall with an excellent turn out of 64 Cheshire participants. Of these a big thank you to the 37 who paid the small levy in order for their scores to be nominated towards qualifying to shoot for the Cheshire Inter Counties team or the Cheshire Inter Counties Clubman’s Team. It was quite pleasing to see some new names for this year, putting themselves out there to shoot for their County. So, if any of you are still sitting on the fence, come and join in, this will enable Cheshire to put forward strong County teams later on in the year.

For those of you who are still unsure what this competition is about, a description is on the CPSA website under “Members Area – Your Region/County – Cheshire – Website” or you can go directly : https://sites.cpsa.co.uk/cheshire. You will also find your scores on this page and the Catton Hall results have already been published here.   

As for the shoot itself, I can’t really comment due to unforeseen circumstances which prevented me from attending. However, by all accounts it was a terrific shoot with over 160 competitors so congratulations to all of the staff at Catton Hall for their hard work in enabling this.

Some notable scores were put in by Scott Barnett 97, Nick Beavis 97, Sam Ward 93, who has just moved into the County. There were also some good scores from the Vets, Andy Jones 91, Neil Waterman 87, Mike Holland 87, and Guy Robinson 87. Whilst for the Ladies, Lara Dale who has also just moved into the County and switched from Skeet to Sporting put in a brilliant 89, and finally Junior Ed Morris with a tidy 87. There were also some good scores from B and C class shooters which were above their averages so keep up the good work. Nigel Lane ESP Team Manager.

11^th Mar Ladies Clay Shooting League Catton Hall. We were blessed with good weather for the first shoot of this season.  It was a challenging course with a good variety of targets. In first place was Sarah Ledwidge with 56, second place Jan Dixon on 44 and third place Nicola Booth with 46.

11^th Mar CPSA Annual Awards. The ceremony featured several Cheshire shooters. Congratulations to Lucy Earl for winning Emerging Shooter of the year, she was also runner up for Shot of the year. Toby Hurstfield was runner up for Young Shot of the year, and Cheshire committee were runner up for Committee of the year. Well done to you all. 

15^th Mar Cheshire CPSA A G M Catton Hall.   The minutes of the last AGM were adopted, and we heard the Chairman’s, Secretaries, and Treasurers reports. One minutes silence was held in memory of those we have lost during the last year. They are Miss W Blackburn, Mr D Worthington, Mr T M Hollinshead, Mr M Matthews, Mr F D Thornley, and Mr P Gowrie.  There is still much debate over the use of lead shot. New officers and committee members were elected. Firearms regulation is under review. It was announced that Paul Sant and Toby Hurstfield are going to South Africa to compete in the World DTL Championships, we wish them well. The North West Air Ambulance is our chosen charity. We had the awards presentation to last years County Champions, and our Chairman appealed for suggestions of new initiatives. We had a raffle to close the evening, with the proceeds going to the Air Ambulance. 

Ladies Clay Shooting League

 

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CPSA Top Shots 2022. Several Cheshire shooters have made it onto the list of top shots for 2022, they are. For Olympic Trap Mike Faux, 1^st in Veterans and Jim Rogers 10^th in Veterans. For Eglish Sporting Lucy Earl 8^th in Ladies and 10^th in Juniors. Henry Trevelyan 5^th in Colts. For FITASC Tony Dean, 19^th Overall and 3^rd in Veterans. For COMPAK Andrew Jones 6^th in Super Vets. For English Skeet Isabel Cartlidge 3^rd in Ladies and 6^th in Juniors. For Down The Line Toby Hurstfield 2^nd in Juniors. Congratulations to you all.

A Year In The Life Of Mickley Hall Shooting School part two. December brings Christmas madness, selling vouchers, clothing and it’s always our busiest time of year. We are busy with group bookings as we look after local businesses for their Christmas parties. Game shooters are buy in the field and shooters come in regularly to practice. It is nice for us as we see groups that we only see at Christmas use us as a pre Christmas family and friends get together. Christmas week is mental, every day is like a busy Saturday, as people come to get out of the house and walk off the turkey and pudding.  January starts pretty much as December finished but by the second week it fades as people are back to work. It gives us time to take stock of the shop ready for summer sales and to stock new products, as well as getting all the winter stock up for the January sales. At this point the game shooters leave us as the last days are taken in the field.    February is by far the slowest month for us as the clay shooters are only just thinking of getting started after winter. The game shooters and Christmas parties are a memory until next year. We have time for trap servicing and maintenance on our shooting booths. We do start to see our more seasoned competitive shooters, as they start to come for lessons, talking about their goals for the season ahead. Personally, this is the favourite part of my job, looking after our competition shooters just because that is my passion and it’s nice to hopefully help people achieve their goals. March starts to get busier but mainly it’s very much our fabulous members and lessons that keep us busy on the ground, but the shop starts to build; gun sales improve as people want a new gun to attack the new clay season with. April sees the end of the winter series and the beginnings of our 50 bird handicap summer series. It is also the start of our demo days which run till September, where you can try a range of guns from different suppliers, such as Caesar Guerini, Zoli, Krieghoff, Longthorne, Yildiz and Beretta. We usually start ground maintenance at this point, stating new projects. Part 3 will follow in the next issue.

Cheshire CPSA AGM. Will be held at Catton Hall shooting ground on Wednesday 15^th March 2023. Start time is 7.00 for 7.30pm, everyone is welcome.

Team Selection Shoots. This years team selection shoots have been arranged, please check our website, or contact the Team Managers for details.

Fred Thornley 1950 – 2022. We are very sorry to hear of the passing of Fred Thornley on the 13^th December 2022. Fred shot in both the England OT and ABT teams and was also a GBR team UT shooter. We extend our sympathies to his family and friends and all those who enjoyed shooting with Fred over the years. Fred was a vital member of the Cheshire committee for many years, managing the fast trap teams. About twenty five shooters took part in a shotgun salute outside his house on the day of his funeral.

Forthcoming Dates.

ESK Selection Shoot North Wales S S 25^th March.

Cheshire ABT Championship Fauxdegla S G 26^th March.

ESK Selection Shoot North Wales S S 15^th April.

ESP Selection Shoot Mickley Hall S S 28^th and 29^th April.

Cheshire UT Championship Fauxdegla S G 30^th April.

ESP Selection Shoot Kingsley Moor S G 14^th May.

 

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15^th 16^th October National Inter Counties ESK Eriswell Lodge S G  Glorious sunshine and a slight breeze greeted the shooters. Cheshire fielded Senior, Veterans, and Ladies teams. The action started around noon, slightly ahead of schedule. When our scores went in things looked very promising, with Ladies in second place, Seniors in second place, and Veterans in third place. That’s how it stayed for most of the afternoon. But competition was stiff with thirteen counties being represented and Essex fielding a Seniors A and B team. Around three o’clock when the last scores came in, the Ladies had hung on to second place for a Silver medal. Just beaten to the top spot by Essex by one clay. The Seniors had slipped to third and Veterans to fourth. Scoring was very tight with just one or two clays deciding the places in each category. A great performance from everybody. Highest Cheshire score was 96 from Colin Babcock who also was joint first in A class. Jim Wagstaff was shooting well with 94 for second in B class, and Isabel Cartlidge was third in Juniors with 95. There was just one 100 straight and that was from Martin Walmsley (Staff). We would like to say a big thank you to all the Cheshire shooters who made the trip to Suffolk, some staying overnight, and some going there and back on the day. Colin Babcock ESK Team Manager, Maurice Cunningham ESK Asst Mgr.

CPSA Article on lead shot cartridges. On the CPSA website there is an article from our CEO Iain Parker. He says that the CPSA are fighting against the proposed ban on lead shot cartridges. There is no evidence that lead shot is harmful to flora or fauna. We would propose to restrict lead loads from 28g to 24g (a 15% reduction) at all clay shooting grounds. This change would mitigate the risk of migration, as 24g is not a viable game load, while also bringing our policy in alignment with that of the ISSF standard cartridge load. 

A Year In The Life Of Mickley Hall Shooting School (Part 1). We are always looking at the change of the seasons and now as we are in October, the sun falls on Summer and the game season kicks in and the clay season finishes, we look forward to planning the next 12 months. Event planning gets under way as we get busier with corporate days heading into Autumn and early Winter. Looking at what we did last year, trying to hopefully keep the good bits but add in extra events, that will be new and exciting for all our customers. We have a brilliant competition in the 50 bird handicap summer series and the 50 bird winter series that runs every Thursday throughout the year. We also run a 100 registered sporting on the last Wednesday of every month. Now all three are entrenched in our yearly calendar.  We are currently working on new events to add to our 2023 calendar. To come is a new and exciting Yildiz All Bore World Championship, date to be announced   in the near future. A restructured Eley Grand Prix, to hopefully keep the price of the competition lower than in previous years, as we think that people will be looking for value more than ever with so many price increases over recent months. As November gets on the way we are in full swing with game instruction, mainly at the shooting school but also in the field. The high tower becomes very popular along with the grouse butt as people have the odd bad day in the field. Game shooters come to practice and put the problems right. Also, game guns are more commonly sold in the shop, along with boots, wellies, and coats. It is the busiest time for selling game cartridges. Even in November our members are still coming in to practice. Lessons continue, although not in the numbers we see in the summer months.  Scott Barnett. Part 2 will be in the next issue.

Cheshire CPSA AGM. Will be held at Catton Hall shooting ground on Wednesday 15^th March 2023. Start time is 7.00 for 7.30 PM.

Ladies Clay Shooting League. The final round of this year was at Catton Hall on 1^st October. There was a great turnout and the scoring was high. First in A class was Marie Meadows with 67, joint second were Sarah Ledwidge and Jan Dixon with 59. First in B class was Karen Bowland with 66, second Kate Poyser on 60, and third Linda Saint 58. First in C class was Julia Brooks on 56, second Carole Wilson 54 and third with 52 Claire Sheavills. Individual winners for the 2022 season were, first overall Sarah Ledwidge, and joint second Marie Meadows and Karen Bowland. Team winners were first, Holmes Chapel, second Mickley Hall, and third Manchester. Well done to you all.  

 

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4^th Sept British Open ESP Barbury S G Several Cheshire shooters made it through to the finals day. Miles Machin, Kerry Oakley, Fern Lancaster, Ed Morris and Lucy Earl. Fern Lancaster finished with Lady Colt High Gun. Lucy Earl and Ed Morris won the Junior regional team (West Mids). Lucy Earl was third in Juniors and Lady Junior High Gun. Congratulations to you all. A full report will be in the next issue.

11^th Sept West Mids Area ESP Inter Counties Westfield S G First of all I would like to congratulate all of the 21 Cheshire team members participating in this who took the time and effort in driving down to Westfield S G. It’s not exactly around the corner for us so well done. Secondly, and I think most of our team would agree, it was another superb layout set by Steve Lovett with plenty of angles, lines, speed and topography to catch out the unwary. The day started off a bit misty  but soon brightened to greet most competitors with fine sunny conditions and a bit of a cheeky breeze thrown in. Unfortunately, due to unexpected last minute occurrences, two of our Senior A team members were unable to take part so we couldn’t field a full team. However, we managed to field teams in all of the other categories and had a modicum amount of success with the Vets A team comprising of Guy Robinson, Miles Machin and Nigel Lane taking 1^st place and Gold. The Vets B team comprising of Neil Waterman and Albert Moss taking 3^rd place and Bronze. In the other categories, Kerry Oakley along with Karen Hall representing the Ladies B team took 3^rd place and Bronze whilst the Juniors, comprising of Lucy Earl and Ed Morris the same, 3^rd and Bronze. Other individual performances worth mentioning are: Fern Lancaster 5^th in Colts, Lucy Earl and Ed Morris 5^th and 6^th in Juniors and Kerry Oakley 4^th in Ladies. Nigel Lane.

11^th Sept West Mids Area Individual STR Championship Westfield S G The high gun on the day was Jack Whitehouse (Staff) with 95. Highest placed Cheshire shooter was Steven Randles on 88, winning the Silver medal and 2^nd in AA class. Also shooting well was Miles Machin with 86 to win Veterans Silver medal and 3^rd in A class.

25^th Sept Cheshire County Championship S/B Holmes Chapel S G We had a great day today, good targets with hardly a breeze, which was good news for the Single Barrel. A back on form Peter Parker (Cumb) took a fantastic win with an amazing score of 98, brilliant result. As for the County Championship, the results are, County Champion Mr C Bushell 97, Men’s Mr P Relph 96, Vets Mr E Furber 95, Ladies Ms J Hitchmough, JNR Mst T Hurstfield. Many thanks to everyone for today, Holmes Chapel SG was back to normal and it was a pleasure to hold the event. Thanks to all the staff as usual. Dave, Helen, Toby and Jane. 

1^st - 2^nd Oct National Inter Counties ESP Doveridge Clay Sports. About 20 counties from all over England were represented, so competition was fierce. Cheshire entered teams in every category. The Veterans team of Andy Jones, Guy Robinson and Miles Machin won Gold. Whilst the Junior team of Ed Morris and Lucy Earl also won Gold. Congratulations to you all.

 

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July 10^th English Open Skeet Doubles Nottingham and Dist G C Despite tricky wind conditions Isabel Cartlidge shot very well to win 1^st in Colts and 3^rd in Ladies. Congratulations Isabel.

Aug 2^nd English Open and British Open  All Round Northampton S G Congratulations to Lucy Earl for coming 2^nd in Ladies and 1^st in Juniors in both Events.

Aug 6^th 7^th West Mids Area Individual and Inter Counties ABT Garlands SG. Sixteen of Cheshire’s top shooters were out for this one, and they put in a great performance. Lucy Earl won West Mids Area Ladies Gold and Junior Bronze medals. The Cheshire Ladies team of Jeanette Bushell, Hazel Denney, and Amy Bratt won Gold. The Cheshire Veteran’s team of Miles Machin, Bob Gallagher and Kevin O’Reilly won Silver. The Cheshire Junior’s team of Lucy Earl and Toby Hurstfield won Gold. Andy Pownall had the highest Cheshire score with 89.

Aug 13^th Ladies Clay Shooting League Mickley Hall S G. Well, if the weather was anything it was too hot, but a great day for shooting as was proved with the scores. With a lot of Ladies moving up into different classes it has certainly mixed things up, and Sarah now has some friends. Scores are getting closer all the time and it’s great to see everyone improving, Julia took top spot in C class, followed closely by Carole and Claire 2^nd and 3^rd . In B class it was Kate who stole the day followed by Karen and Linda, and A class saw Sarah and Marie draw at the top followed by Jan. But it was the B class shooters who took the top spot today with Kate taking high gun with Karen hot on her keels. A big thank you to On The Peg Clothing, our sponsor, for providing the prize for winner.  Miles Machin.

Aug 14^th British Open Skeet Championship Eriswell Lodge. Congratulations to Isabel Cartlidge for coming 2^nd in Colts.

Aug 21^st West Mids Area Inter Counties ESK Doveridge C. S. Despite near perfect weather conditions, overcast, warm, dry and virtually no wind, nobody managed the magic 100 straight. Never the less, there was lots of good shooting from the 94 competitors representing all seven counties of the West Midlands, battling it out till after 5pm. There were 2 x 99s, 5 x 98s, and 8 x 97s. Cheshire’s highest score was 98 from Colin Babcock, well done Colin. Close on his heels were Christian Bethell and Jack hope both with 97. Cheshire Seniors were in second place for most of the day. Then at one stage it looked like they would be in a shoot off for second or third. Sadly as the last score sheets came in they slipped to 4^th. The Cheshire Ladies team of Hazel Denney and Jacqui Slater put in a great performance to save the day and finish joint third with Shropshire for a Bronze medal.

Aug 21^st West Mids Area Inter Counties DTL Holmes Chapel S G. Well what a day, lots of new faces, some not used to DTL, we hope you enjoyed your time here with us, hopefully you’ll be back. High gun for the event was Chris Moule on 100/299 who took the trophy and prize money. Cheshire Team high gun was Paul Sant on 100/297 who won the trophy. The results were;  Seniors 1^st Hereford and Worcester 1470, 2^nd Cheshire B 1461 3^rd Shropshire 1455. Veterans 1^st Derbyshire 589, 2^nd Cheshire A 581, 3^rdCheshire B 566. Ladies 1^st Cheshire A 568, 2^nd Cheshire B 515, 3^rd Shropshire 501. Juniors 1^st Shropshire 402, 2^nd Derbyshire 292, 3^rd Hereford and Worcester 237. Many thanks to everyone that came today!! Big big thanks to all the staff as always, we’d be lost without you!! Thanks Dave Helen, Toby and Jane.

 

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26^th June West Mids  Individual SKD Championship, Cheshire County Championship Doveridge C.S. Strong blustery winds greeted the competitors, which proved very testing, and it was reflected in the scores. Alan Barnes (Derb) and Steve Lovell (Warks) both finished with 94, to share West Midlands Champion. Christian Bethell finished with 92 for the Bronze medal, and Cheshire County Champion. Isabel Cartlidge scored 89 and is West Midlands Ladies and Junior Champion, and Cheshire Ladies and Junior Champion. Hazel Denney scored 80 for West Midlands Ladies Bronze medal, and Maurice Cunningham scored 87 for Cheshire Veterans Champion.

2^nd July Ladies Clay Shooting League Fauxdegla SG. A light shower of rain at the start did not dampen the enthusiasm for this event. There was a good turnout, and lots of good shooting. 1^st Sarah Ledwidge 59, 2^nd Marie Meadows 55, 3^rd Linda Saint 55. The LCSL is an award winning initiative to attract more Ladies into the sport. It is proving very popular and the membership is increasing. Free coaching, advice, and guidance are all included. There are 8 events a year, running from March to October, and it is an 80 bird ESP shoot. The next dates are 10^th Sept at Doveridge C S, and 1^st October at Catton Hall S G. Please check the website and book in advance.  

2^nd July West Midlands Inter Counties and Individual  O T Fauxdegla SG Mike Faux had Cheshire’s highest score with 94, and first in B Class, he won West Midlands Area Individual Gold. Then Ernest Vernon with 87, and Paul Culverwell on 86. Also shooting well for Cheshire were, Andy Pownall, Chris Bushell, Tom Watson, and Jim Rogers. The Cheshire Team won West Midlands Area Silver Medal.

2^nd July Cheshire Championship Sportrap North Wales S.S. Eighteen of Cheshire’s sporting shooters competed for the glory. With an amazing 68/75 Steve Randles is our new County Champion. Mens Champion on 63 is Carl Vickers, he tied with Peter Lloyd but won on count back. Ladies Champion is Kerry Oakley with 60, and Veterans Champion is David Vickers.

24^th July Cheshire Championship DTL Holmes Chapel S G  A bright start soon gave way to blustery winds and heavy showers for the rest of the day, making things a little tricky. Despite this there were lots of high scores. Cheshire County Champion is John Yarwood with a wonderful 99/295. Seniors Champion is Peter Relph on 100/294. Ladies Champion is Jeanette Bushell with 96/280 second was Jane Hitchmough with 93/272 and third Emma Percival 90/261. Veterans Champion is J C Yarwood on 99/294. Junior Champion on 95/282 is Toby Hurstfield.  Also shooting well was Steven Dutton on 98/289 for second in A class. Then there was a close quartet of John Barnett 97/287, Andrew Pownall 98/287, L Furber 99/287 and Edd Furber 97/287.

13 – 15 July Cheshire’s England DTL Shooters, Banbridge Northern Ireland Toby Hurstfield was England Juniors Captain, and England Juniors won Gold in the European Championship. Toby is also British Open Colts Champion. Peter Relph was shooting in England Seniors, and won Silver at the European Champinships.  Paul Sant was shooting in England Vets and won Silver at the European Championship, and won Vets at the British Open.  At the Home International, England won Seniors, Veterans and Overall. Congratulations to you all. 

 24^th July Cheshire Championship ESP Catton Hall S G Joint high gun, joint first in AAA Class, and Cheshire County Champion is Fred Whitehurst with 96. Veterans Champion and 3^rd in AA Class is Miles Machin on 92.  Lucy Earl is Juniors and Ladies Champion with 89. Also scoring well were Scott Barnett on 92, Mark Oakley with 92, Ian Stubbs 90 and Nigel Lane also with 90.

Kevin Howarth Memorial Shoot Mickley Hall Sat 9^th October      This will be 100 bird ESP competition. There are 4 squads at 10am and 12.30pm. Entry fee is £40 with all proceeds going to the North West Air Ambulance. High gun will win £50 and 200 practice clays to use at Mickley Hall. 

 

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6-8 May English Open ESK Dartford CSC Congratulation to Isabel Cartlidge for coming 3^rd in ladies and 1^st in Colts. Tremendous achievement. 

29^th May Cheshire DTL Team Selection Holmes Chapel SG Congratulation to Chris Bushell for the highest Cheshire score of the day with 100/296, 1st in A class and Veterans. Following closely were a trio, all with the same score of 99/291 Andy Pownall, Adam Myers, and Paul Sant. Andy Pownall was also 3^rd in A class and Adam Myers 1^st in B class. Robert Gallagher was 2^nd in B class with 98/290. Toby Hurstfield was 1^st in Colts on 96/284. Jeanette Bushell was 1^st in Ladies with 95/279. Jane Hitchmough was 2^nd in Ladies on 94/274, and Sarah Milroy 3^rd in Ladies with 94/272.      

10^th 11^th 12^th June DTL Weekend Bywell SG.  Friday, Sponsors Day, with an entry of 270 there was going to be stiff competition. Not least from Mr Paul Chaplow who shot another perfect 100/300. Scoring was close when Geoff Howlett and Chris Moule both finished with 100/298, and after a shoot off Geoff Howlett was declared runner up and Chris Moule third. Highest Cheshire score was Peter Richards with a brilliant 99/291. Hot on his heels was John Barnett on 98/288. Then Paul Sant with 96/282, Peter Relph 96/276, and Robert Gallagher 91/269. Highest scoring Cheshire Lady was Jane Hitchmough 86/252, then Emma Percival 87/249, and Diana Barnett with 86/248.  

Saturday, Dougall Memorial. This was the biggest entry of the weekend with 348 competitors. High gun was Elis Jones (Wales) on 100/299, second was Paul Chaplow 100/297, and third Tom Robinson (Cumbria)100/295. First in Colts was Toby Hurstfield with 95/277, congratulations Toby. Paul Sant was the highest scoring Cheshire shooter with 99/287. Then came Peter Relph on 97/280 and Peter Richards on 95/279. Robert Gallagher was the highest scoring Cheshire Veteran with 93/271, closely followed by fellow Veteran Edd Furber on 95/269. Highest scoring Chershire Ladies were Jeanette Bushell 86/246, Emma Percival 82/236, and Jane Hitchmough 79/233. Well done to you all.

Sunday, English Open DTL. Rob Hall (York) was high gun with 100/299, runner up after soot off was Richard Greenlaw 99/297, and third Emma Holden 99/297 (Lanc). Toby Hurstfield was 2^nd in Colts with 94/277, congratulations Toby. Highest scoring Cheshire shooters were Paul Sant with 99/288, Toby Hurstfield on 94/277, and Peter Relph with 95/277. Following closely were Peter Richards 94/274 and Robert Gallagher 92/272. Also shooting well were Jeremy Frith, John Barnett and David Hurstfield. Highest scoring Cheshire Ladies were Jane Hitchmough on 90/254, Diana Barnett with 85/245, and Sarah Millroy on 84/244.

England DTL Team  Toby Hustfield has been made Captain of the England Junior Team, selected for the European Team, and been asked to be a member of the England Junior Team for the World DTL Championships in South Africa. Peter Relph and Paul Sant have been selected for England Veterans DTL Team to shoot in the Home International, and Paul Sant also to shoot in the European Champioships. Both competitions are in Northern Ireland on the 13^th14^th15^th July. Paul Sant has also been asked to shoot for England at the World Champioships in South Africa.

18^th Jun ESK County Championship North Wales S S Overcast and blustery conditions greeted the competitors, and it made the scoring lower than expected. Christian Bethell is our new County Champion scoring 95 and first in AA class. Just one behind on 94 was Isabel Cartildge, our new Ladies Champion. Following closely with 93 was Jim Wagstaff our new Veterans Champion and first in B class. We needed a shoot off to decide Seniors Champion, between Ian Cunliffe and Steve Lawrenson, both finishing on 93. Ian Cunliffe came out victorious. Congratulations to you all.

England ESK Team We are pleased to announce that Christian Bethell and Isabel Cartlidge have been selected to shoot for England in the Home Internationals later this year. Congratulations to you both.

 

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23^rd Apr UTR Cheshire Championship Fauxdegla SG.  Mark Wright was high gun and Cheshire Champion with a magnificent 91. Following closely was Andy Pownall on 89 for first in Super Vets. Next was Mike Faux with 88 for first in Vets. David O’Donnell is Seniors Champion with 87. Well done to all that took part.

24^th Apr UTR West Mids Area Inter County Championship Fauxdegla SG. Mark Wright was Cheshire high gun again, second in B class and third in Vets, this time with 88. Following closely were Mike Faux on 87 and David O’Donnell with 86. Miles Machin on 82. Andy Pownall and Robert Gallagher on 81. It was a brilliant team performance with Cheshire winning the Silver Medal.     Well done to you all.

30^th Apr OTR Cheshire Championship Fauxdegla SG.   Eleven Cheshire shooters took part in the Cheshire OT Championship today. Junior, Tom Watson was High Gun with a solid 92 x 100. Mark Wright and Andy Pownall shared runner up spot with 90. Mark Wright is Men’s High Gun, Andy Pownall Vets High Gun, Hazel Denney was Ladies High Gun, and Tom Watson also took the juniors trophy.

30^th Apr ESP Selection Shoot Mickley Hall. Two shooters shared first place. Scott Barnett was first in AAA class and Steve Randles first in AA class both with 91. It was then very close with Carl Vickers second in AA class with 87. Edward Wilkinson second in A class also on 87. Guy Robinson third in AA class and first Vet on 86. David Sutton and Ian Morris on 84. Nigel Lane second in vets and Ed Morris first in Juniors both on 82. Miles Machin was third in vets with 81, and Tom Lowe on 80.  Fern Lancaster and Harvey Blake were joint first in Colts with 74. Jack Pickering was second junior with 65. Karen Hall was second in Ladies. Well done to you all.

8^th May ESP Selection Shoot Kingsley Moor SG. There was a big turnout for this one with a total entry of 114, 35 of which were from Cheshire. Mark Dale was Cheshire high gun with 95 and first in A class. Next was Nick Beavis with 93 and third in AAA class. Miles Machin was first in Vets on 92. Ed Morris scored 91 for first in Juniors.  Lucy Earl was second in Juniors and first in Ladies with 86, also scoring 86 were Ian Morris and Ian Stubbs. Fern Lancaster scored 65 for second in Colts and third in Ladies.

15^th May All Round West Mids Individual and Inter Counties Championship Fauxdegla SG Jack Rowley (Staff) is the West Midlands Champion with 97. Mark Oakley scored 92 to win the Silver medal. Tony Dean won Veterans Gold, and Miles Machin Veterans Bronze. Lucy Earl won Ladies Silver and Hazel Denney Ladies Bronze. Turning to the Inter County competition, Cheshire came 2^nd in Seniors, 2^nd in Veterans, and Ladies came first. Well done to you all.

Tony Dean shooting for Team GB. Tony Dean was on the England Team again recently at the World English Sporting Championships in San Antonio, Texas, and contributed to a team Bronze, on some testing sporting layouts. He’s also just been confirmed for the Great Britain Team to compete at the European Compak Championships in Spain next month. A busy and fruitful start to the season. Congratulations Tony!

Forthcoming Dates.

24^th July DTL Selection shoot + Cheshire Champ Holmes Chapel SG

24^th July ESP Selection shoot + Cheshire Champ Catton Hall SG

30^th July Helice ZZ West Mids Individ and Inter Counties Garlands SG

31^st July OSK West Mids Individ and Inter Counties Gloucester SG

6^th/ 7^th Aug ABT West Mids Individ and Inter Counties Garlands SG

 

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26 Mar FITASC Sporting Westfield SG West Mids Area Individual and Inter County Championship Area Champion was Julian Morris from Her + Worc with 92. Cheshire’s high gun was Miles Machin on 87, winning Vets Gold and joint Bronze medal overall, tremendous shooting Miles. Following closely was Fred Whitehurst with 84. Scott Barnet and Steve Randles both with 81, Steve was third in B Class. Others shooting well on the day were Edward Wilkinson 77, Andrew Jones 73, Ian Cunliffe 72 and Guy Robinson on 71. Janet Gornall won Ladies Silver. Cheshire came third in the Inter County Championship, well done to you all.

2 Apr DTL Team Selection Shoot North of England CTC Cheshire’s joint high guns were David Hurstfield and Chris Bushel both with 98/290 and joint second in A Class. Then Edd Furber on 99/289 for third in A class. It’s lovely to see John Barnett back on top form with 99/288. Followed closely by L Furber 99/286. Also on 99/286 was Paul Sant. First in Colts was Toby Hurstfield with 96/282. Mark Warburton scored 95/281, and Ian Kippax 93/269. Top Cheshire Ladies were Sarah Milroy 90/264, Diana Barnett 90/262, Jeanette Bushell 82/242, and Nicola Booth 82/237. Well done to you all.  

3 Apr ESK Third Selection Shoot Nottingham SG. Isabel Cartlidge was our high gun with 96, next came Jim Wagstaff with 93, Colin Babcock on 92, Maurice Cunningham 90 and Steve Lawrenson 89.

10 APR DTL West Mids Area Individual Championship Holmes Chapel SG Chris Bushel l is this year’s Champion, Gold overall, first in A class and Veterans Gold with 100/295. Peter Relph took Bronze overall on 99/294. Following closely was Geoffrey Rogers with 99/291 for Veterans Bronze. Jane Hitchmough scored 96/284 to win Ladies gold. Toby Hurstfield won Junior gold with 94/277. A shoot off was needed to decide the Silver and Bronze overall between S Gardener and P Relph. Unfortunately Pete dropped a target and Shaun a barrel. But Cheshire shooters were on top spot in all the categories. Brilliant result Cheshire.

18 APR ESP Catton Hall SG Cheshire shooters were out in force over the Ester weekend. There was a great turnout and lots of high scores. Carl Vickers, Miles Machin, Nicholas Beavis and Ian Stubbs all finished on 94. Carl was top Cheshire Senior and joint second in AA class. Miles was joint top Veteran and joint second in AA class. Nicholas was second in AAA class. Ian was joint top Veteran and joint second in AA class. Also on top form were Albert Moss, Mr P G Twist, Mark Oakley, and Nigel Lane all with 90. Lucy Earl won Juniors and second in Ladies with 85. Eddie Morris was second Junior on 83. Fern Lancaster won Colts and third in Ladies with 78. Congratulations to you all.  

24 APR ESK Fourth Selection Shoot + West Mids Individual Championship Doveridge. Isabel Cartlidge was our high gun again, this time with 95. She is also West Midlands Colts and Ladies Champion, well done Isabel. Following closely was Colin Babcock on 93. Next came Jim Wagstaff on 91 for third in West Midlands Veteran. Also on 91 was Christian Bethell then Jacqui Slater with 82.

Forthcoming Dates

29 May DTL Selection Shoot Holmes Chapel SG

4 Jun ESP Ladies CSL Manchester SG

18 Jun ESK Selection Shoot NWSS

26 Jun SKD  County + West Mids Area Championship Doveridge CS

2 Jul OT West Mids Individual + Inter County Championship Fauxdegla SG.

2 Jul ESP Ladies CSL Fauxdegla SG

3 Jul ESP Selection Shoot Garlands SG

24 Jul ESP Selection Shoot Catton Hall SG

 

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ESP Second Selection Shoot Catton Hall 27^th Feb. Congratulations go to Fred Whitehurst for High Gun on the day and first in AAA Class with a tremendous 98. Following closely was Carl Vickers on 96 for first in AA Class. Next were Nicholas Beavis and Steve Randles both with 94. Top Veteran was Miles Machin on 89. Best scoring Lady was Kerry Oakley with 87, joint second in Ladies were Amy Bratt and Rebecca Ball. Lucy Earl was top Junior with 78, and Fern Lancaster was top Colt. There was a tremendous turnout of fifty seven Cheshire shooters, thank you all for coming.

ESP Third Selection Shoot Mickley Hall 5^th March Carl Vickers took the High Gun today with 93, and first in AA Class. Steve Randles was second on 90 and second in AA Class. Ian Cunliffe was first in A Class with 87 and Ian Stubbs was first Veteran also on 87. Lucy Earl was top Junior with 78 and Henry Trevelyan was top Colt on 71. Top Lady was Rebecca Ball on 65, a close second was Hazel Denny with 64.

Cheshire CSPA AGM Catton Hall 9^th March. Twenty three Cheshire shooters attended. We learned that membership of the CPSA is growing well, it now has over 22,500 members, of those 500 live in Cheshire. The Chairman and Team Managers gave their reports. It was decided that we would still support North West Air Ambulance as our chosen charity. We then had the award presentations and election of Officers for the forthcoming year. The Team Managers, Officers and committee member’s names will all be published on our website.  We are looking for initiatives in 2022 to get more participation in County competitions. 

CPSA Awards Night 12^th March. Congratulations to Cheshire shooters, Isabel Cartlidge for winning Young Shot of the Year, and Toby Hurstfield for runner up. Both shooters have had an outstanding year of results.   

ESK Fist Selection Shoot Nottingham SG 13^th March. Isabel Cartlidge was shooting in the morning, despite being at the CPSA awards ceremony till late the night before. Jim Wagstaff and Colin Babcock shared the high gun honours, both with 93, exceptional shooting considering the conditions. Jack Hope finished on 91, with Stephen Lawrenson and Isabel Cartlidge both on 90. Well done to all that made the trip.

DTL Second Selection Shoot Fauxdegla SG 20^th March. It was much calmer weather this Sunday than last, and it showed in the scoring with two shooters scoring 100s and four scoring 99s. A total of fifty one shooters attended, including fifteen from Cheshire. Congratulations go to Peter Richards for scoring 100/292 great shooting, Cheshire high gun and first in A Class. Following closely were Paul Sant with 98/290 and Ian Kippax on 98/289 who was first in B Class and top Veteran. Then Edd Furber  with 97/288. Toby Hurstfield was first in Colts with 99/288. Top Lady shot was Emma Percival on 91/261 and Second in Ladies was Jeanette Bushell on 81/232. The shoot was well attended, thank you all for coming.

ESK Second Selection Shoot North Wales SS 26^th March. Colin Babcock was our high gun with 97 great shooting Colin. Also scoring well were Jim Wagstaff on 95 and Jack Hope with 92.

Cheshire ABT Championship Fauxdegla 26^th March. Many thanks to Fauxdegla for staging the Cheshire ABT Championship once again.  In weather that can only be described as “glorious”, and with superb target presentation, scores were high throughout the day. Mike Faux took the championship with a strong score of 97. There was a tie for Veterans trophy between Mark Wright and Andy Pownall both on 95; after countback Mark became Vets HG. Three other Cheshire shooters posted scores of 90+, which bodes well for the performance of county fast trap teams this season.

Forthcoming Dates:

30^th Apr ESP Team Selection Shoot, Mickley Hall SS

8^th May ESP Team Selection Shoot, Kingsley Moor SG

14^th May ESK Team Selection Shoot, North Wales SS

29^th May DTL Team Selection Shoot, Holmes Chapel SG

 

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Fauxdegla Shooting Ground. Fauxdegla has a range of major competitions planned for this year. They are so far, British Open UT on the 7^th/8^th May. Blaser World All Round on the 15^th May (TBC). DTL 300 Grand Prix 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th June. UK OT Championships 11^th and 12^th June. World ABT on the 16^th/17^thJuly.  UT / OT Challenge Cup 13^th/14^th August.  Please check with the ground to get full details.

Cheshire Team Selection Shoots.  The dates and venues are now on our website, and here under “Forthcoming Dates”. If you are interested in shooting for Cheshire please contact the relevant Team Manager to register your interest. 

Shotgun Certificate Renewal Issues. Some shooters are experiencing long delays with their certificate renewals. There is an article on the CPSA website, dated 1^st Feb that gives a lot of advice. Please see their website, or contact the CPSA directly. However, as long as you have submitted a valid renewal application at least eight weeks before your certificate is due to expire, you will automatically be granted an eight week extension. Your application will only be classed as valid and complete if you have also paid the renewal fee and supplied the obligatory medical form signed and stamped by your GP at least eight weeks before your certificate expires. You are advised to contact your GP surgery at least three to four months before expiry of your certificate to ensure you get the signed medical form in good time to submit your renewal application early enough to benefit from the automatic extension.

ESP Team Selection Shoot Kingsley Moor SG 13^th February. The ESP Team selection shoots have now started and this was the first one of seven. Congratulations to Scott Barnett with 91, the highest score from Cheshire. A close second was Miles Machin with 90. Also scoring well were Edward Wilkinson, Guy Robinson, Edward Harrison, Neil Waterman and Nigel Lane all with scores in the eighties. Highest scoring Lady and Junior on the day were Amy Bratt and Lucy Earl, both with 81. A total of eighteen Cheshire shooters braved the wet and windy conditions to do their best. Well done to you all.

DTL Team Selection Shoot Holmes Chapel 27^th February. It was a very sunny day with a good breeze to test everyone. From a total field of eighty two, twenty seven Cheshire shooters were competing for a place in the team. Highest scoring Cheshire Shooters were, in Seniors, Paul Sant, with 99/293. Top Veteran score was John Yarwood on 98/292. Also scoring well was Toby Hurstfield with 96/283 and first in Colts. Top scoring Lady was Sarah Milroy on 91/267 and first in Ladies. Following closely was Emma Percival with 91/264 for second in Ladies.  

Ladies Clay Shooting League. A full season of events is planned for this year. The first event was on the 5^th March at Catton Hall, and there will be one event each month through to October. The next event is at Mickley Hall on the 2^nd April. Please check the website for full details. www.ladiesclayshootingleague.co.uk

Clubmans Event. The clubmans event will be run again this year. Designed as an introduction for A, B, and C class shooters to inter county competition, and aimed as a way to ensure all levels of shooter are included as part of the inter counties set up. The event will test teams of mixed classes against each other. Full details are available on our website, https://sites.cpsa.co.uk/cheshire.

Forthcoming Dates

26^th Mar ESK Team Selection Shoot, NWSS

3^rd Apr ESK Team Selection Shoot, Nottingham S G

3^rd Apr DTL Team Selection Shoot, North of England CTC

24^th Apr ESK Team Selection Shoot, Doveridge S G

30^th Apr ESP Team Selection Shoot, Mickley Hall S S

8^th May ESP Team Selection Shoot, Kingsley Moor S G

14^th May ESK Team Selection Shoot, North Wales S S

29^th May DTL Team Selection Shoot, Holmes Chapel S G

10,11,12^th Jun DTL Weekend/Selection Shoots, Bywell S G

12^th Jun ESP Team Selection Shoot, Redhall S G

 

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Cheshire CPSA AGM. Will be held at Catton Hall Shooting Ground, on Wednesday 9^th March 2022, and all being well we plan to return to our usual format with refreshments and award presentations. Start time is 7pm for 7.30pm.

Cheshire Shooters nominated for CPSA Awards. Several Cheshire shooters have been nominated, and made it through as finalists for this year’s CPSA awards.  In the Category “Young Shot of the Year”, Isabel Cartlidge and Toby Hurstfield are finalists. Both have had an amazing year of success winning many medals at County, Regional and National level. We are very proud of them. In the Category “Coach of the Year”, Becky McKenzie is a finalist. Becky has helped us by coaching the Lady’s Clay Shooting League, we are very grateful to her. We wish all the finalists well.

A Year in the life of Mike Faux. Mike said that 2021 had been a challenging year, to put it mildly. Not only on a personal level, but also on a business level. Determination and hard work prevailed. Mike used the quiet time of the lockdown to build a new Sport Trap and DTL layout at the far end of the ground. This will enable him to host two different discipline competitions at the same time. Further developments are planned, and recently the entrance has been enhanced with a new stone wall and the road resurfaced.

Mike reminisced getting excited about travelling to meet the Cheshire Chairman at that time and receive his first County badge to shoot for Cheshire. How things can change from being a sporting shooter. Already achieving the accolade of shooting DTL for England in the past, Mike decided to set his goals to achieve the same in all trap disciplines. Olympic Trap was the first in 2018. Then came ABT in 2019. But 2021 was his best year ever, achieving the following. An England Team place in Olympic Trap, winning the overall individual Senior Gold at the Home Internationals in August, and the overall Senior team Gold. At the English Open Olympic Trap in July, at East Yorkshire CSG he won Veterans Silver. At the British Open Universal Trap he won Senior Gold. The highlight of Mike’s year was to be a member of the Great Britain Team at the World Universal Trap Championships in Malaga, Spain. He achieved a personal best of 5 x 24s from 8 rounds and a Senior Team Bronze Medal.  Mike’s year has been rounded off by being mentioned in the CPSA Top Shots list, 19^th Overall and 2^nd in Vets for Olympic Trap, congratulations Mike, an incredible year. Picture Below

Cheshire Shooters  in the CPSA Top Shots 2021 This year ten Cheshire shooters have featured in the list. They are for DTL Toby Hurstfield, 3^rd in Colts. In ESP Tony Dean, 9^thin Vets. Fern Lancaster  8^th in Colts. For Olympic Trap, Mike Faux 19^th Overall, and 2^nd in Vets. Paul Culverwell 6^th in Vets. F D Thornley 8^th in Super Vets. For ABT David O’Donnell 16^th Overall. For FITASC Scott Barnett 17^th Overall. In Compac Sporting Tony Dean 12^th Overall and 2^nd in Vets. Andrew Jones 1^st in Super Vets. For ESK Isabel Cartlidge 6^th Lady and 1^st in Colts. Congratulation to you all.

Cheshire Team Selection Shoots. Your team managers are working hard behind the scenes to arrange this year’s selection shoots, so that there are no clashes across the different disciplines. The dates and venues will be published ASAP on our website, and here under “Forthcoming Dates”. If you are interested in shooting for Cheshire please contact the relevant Team Manager to register your interest. 

 

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18^th Sept Home International DTL Fauxdegla SG. Teams from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Wales attended, mostly with a full complement of categories. Confidence was particularly high in the 40 strong England team. Overall High Gun was Chris Moule with 100/296. At the end of the day it was a clean sweep for the England team, winning in all categories. Cheshire shooters in the England team were, Chris Bushell, Toby Hurstfield, Paul Sant, and Peter Relph.

25^th / 26^th September National Inter Counties DTL Nottingham and DGC. The high gun was Martin Jeminson (York) with 100/300. Top scorers on the Saturday were Cheshire’s Peter Relph and Lincolnshire’s John Winn with 100/296. Cheshire sent a team in all four categories. It was overcast and tricky conditions. The Senior team had a great day even though we averaged a fantastic 292.2 which gave us the runners up position. Unfortunately none of the other teams were placed. I’d like to thank all of the Cheshire DTL shooters that have helped/given their time etc, to shoot all over the place this year. Let’s hope that we can have an even better year next year! If there are any Cheshire young shots interested in DTL please contact David Hurstfield at Holmes Chapel Shooting Ground. Here’s to next year!! Thanks Dave.

9^th October Kevin Howarth Memorial Shoot, Mickley Hall. It was mild, dry and overcast all day which made it easier to see the targets. Many high scores were posted. The overall high gun was Mike Cashmore (Shrop) with 93. AA Class winners were M Pennington and Steve Randalls with 93. A Class winner was M Cashmore 93. B Class winner R Pennington on 79, and C Class winner S Duckett on 79. It was well attended, and the event ran very smoothly. Eight hundred pounds was raised for our chosen charity, The North West Air Ambulance.

16^th /17^th October ESK National Inter Counties Champioship NCSC Bisley. Twelve teams were contesting the event that ran over two days. The Cheshire team started at 10.30 on Sunday, and when they arrived three shooters had already posted 100 straight, and four had scored 99, so no pressure then.  It was overcast with drizzle but brightened up as the day went on. When the senior team had finished they were in joint third position for most of the day, but slipped out of contention at the end. When the Ladies team of Isabel Cartlidge and Jacqui Slater finished they went straight to the top of the leader board and stayed there all day, winning the Gold medal, five points ahead of their nearest rival. Isabel Cartlidge also won a Gold medal for first in Colts, three points ahead of her nearest rival.

Cheshire CPSA AGM. Will be held at Catton Hall, on Wednesday 9^th March 2022, and all being well we plan to return to our usual format with refreshments and award presentations. Start time is 7pm for 7.30pm.

24^th October Cheshire County 100 Single Barrel Championship. Hi everyone, firstly many thanks to everyone that came today. It wasn’t the best day to be shooting, and we had lots of new faces. High gun was Mr O Collins (Wales) with 95 great shooting Ollie. Cheshire Champion was won by Mr P Relph on 88, men’s Champion was C Bushell with 87, Veterans Champion is Mr A Pownall on 88. Ladies Champion N Both 83 and Juniors Champion T Hurstfield with 83. Many thanks again to all for coming today, and we hope that you still enjoyed your day with us, and we hope to see you again, let’s hope that the weather is a lot better for us. As always many thanks to the staff today. Dave, Helen, Toby and Jane.

31^st October Cheshire County SKD Championship Doveridge Clay Sports. The early starters were hampered by blustery wind and torrential rain, but the weather improved as the day went on. Kevin O’Reilly took the early lead with an amazing 94, and this could not be beaten. He was high gun and Cheshire Champion. Isabel Cartlidge was Junior Champion with 88, Miles Machin was Veterans Champion on 86, and Jacqui Slater Ladies Champion with 80. We needed a shoot off to decide Seniors Champion between Colin Babcock and Ian Cunliffe both on 83. It was decided that this would be a round of Olympic Skeet. Many people joined in just for fun. Both shooters finished the round with the same score. So now it was sudden death on station four. After the first sequence both had the same score, so another sequence was shot, and Ian Cunliffe came out victorious by just one clay. Miles Machin had the highest score on the Olympic Skeet and was awarded County Champion.

 

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30^th Aug ESP Promatic Challenge Kegworth This is a marathon competition of 200 targets. The High Gun was Nick Hendrick (Derby) with 193/200. Top Cheshire shooter was Tony Dean with 184 for second in Veterans, and 1^st in AA Class. Then came Miles Machin and Ian Cunliffe on 174, following closely Steve Randles and Guy Robinson on 173. Kerry Oakley was 1^st in Ladies and Lucy Earl 3^rd in Ladies. Congratulations to you all.

5^th September West Midalnds Inter Counties ESK Doveridge Clay Sports. It was glorious weather today, so no excuses for missing the target. However many shooters shot below par, and nobody managed the 100 straight.  But there was still close competition, requiring a three way shoot off for high gun between Callum Jones and Matthew Morgan from Warwickshire and Paul Tudge from Gloucestershire,  all on 99. Matthew Morgan was victorious. Cheshire Seniors, Ladies, and Veterans were all in a podium position for most of the day. Until the scores from the last County to finish, Warwickshire, came in. This shook things up a bit. With seniors now in joint third, for a Bronze medal with Gloucester. Vets were now out of the running. Our hopes of a gold medal rested with Cheshire Ladies. Now joint first with Derbyshire. Isabel Cartlidge was nominated to represent Cheshire Ladies, and with a brilliant performance won the shoot off. So it was a gold medal for Cheshire Ladies. Our Seniors team has a new member in Steve Lawrenson, Colin Babcock presented him with his County badge. Congratulations Steve. We are now looking forward to the National Inter Counties at Bisley, and the County SKD Championship next month.  

5^th Sept, Single Barrel West Midlands Area Individual Championship Fauxdegla. Cheshire shooters made up most of the field and did very well. High Gun and Gold Medal on the day was Chris Moule (H and W) with 98. John Tennison scored 95 to win Bronze overall and Gold in Veterans, and John Barnett won Silver in Veterans. Toby Hurstfield won Gold in Juniors. Diana Barnett won Gold in Ladies, and Jane Hitchmough won Silver in Ladies. Congratulations to you all.

10^th Sept Single Barrel English Open and British Open East Yorkshire SG. In the English Open Chris Moule (H and W) won with 100. Congratulations to Toby Hurstfield who shot 92 to win Colts High Gun. In the British Open John Winn (Linc) won with 99, after a two way shoot off. Not far behind was john Barnett with 97 for 2^nd in Veterans. Hot on his heels was Toby Hurstfield on 96 to win Colts High Gun. Congratulations to you all.

11^th Sept Double Rise English Open, 12^thSept Double Rise British Open  East Yorkshire Clay S G The English Open was won by Paul Turner (Lanc) with 96. Cheshire shooters were David Hurstfield with 82. Peter Relph on 81, Toby Hurstfield with 80 and winning Colts, Jane Hitchmough on 78, winning C class and Ladies. The British Open was won by  Marty Smith (Linc) on 97. Top scoring Cheshire shot was John Barnett with 90 winning Silver in Veterans, next came Toby Hurstfield on 88 winning Colts. Then Peter Relph with 84. Tom Roberts won Bronze in Juniors with 78. Congratulations to you all.

11^th Sept Home Internationals ESP Achterhouse. Congratulation to Cheshire shooters Tony Dean, Scott Barnett and Fred Whitehurst, all put in a great performance. Scott was High Gun overall, Tony was top Veteran and Fred was top Junior. England Seniors team came first, England Veterans team came first, and England Juniors team came first. We think that this is the first time 3 Cheshire shooters have represented England at the English Sporting Home International.  

 

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25^th July DTL Cheshire County Championship Holmes Chapel SG. What an amazing day, with 32 shooters competing for the prizes, and the weather was great to help. High gun was a fantastic result with two shooters both on 100/299, congratulations to Mr P Greenwood (Lanc) and Mr R J Collins (Wal) who shared £95. Cheshire County Champion was T Warburton just one point behind with 100/298 and 1^st in A class. Men’s Champion P Relph on 100/296 and 3^rd in AA class, Ladies Champion J Bushell 283, Junior Champion T Hurstfield 286. Joint Veterans Champions on the day were A Pownall and P Thomas 294. Congratulations to you all.

25^th July ESP Cheshire County Championships Catton Hall SG. There was a great turn out for this one with forty five shooters taking part. Steve Randles is Cheshire County Champion, and 1^st in AA class with a brilliant 97. Seniors Champion, and 1^st in B class is Tom Lowe on 92. Veterans Champion is Michael Holland on 93. Ladies and Juniors Champion is Lucy Earl. Congratulations to you all.

1^st August DTL West Midlands Inter Counties Team Championships Nottingham. It was a great day for Cheshire’s DTL shooters picking up many prizes. The seniors team of T Warburton, J Barnett, P Sant, P Relph, J Frith and E Furber won Silver. The seniors team of D Hurstfield, C Bushell, P Richards, P Thomas, and J Hitchmough won Bronze. The Veterans team of K Waters, M Warburton, and J Tennison won Silver. Hitting the Gold medal spot for the Ladies were N Booth, J Bushell and S Milroy. It was also a Gold medal performance for our juniors with T Hurstfield, and J Thomas. Congratulations to you all.

8^th August British Open Skeet Doveridge. Congratulations to Isabel Cartlidge for coming 3^rd in Colts.

22^nd August OT Cheshire County Championship, West Midlands Area Individual Championship and West Midlands Area Inter Counties Fauxdegla SG. On a misty Sunday morning in late August the Cheshire OT team assembled at Fauxdegla.  A contingent of Irish shooters had made their way from the Home International held the previous day at Griffin Lloyd. Mike Faux had driven through the night and Fred Thornley made an early start.  David O’Donnell is our new County Champion, and high gun on the day with a magnificent score of 90. Congratulations David. Veterans Champion is Mike Faux on 88, Super Veterans Champion is Andrew Pownall on 78. Seniors Champion is Ian Cunliffe with 69. Ladies Champion Hazel Denney. In the West Midlands Individual Championship overall, David O’Donnell won Gold, and Mike Faux Bronze. In the Veterans section Mike Faux won Gold and Miles Machin Silver. In the Inter Counties competition it was close, Cheshire won Gold with 402, Gloucester won Silver with 393, and Warwickshire won Bronze with 387. We thank them all for their contribution and congratulations to David O’Donnell on making the England ABT Team.  

 England call ups for Cheshire Shooters. Tony Dean, Fred Whitehurst and Scott Barnett have all been selected to shoot for England in the ESP Home International at Achterhouse Country Sports on 11^th Sept. Scott Barnett has also been selected to shoot for England in the FITASC sporting Home International at Glamis Castle on 25^th Sept. Congratulations to you all.

2^nd October Mickley Hall S S Ultimate Pheasant Flush. A one day competition, winner takes all. 25 target flush, shot on your own! No need to book, just turn up on the day! £25 for 1 round, £40 for 2 rounds, £70 for 4 rounds. Winner overall gets a 12G shotgun.

Forthcoming Dates

2^nd Oct Mickley Hall S S The Ultimate Pheasant Flush.

10^th October Westfield S G West Mids Area Individual Sportrap Championship.

16^th Oct Mickley Hall S S Demo Day.

SKD County Championship TBA

 

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26^th & 27^th June Cheshire ESK Team Selection Shoots Fauxdegla Shooting Ground. It was overcast with a cool breeze when twelve Cheshire skeet shooters arrived at Fauxdegla on Saturday.  Ian Cunliffe set the early pace with a 25 straight on the first round. As the day went on the weather brightened up a little and the breeze freshened making it harder for the later starters. Ian held his nerve, and his performance to finish with a magnificent 98, high gun, and first in A class. Congratulations Ian. Also shooting well were Kevin O’Reilly on 94, and Isabel Cartlidge on 94, for first in Ladies, first in Colts, and joint first in B class. What a great day for Isabel. Following closely was Hazel Denney with 93 for second in Ladies and third in B class. The weather forecast was noticeably better for Sunday, but it did not turn out like that, it was still overcast. A small but dedicated group returned to do battle. Top Cheshire shot was Colin Babcock with 96 (just two away from high gun), hot on his heels was Jim Wagstaff with 95. We would like to say a big thank you to Mike, Debbie and the team for looking after us. The ground was in immaculate condition and everything ran very smoothly.

27^th June Cheshire UT County Championship Fauxdegla Shooting Ground. Also making the trip to Fauxdegla today were six Cheshire trap shooters. First round leader was Andy Pownall with 22, a close second was Mark Wright with 21. These two men battled it out for the lead all the way, with Mark getting a 25 straight on the second round. Then it was very close right to the end, with Mark winning just by two targets. Congratulations Mark.

In form Cheshire Shooter Mike Faux. Mike is enjoying a great run of form at the moment. On the 5^th and 6^th June at his home ground of Fauxdegla, Mike won Senior Men Bronze in Olympic Trap. Still at Fauxdegla, but now shooting Universal Trench in the British Open on 12^th and 13^th June, Mike won Senior Gold. Moving over to East Yorkshire Clay Shooting Ground on the 19^th and 20^th June for the British Shooting Shotgun Series, Mike was back shooting Olympic trap. Scoring very well with 116/125 he was in a sudden death shoot off for a place in the grand final, but missed out by just one target.  Giving Mike stiff competition on the day were Steve Scott and Ed Ling amongst others. An excellent performance Mike, keep it going.  Just announced on Sunday 4^th July, Mike has been selected to shoot for Great Britain in Universal Trench at the World Championships in Spain.

In form Cheshire Shooter Paul Culverwell. Also at Fauxdegla in the Olympic Trap on the 5^th and 6^th June was Paul Culverwell, shooting 178/200 for Veterans Gold and first in C class. Congratulations Paul. 

11^th July Cheshire ESK Team Selection Shoot and Cheshire Championship Fauxdegla Shooting Ground. The action started at 10am in cool, overcast conditions. Isabel Cartlidge and Jim Wagstaff set the early pace, each with a 25 straight. The weather improved as the day went on and so did the scoring, with many more 25 straights being posted. Christian Bethell was crowned Cheshire Champion and High Gun with a magnificent 97. A shoot off was needed between Ian Cunliffe and Colin Babcock to decide Seniors, and between Jack Hope and Kevin O’Reilly to decide Veterans, all had finished with 94. Colin Babcock won by just one clay, and so did Jack Hope. Ladies and Juniors Champion was Isabel Cartlidge. Congratulations to you all.

11^th July Cheshire ABT Championship Fauxdegla Shooting Ground. Some of Cheshire’s top shooters were shooting both the ESK and the ABT today, a great effort from all concerned. Miles Machin is County Champion with 83, Seniors champion is Mike Sargeson on 80, Veterans Champion Andy Pownall with 82 and Ladies Champion Hazel Denney. Congratulations to you all.

In form Cheshire Shooter Lucy Earl. Congratulations to Lucy for coming runner up in the Lady Junior category, and runner up in C class at the World English Sporting Championship at E J Churchill, over the weekend of 10^th 11^th July. An outstanding performance from Lucy.

 

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England Call Up For Cheshire Shooter. Congratulations to Fred Whitehurst on his England call up. Fred has been picked for the England Team to shoot the CPSA World English Sporting Championship at E J Churchill S G on 6^th to 11^th July. This is Fred’s first cap, we wish him well.

West Midlands Area ESK Individual Championship, Doveridge, 30th May.  Only one 100 straight today and that was Kian Maher (Staff), congratulations to him, High Gun, Gold Medal, and West Midlands Champion. Many Cheshire shooters did very well. Jack Hope, Jim Wagstaff, and Kevin O’Reilly all on 96 were in a six way tie and all received a Bronze Medal. Kevin O’Reilly also won Veteran Gold, and Jack Hope Veteran Silver after a shoot off. Cheshire Ladies swept the board with Isabel Cartlidge winning Gold after a shoot off, with Hazel Denney winning Silver (both on 90), and Lucy Earl winning Bronze. Isabel Cartlidge also won Juniors Silver, and Lucy Earl Juniors Bronze. Congratulations to you all. This was an important shoot as it was also our first Cheshire ESK Team selection shoot.

North Wales Shooting School 12th June 2nd ESK Team Selection Shoot. The weather was dry and bright but the blustery winds made the targets unpredictable. This did not phase Kevin O’Reilly who shot a magnificent 97, for high gun and first in A class, congratulations Kevin. A close second with 95 was Ian Cunliffe, and third Colin Babcock. Junior high gun was James Barnett on 94, Ladies high gun and first in B Class was Hazel Denney also on 94.  Our next selection shoots are at Fauxdegla Shooting Ground on the 26^th and 27^th June, and 11^th July. 

Bywell Shooting Ground  DTL Weekend 11^th, 12^th, and 13^th June. This weekend is made up of three separate events, with around 300 competitors each day. Eley sponsor the first day, and provide 4000 cartridges each day in prizes, their team were on hand to answer questions and speak to shooters. It was a breezy day for all the competitors. Tom Robinson (Cumb) took overall High Gun on 99/297. Highest scoring Cheshire shooters were Pete Relph and David Hurstfield both on 97/285. Well done to you both. Highest placed Cheshire shooter was Toby Hurstfield, 2^nd in Colts with 93/268 congratulations Toby.

On Saturday it was the Dougall Memorial which is one of the oldest DTL competitions, going back to 1896. A breezy start with glorious sunshine greeted the competitors. Paul Turner (Lanc) took High Gun with 100/300. Highest scoring Cheshire shooter was L Fuber on 99/291 well done. Highest placed Cheshire shooter was Toby Hurstfield 1^st in Colts with 96/281 congratulations Toby.

On Sunday it was the English Open DTL Championship. Over 35 prizes and 20 trophies were available. Overall High Gun was Daniel Hudson (Devon) with the only 100/300 of the day.  Highest scoring Cheshire shooter was Paul Sant with 98/289, well done Paul. Highest placed Cheshire shooter was Toby Hurstfield 1^st in Colts with 96/280 congratulations Toby. A wonderful weekend for Toby with three podium finishes. What a talent.

Olympic Trap U K Championships Fauxdegla Shooting Ground 5^th and 6^th June. Congratulations to Cheshire shooter Paul Culverwell for winning Veterans Gold and first in C class. Also competing in this event were David O’Donnell and Mike Faux.

Mickley Hall Shooting School Douglas Macmillan Charity Day Sat 31^st July. This will run from 10am to 5pm. There is no competition, like our normal charity days we will just be open for practice, but for EVERY person who shoots on the day, Mickley Hall Shooting School are going to donate £1 per person to the Macmillan Hospice charity! We will also have a raffle at £1 for a strip of tickets and onsite catering will be available to buy all day with the proceeds going to the charity! If anyone has any items that they would like to donate for the raffle, please bring them along.

England call up for Cheshire DTL shooters. On Sunday 27^th June ten of Cheshire’s DTL shooters attended a selection shoot at Brook Bank Shooting Ground in Somerset. After the shoot there was a presentation of caps for the England DTL Team. Our successful shooters are, for the Veterans team, Paul Sant, Seniors team Peter Relph and Chris Bushell, Junior team member and Juniors Team Captain Toby Hurstfield. Congratulations to all of the Cheshire shooters involved, and we look forward to seeing you all trying again next year!

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Our Chairman Miles Machin now Deputy Chairman of the CPSA Board of Directors. We extend our warm congratulations to Miles Machin in his new role. Miles will continue to serve as the West Midlands Region Director, and also serve as the Chairman of Cheshire CPSA.    

Miles is well known in our sport for his support of grassroots clay-shooting initiatives, including the 2019 CPSA Development Initiative of the Year winner, the Ladies Clay Shooting League. His involvement in the Cheshire CPSA has led to multiple awards for the county, including three times CPSA County Committee of the Year. He is often seen participating in many CPSA Championships throughout the year, and is a CPSA qualified Instructor. His dedication to the sport is exceptional.  His passion for shooting, and to make the sport excel and improve is always in the forefront of his mind. His willingness to help or advise others when out shooting, is seen every week. It’s also great to see his shooting has gone to another level due to hard work, which also shows his passion for clay shooting. We wish you well Miles, in your new role.

North Wales Shooting School and the environment. NWSS have just received their first load of eco friendly clay targets. Following the recent ban of coal tar pitch clays, market leading manufacturer CCI International has launched its revolutionary  Eco Clay target which is not only kinder on the environment but performs as well as coal tar. Made to ISSF standards, the targets are identical in weight and size to coal tar pitch clays and perform in exactly the same way. After eight years of research and development, experimenting with various different binders, CCI finally opted for a modified natural resin that will future proof the sport of clay shooting. The manager, Mr Jeff Challinor said, we are looking forward to moving our ground over to them, we are the only shooting ground in Wales and the north west using them. To the best of my knowledge the only other grounds using them are E J Churchill and High Lodge.

Cheshire Team Selection Shoots.  The selection shoots are underway now, please keep checking the website in case of any alterations. If in any doubt please contact the Team Manager directly.

Mickley Hall Shooting School. The return of The Eley Grand Prix, running from Thursday 15^thJuly to Saturday 17^thJuly.  The event will be set in open pasture land, and pond woodland areas. It will consist of 100 targets of Super Sporting, over 10 stands, 4 traps per stand, 4 singles, full use of gun, 2 report pairs, 1 simo pair. There will be catering with hot and cold food and drinks. Plenty of room for parking and space for caravans. There is a huge prize pot of over £12,000, and a daily pool shoot with cash prizes. Prizes for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd in AAA/AA/A/B/C classes. Plus prizes for Ladies, Juniors, Vets, and Super Vets. High gun prize is £1000 cash and 1000 Eley cartridges. Also prizes for unclassified shooters and Colts. Bookings are now being taken. Please check their website, or call for full details 0800 772 0058.

Forthcoming dates

26^th June Longthorne Demo Day, Mickley Hall S S.

27^th June West Mids Area Individual SKD Championship, Gloucester S G

11^th Jul Cheshire County ESK Champinonship, Fauxdegla S G

11^th July West Mids Area and Inter County UTR Championship, Rugby and District SG

15^th to 17^th July Eley Grand Prix, Mickley Hall S S.

25^th July Cheshire County DTL Championship, Holmes Chapel S G

25^th July Cheshire County ESP Championship, Catton Hall S G

31^st July Macmillian Charity Day, Mickley Hall S S

1^st Aug  West Mids Area Inter Counties DTL, Nottingham S G

7^th Aug  Zoli Demo Day, Mickley Hall S S

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Easter Monday Catton Hall 100 Reg ESP. This was the first registered event to be run since the easing of lockdown measures. Hand sanitizer, and a one way system in and out of the clubhouse helped keep everyone safe. It was very well attended with 131 entrants. Posting a good score would be difficult with the strong blustery wind and near freezing temperature. Scott Barnett was the top Cheshire shot with joint second place on 93. Fred Whitehurst was close behind on 92, and Nicholas Beavis on 87. A total of 56 Cheshire shooters braved the wintry weather.  The next registered shoots are Sunday 23rd May, Monday 31^st May, and Sunday 27^th June.  

Ladies Clay Shooting League. Our full calendar is now on the website and we are staggering the entry procedure to keep in line with the ever-changing Covid 19 Guidelines.   www.ladiesclayshootingleague.co.uk    We have been really busy and have created an online “Ladies Lifestyle Magazine” for all to enjoy.  It’s jam packed full of articles for Ladies shooting and includes a day in the life of, featured grounds, gorgeous fashion along with shooting extras. This is something we would like to grow, if you have something to offer then let us know and ...be part of it!

West Midlands Area Individual DTL Championship Holmes Chapel Shooting Ground 18^th April. Glorious weather greeted the competitors, and the action started at 9.30am. Things were going very well, but due to an accident on the M6 northbound, which was virtually stationary between 11am and 3pm, several competitors were delayed. The squads were re-jigged, and everyone that was booked in was given a chance to shoot.  Only one shooter managed the perfect straight of 100/300 that was Daniel Price from Hereford and Worcester, West Midlands Champion and a high gun prize of £65. Highest placed Cheshire shooter was Mark Harris in third, after a 3 way shoot off with 100/297. Also flying the flag for Cheshire were John Barnett 2^nd in Vets, and Mark Warburton 3^rd in Vets (and 1^st in B class). It was a clean sweep in the Ladies for Cheshire. First Jane Hitchmough, 2^nd after winning a shoot off Sarah Milroy, and 3^rd Nicola Booth. Second in juniors was Toby Hurstfield. Cheshire shooters dominated A Class with Peter Relph 1^st, John Barnett 2^nd, and Peter Richards 3^rd. Joint second in C Class were J Tennison and J Hitchmough. 

Holmes Chapel Shooting Ground and the environment. Two more DTL ranges have recently been added to the ground and to protect the neighbours from the noise, a wall of straw bales has been built at the far end. The proprietor, Mr David Hurstfield has also been working in collaboration with Gamebore Cartridge Company to produce a cartridge that will also combat any unwanted noise issues. This new cartridge contains a unique powder, exclusive to Gamebore, which reduces the noise significantly but without any detriment to the power or performance. These cartridges are now on sale at the ground and they are available in a 28gram load, plastic wad, shot size 7. They are very low noise, have minimum felt recoil, reduced muzzle flip, and are light in the pocket. Well worth a try. 

Mickley Hall Shooting School. The return of The Eley Grand Prix, running from Thursday 15^th July to Saturday 17^th July. It will consist of 100 targets of Super Sporting, over 10 stands, 4 traps per stand, 4 singles, full use of gun, 2 report pairs, and 1 simo pair. There will be catering with hot and cold food and drinks. Plenty of room for parking and space for caravans. There is a huge prize pot of over £12,000. Prizes for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd in all classes. Plus prizes for Ladies, Juniors, Vets and Super Vets. Also prizes for unclassified shooters and colts. Bookings are now being taken. Please check their website, or call for full details 0800 772 0058.   

Forthcoming dates

ESK 100 Registered North Wales Shooting School, 29^th May.

ESK, West Mids Area Individual Championship, and Cheshire County Selection, Doveridge, 30^th May

ESK Cheshire County Team Selection, North Wales Shooting School, 12^th June.

ABT, West Midlands Area Individual Championship, Rugby, 20^th June.

Mickley Hall Shooting School, Longthorne Demo Day, 26^th June.

 

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Inter County Competitions. It has been decided to run Inter County Competitions this year as well as County Championships. The Team Captains are working hard to arrange dates for selection shoots that do not conflict across the various disciplines. The dates will be published here, as and when available. Please also check our website for  the latest details.

Cheshire DTL Team Selection Shoots. 1) West Midlands Area DTL, Fauxdegla 18/04/21. 2) Holmes Chapel 09/05/21. 3) Nottingham and District TBC. 4) Cheshire DTL Champs, Holmes Chapel 25/07/21. 5) Bywell Weekend 12^th and 13^th June this is not compulsory.                                            West Midlands Inter Counties DTL is at Nottingham 01/08/21. We will be picking the best teams that we can from the above shoots, please do what you can. If you are new to DTL and we don’t know you, and you wish to be considered for selection please let us know.  David Hurstfield 01477 518444, 07841 825307.

Senior team consists of 6 shooters with the best 5 scores to count. Ladies team consists of 3 shooters with the best 2 scores to count, Vets and juniors are the same.

Mickley Hall Shooting School. Are running their Summer Series again this year. Each Thursday starting on the 1^st April. Also 100 Registered competitions on the last Wednesday of the month, starting on the 28^th April. May 1^st is Ladies Clay Shooting League.

Mickley Hall Shooting School. May 22^nd is NHS charity day, and Webley Scott Demo day. 50 Target Re entry Sporting – No need to pre-book – turn up on the day. 1^st card £20 2^nd card £15. BBQ and raffle all day! Proceeds from the shoot will go to the NHS charity!  Full range of guns available to look at and demo, with expert staff on hand to offer advice and information. Anyone who shoots / demos the Webley and Scott will be put into a prize draw for a chance of winning a prize basket. Anyone who orders / buys a Webley and Scott on the day will also receive a FREE Cap, Slip, Mug and Jack Pyke Skeet vest. Good luck to you all.

Mickley Hall Shooting School. The return of The Eley Grand Prix, running from Thursday 15^th July to Saturday 17^th July. It will consist of 100 targets of Super Sporting, over 10 stands, 4 traps per stand, 4 singles, and full use of gun, 2 report pairs, and 1 simo pair. There will be catering with hot and cold food and drinks. Plenty of room for parking and space for caravans.  There is a huge prize pot of over £12,000. Prizes for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd in AAA/AA/B/C classes. Plus prizes for Ladies, Juniors, Vets and super Vets. Also prizes for unclassified shooters and Colts. Bookings are now being taken. Please check their website, or call for full details 0800 772 0058.

Cheshire ESK Team Selection Shoots. It is proposed to have 5 selection shoots, with the best 3 scores to count. Possibly at Doveridge Clay Sports, Fauxdegla Shooting Ground, and North Wales Shooting School. Please keep checking the website for details.

Forthcoming Dates.

FITASC, West Midlands Area Individual and Inter Counties Championship, Westfields, 8^th 9^th May.

ESK, West Midlands Area Individual Championship, Doveridge, 30^th May.

ABT, West Midlands Area Individual Championship, Rugby, 20^th June. 

Mickley Hall Shooting School, Longthorne Demo Day, 26^th June.

SKD, West Midlands Area Individual and Inter Counties Championship, Gloucester, 27^th June.

UTR, West Midlands Area and Inter Counties Championship, Rugby and District, 11^th July. 

Mickley Hall Shooting School, Eley Grand Prix, 15^th July to 17^th July.

ESK, 100 Reg Challenge Cup, Fauxdegla Shooting Ground, £200 prize for high gun, 29^th Aug. 

 

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LADIES CLAY SHOOTING LEAGUE.....be part of it       Sponsored by On The peg Clothing.                                                                                                                 We are delighted to welcome you back with a calendar full of league events starting on Saturday 1^st May 2021 at Mickley Hall Shooting School.                                                                                                    We have 6 league events scheduled there are 5 x ESP and 1 x new event Sport Trap (75 bird). We have increased the ESP events to 80 birds, and you will still have the opportunity of socially distanced coaching on the tricky stands. We are running a one day challenge competition for Skeet and DTL. All ESP and Sport Trap events will be on the first Saturday of the month, the Skeet and DTL will be as advertised, so save the dates in the diary and get booked NOW with your preferred timed squad. Check out our website and social media for the dates and venues as we are still finalising details, to give you all the best experience in the current Covid 19 restrictions.

New to LCSL then join for FREE here at www.ladiesclayshootingleague.co.uk

Email ladiesclayshootingleague@outlook.com

Call Mandy 07808 477044 – Miles 07828 149111

CHESHIRE LADIES ON THE PULL.......Come and have a go!    Saturday 1^st May at Mickley Hall Shooting School. For ladies who would like to have a go at shooting 1 to 1 please see our social media page for booking details and more events. Or contact Mandy 07808477044 and Miles 07828149111.

Isabel Cartlidge....the journey so far. In my primary school years, I was a keen Netball player and thoroughly enjoyed playing Goal Shooter and Goal Attack. I played alongside my identical twin Fern. Unfortunately, or fortunately as my Dad would see it, I had to retire from Netball as my patella’s don’t sit into the grooves of my bones and I was in constant pain so what else would a girl of 10 do to occupy her time ?   I started to go shooting at our local Sunday shoots with my Dad and Uncle Dave, where I had the job of marking the scores. It wasn’t until we visited Premier Guns at Doveridge, looking to purchase a gun for my Dad that we heard about Young Guns. Young Guns is a fantastic way to introduce children to shooting, and that is exactly how I got into it. I got all the information and Dad booked me on for the following Saturday. I was handed a 410, a box of 25 cartridges and headed off to the stands. Steve Owen was the first person to help me and give me lots of encouragement, and still does to this day.  

 After a few months of shooting at Young Guns , we purchased my first gun from Premier Guns, a Yildiz 28 gauge. Once I had my own gun, I was able to participate in the local Sunday Sporting Shoots. I did this for almost a year and in 2018 purchased a new Browning 525 20 gauge and started having  some tuition at Mickley Hall for sporting.

  Although I enjoyed sporting, I found that I really enjoyed shooting English Skeet, so in the summer of 2018 I started to be coached by David Beardsmore as I wanted to reach my full potential.  Things progressed quite slowly as David is very particular on gun fit / mount, eye dominance and most importantly technique. Some lessons I didn’t move from peg 1, none the less I was hooked.  By the end of 2018 I had come a long way and with the help of Premiere Guns and their expert advice we purchased a Beretta 690 black 12 gauge.

Lessons carried on throughout 2019 preparing for the start of 2020 and a possibility of England selection. On 21^st January 2020 I shot my first registered English Skeet competition at Doveridge, I wasn’t overly pleased with my score but I was very pleased that I’d held my nerve and completed the competition at the age of 13. From then on, over the course of the next few weeks I shot 6 more registered shoots from Doveridge, Nottingham, The Priory and East Yorkshire we were well travelled pre COVID-19. Based on my scores, I managed to qualify for England Selection Shoots.

In March 2020 lockdown commenced and I didn’t shoot for almost 3 months ! I couldn’t wait to get back on the shooting range with David. I had my first lesson with David post lockdown and it was like I’d not been away, all those months when I started with David and him installing the techniques certainly paid off.

I shot the Welsh Open at Fauxdegla, finishing 3^rd in Colts, the British Open Skeet at Bisley and then onto the West Midlands Area ESK Championship where I shot 89/100 winning the Ladies and 2^nd in Juniors. My year ended when I was approached by Cheshire CPSA to shoot the National Inter Counties ESK. I shot Junior team event with Lucy Earl coming 2^nd. Individually I shot 97/100 finishing joint 1^st Ladies High Gun, so had to endure my first ever shoot off. I shot 24/25 my opponent shot 22/25 therefore I was placed 1^st Ladies High Gun, and 1^st in Colts.

All of this is possible because of the support I get, not only from my Mum and Dad, but from all my sponsors Premier Guns, Mercury Custom Plugs, Eley Hawk, GMK Ltd, Timberwolf, Spectrum Plant and I can’t thank enough my amazing coach David Beardsmore who has a lot to put up with but always picks up the phone when I need to talk. I would encourage any young girl or boy wanting to give it a go to go and do it.   

 

 

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End Of Year Review 2020. The year started with the AGM being very well attended, and the election of officers and committee members. Shortly afterwards a full programme of events and competitions was published on the website. The team selection shoots had just started when Covid 19 stuck in March, and then three months of lockdown stopped everything. However the restrictions did ease through the summer and into the autumn.  But we were only able to run less than half of our normal competitions and events. Congratulations to all the Cheshire County, Individual trophy winners. Cheshire shooters featured well in the West Midlands Area Individual events of Sportrap, English Sporting, English Skeet, Single Barrel, and Down The Line. Congratulations to you all. No regional Inter Counties events were run this year. But at National Inter Counties level, Cheshire shone again in English Skeet, (Seniors runners up).Down The Line, (Juniors runners up), and All Round, (Seniors gold) with several brilliant individual performances.  A wonderful achievement for you all. Let us hope that 2021 will be a better year.  Happy New Year to everybody.

CPSA Top Shots 2020. Several Cheshire shooters have featured in this year’s list. They are, for, English Skeet, Christian Bethell (SNR 6th), Hazel Denney (LDY 4th), Isabel Cartlidge (LDY 9^th and CLT 3rd).  Down The Line, Emma Percival (LDY 9th), Toby Hurstfield (CLT 2nd), Tom Roberts (JNR 1st). English Sporting, Kerry Oakley (LDY 6th), Fred Whitehurst (JNR 2nd). Congratulations to you all.

Ladies Clay Shooting League. 2020 started so promising with over 40 competitors for the opening event in March at Catton Hall, but that was the only event to run due to the restrictions of Corona virus. The LCSL prides itself on competition and coaching rolled into one spectacular enjoyable experience, and is something that we feel can be done fairly for the benefit of the emerging competitive shooter across the disciplines of ESP DTL and ESK. However, Miles and I felt this format has not been possible to execute in the current restrictive climate and although we were forever hopeful to return to the events during 2020, we succumb to the fact it was an impossible ask. Now in 2021 we are faced with yet another shooting year of uncertainty, but Miles and I are discussing how the LCSL can resume in some format and will be guided by the shooting grounds for their input on the way we need to run events to comply with new Government guidance in the future. We are missing you all, Stay Safe and well Miles and Mandy.  

Covid 19 At the time of going to press, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that on the 22^nd of February, the situation will be reviewed and if circumstances are right some restrictions may be lifted. Let us hope that sports facilities and shooting grounds can open again.

 

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30^th Aug Promatic Sporting Challenge and Cheshire Promatic Shield Kegworth Shooting Ground. Eleven Cheshire shooters competed in this marathon of 100 birds on Saturday and 100 birds on Sunday. The event attracted entrants from all over the country. When all the scores were in, it was Tony Dean on top with 174, Cheshire High Gun, 4^th overall, and first in AA class, what a day for Tony. Congratulations to him, and well done to all those who made the trip over to Kegworth.

13^th Sept West Midlands Area Individual ESK Championship Fauxdegla Shooting Ground. Bright sun shine and a stiff breeze greeted the competitors. A large field of 9 squads did their best in the difficult conditions. The early pace was set by Ian Cunliffe 96, Kevin O’Reilly 95, Miles Machin and Jim Wagstaff each on 94. Very good scores in the difficult conditions. That’s how it stayed for most of the day. However when the scores came in from the last two squads it all changed. Alan Barnes (Derby) was champion with 99, in second place was Kian Maher (Staff) with 98. Then we needed a shoot off between Ian Cunliffe and Martin Walmsley (Staff) both on 96, for 3^rd place. Martin won the shoot off, congratulations to him, and commiserations to Ian. We also needed a three way shoot off to decide Veterans. Kevin O’Reilly, Trevor Lewis and Graham Evans all on 95. It was all very close needing 8 targets to decide the 3 places. Graham Evans won, with Kevin O’Reilly second, and Trevor Lewis third. Cheshire Ladies had a clean sweep with Isabel Cartlidge winning Gold, Lucy Earl Silver and Hazel Denney Bronze.  Isabel Cartlidge also won Junior Silver and Lucy Earl Junior Bronze. Congratulations and well done to you all.

20^th Sept National Inter Counties All Round Championship, Northampton S. G. It was a quiet drive to Northampton, with the trips in the car these days being on one’s own, with the Covid rules in place. But the weather stayed OK for September, and a full senior team was representing Cheshire at the National Inter Counties All round. We were the last squad out for the day, with Nottingham waiting in the wings as the leaders on the scoreboard. Starting on the DTL and then onto the ABT scores were looking good at this stage. We then moved onto the skeet which again went well, moving onto the sporting, last but definitely not least. Again scores were great with three straights, and making our way back to the clubhouse we started to think that National Champions was a possibility. It proved to be the case, taking the title by two clays from Nottingham. But just to top that, Scott Barnett (95) took the overall title, Tony Dean (94) was not only runner up but took the Vets title. Fred Whitehurst (91) took the junior title, so all in all not a bad days work and a great result for Cheshire. Well done to the whole team of Scott Barnett, Tony Dean, Fred Whitehurst, Guy Robinson, Kevin O’Reilly and Miles Machin.

18^th Oct National Inter Counties ESK Northampton S.G. Cheshire’s first squad was underway at 12.40 with Jim Wagstaff, John Shreeve, and Miles Machin shooting for the Vets, with Lucy Earl and Isabel Cartlidge shooting for the juniors. There were some great scores with Isabel Cartlidge (New Cap) shooting a fantastic 97, followed by Miles on 93. The juniors came runners up with 184/200 well done Lucy and Isabel. The Vets finished 4^th on 183/200.

In the next squad was Colin Babcock (Senior), and Ladies Hazel Denney and Jacqui Slater with more great scores. Colin Babcock 99, followed by Hazel Denney on 92. The Ladies finished 4^th overall, well done.  In the final squad for Cheshire, were the rest of the senior team with plenty of great scores. Chris Bethell on 99, Kevin O’Reilly 99, Jack Hope 97, Ian Cunliffe 95 and Jim Rogers 92. The senior team finished runners up on a fantastic 489/500 well done.  The day was rounded off with Isabel Cartlidge taking the Colts title, and then the Ladies title after a tense shoot off. Kevin O’Reilly narrowly missing out on the Vets title after another tense shoot off. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank all the Cheshire shooters for their continued support, and look forward to shooting with you all again next season. ESK Manager Colin Babcock, Assistant Manager Maurice Cunningham.

 

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11^th July Mickley Hall, Kevin Howarth Memorial Shoot. Of the many shooters and friends who turned up at the celebration of having known Kevin I think it is fair to say, he left a long and lasting impression on all who knew him. I for one will always remember Kevin for the friend and true gentleman that he was. In the world of shooting both game and clay, Kevin had many friends, from Cheshire CPSA’s point of view he left a professionalism second to none in everything he did, in fact it was because of Kevin that the committee went on to win so many awards.

Karen, Victoria and Emily would like to take this opportunity to thank all who came and supported the event, and also dared to eat a burger cooked by their own fair hand. We would also like to thank the people who gave up their time to help and those who donated prizes for the raffle. It was a very successful day for the North West Air Ambulance, a charity close to Kevin’s heart, as we raised in excess of seven hundred pounds.

The shoot itself was a good combination of targets for all abilities, a credit to Scott and all the team at Mickley Hall Shooting School, a big thank you to them. There were some great scores on the day with Guy Robinson on a 90, Tony Dean and Steve Randles on 91, Nick Beavis and Tim Simmonds on 92, but it was a tie at the top, both with 93 for John Jones and Rob Claybrook. Unfortunately there can only be one winner and this was done on countback, leaving Rob Claybrook to be the first to receive the fantastic Kevin Howarth memorial trophy. Commiserations to John Jones and congratulations to Rob Claybrook great shooting from both.

We look forward to this being an annual event that we can grow when we are out of Covid 19 guidelines, and once again thanks to all who turned up to support this great event, thank you !    Miles Machin.

31^st Aug British Open Single Barrel,  North of England Clay Target Centre. Congratulations go to Toby Hurstfield for 3^rd place in Juniors with 93. Well done.

5^th Sept Cheshire County English Skeet Championship. Good weather greeted us in the morning at North Wales Shooting School. Setting the early pace were Christian Bethell and Colin Babcock on 99 and 98 respectively. Great shooting guys. With still plenty of action to come, as the field had been split into four squads. With all the scores in, Christian’s 99 could not be beaten, so he was declared Cheshire County Champion. Colin Babcock was Seniors Champion. Hazel Denney Ladies Champion, and James Barnett Juniors Champion with a brilliant 95. There was a tie in Veterans, with Jim Wagstaff and Maurice Cunningham both on 95. A shoot off now prolonged the tension. Maurice came out the winner by the narrow margin of just one clay. Commiserations to Jim and well done to you all.

5^th Sept Cheshire County Skeet Doubles Championship. Still at North Wales Shooting School, this competition followed on from the ESK. With a smaller field and only 50 birds, the results should be in soon. The weather did not think so, with a torrential shower of rain stopping the action mid session.  Mark Haley came out victorious as our new Champion. Hazel Denney was Ladies Champion. Maurice Cunningham Veterans Champion, and Lucy Earl Juniors Champion. But another shoot off was required, this time to decide Seniors Champion. Colin Babcock and Ian Cunliffe both finishing with 48. Colin was victorious, congratulation to him, and commiserations to Ian.

6^th Sept English Open Single Barrel, North of England Clay Target Centre. Congratulations go to Tom Roberts for 3^rd place in Juniors, and Toby Hurstfield for 3^rd place in Colts. Well done to you both.

 

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West Midlands Area Olympic Trap Individual Championship. Fauxdegla Shooting Ground 09/08/20. In near perfect weather conditions this event ran like clockwork. The ground was looking immaculate. A testament to the hard work put in by Mike, Debbie and the team. Social distancing and special measures were in place, including a one way system through the clubhouse to make sure everybody stayed safe. The catering has been moved outside, and was superb.   A total of thirteen shooters took to the field, including three from Wales, and one from Merseyside. Five West Midlands counties were represented, Hereford and Worcester having the biggest representation with four shooters. The scoring was close at the end, with Mike Faux being crowned champion on 87, great shooting Mike. In second place was Graham Evans, from Shropshire with 86. Third place went to Mark Lilley (Hereford and Worcester) and Dean Molnar (Derbyshire)both on 84.

Also happening that day at Fauxdegla was the Welsh Open Skeet Championship. A total of seventy nine shooters took part, including eleven from Cheshire. Again the scoring was close, with three shooters finishing with 99, and five with 98. The action stayed on late into the evening with three shoot offs needed to decide all the places after two Ladies finished with 97, and two Juniors finished with 97. The overall high gun was Allen Warren from Surrey, after shooting 24/25 in an extra round, then winning the tie break on peg 4. Ladies high gun was Emma Parkinson, and Junior champion was  Becky Clarey. Cheshire’s best shots on the day were the quartet of Kevin O’Reilly, Jim Rogers, Christian Bethell, and Colin Babcock, all scoring 96. Well done to you all. 

West Midlands Area DTL Championship. Was held at Fauxdegla Shooting Ground 16/08/20. This was a very well attended shoot with 43 shooters, the weather wasn’t the best with the low cloud creeping in until it met our feet!! This didn’t worry Mr C Moule (Hereford & Worcester) who managed an amazing 100/300 to become the Area Champion, congratulations Chris. Vets Champion was jointly won by Mr J Barnett and G D Evans both on 290 points.  Ladies Champion was won by Miss Leah Southall on 285 points. Silver medal N Booth, and Bronze medal E Percival.  Juniors Champion was won by Mst T Hurstfield with 286 points. Well done everyone. ( D Hurstfield)

After the DTL had finished the ground held the West Midlands Area Single Barrel Championship. The on form Mr C Moule took the Championship by only dropping one target. What a day for Mr Moule !!  Veterans was won by Mr J Barnett 93. Ladies won by L Southall with 91 and Bronze medal to J Hitchmough. (David Hurstfield).

Holmes Chapel Shooting Ground. Will be starting their Winter Series on the 11^th October, running through to the 28^th March. Twelve shoots with the best six to count.  Good luck everyone.

British Open English Skeet at National Clay Shooting Centre 21/08/20. This was a very close contest with 3 shooters finishing on 100. After an extra round shoot off, and a tie break Natalie Bales (Wales) was declared winner. With Sam Green (Norfolk) second, and Archy Stannard (Norfolk) third.  Just missing out of the top spot with 99 was Christian Bethell. Other Cheshire shooters making the trip were C Babcock, J Hope, J Rogers, and I Cartlidge. Well done to you all. 

  

 

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Good News In Wales. As of Monday 6^th July the five mile travel restriction has been lifted. North Wales Shooting School has reopened on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. No advance booking required, just turn up. Some special measures are in place. Fauxdegla Shooting Ground has reopened on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But at the time of going to press Mid Wales Shooting Ground is still closed.

Registered Skeet at Fauxdegla Shooting Ground.  A small dedicated group of seven skeet shooters from Cheshire made their way over to Fauxdegla Shooting Ground on Sunday 12^th July, for the first registered skeet event since the easing of restrictions. Top Cheshire shots were Christian Bethell, and Jack Hope with a wonderful 98. Christian took first in AA class and joint second overall, whilst Jack was second in A class, and joint second overall.  Following closely was the trio of Colin Babcock, Kevin O’Reilly and Jim Wagstaff all on 94. Hazel Denney represented Cheshire ladies, and it was lovely to see Bill Hope, out shooting again. The weather was glorious, and the event was very well run. A big thank you goes to Mike, Debbie, and all the team for putting on a great shoot, and helping us get back in the swing of things.  

Cheshire ESP County Championships, Sunday 26^th July, A wonderful turnout of 60 Cheshire shooters went to Catton Hall Shooting Ground. The day was mainly dry and overcast with a fresh breeze. This did not prevent some very good scoring. County Champion is Scott Barnett with 96 (and first in AA class), Men’s Champion Mark Oakley on 92, Ladies Champion Kerry Oakley with 84, Veterans Champion Mike Holland on 87, Junior/Colts Champion Lucy Earl on 78. Also winning prizes were Albert Moss, joint 3^rd in A class, Jamie Robbins, 3^rd in B class 86, Lee Williams, 1^st in C class 80, Robert Ward-Dutton and Julia Payne, joint 2^nd in C class 75. Congratulations to you all, very well done. 

Cheshire DTL County Championships, Sunday 26^th July.  Well what a day, who’d have believed how windy it became...It didn’t deter some of you though, there were 14, 100 straights today, great shooting everyone, the best was Mr C Moule with 100/299 great shooting Chris!! In AA class 1^st K Bond & A Greenstock 100/298, 3^rd D Price & R Haines 100/297. A class 1^st C Bushell & G Nutter 99/294. 3^rd A Halln 100/293 & C Harris 99/293. B class 1^st M Warburton 99/293, 2^nd P E Jesson 98/289, 3^rd D A Owen 98/283. C class 1^st M Boon 94/277, 2^nd J Tennison 92/268, 3^rd S Milroy 92/267. Now for the Cheshire Championship! Cheshire Champion was Mr p Relph 295. Senior Winner was Mr C Bushell 294. Veteran Winner was Mr J Barnett 289. Ladies Winner was Mrs J Bushell 289. Junior Winner was Mst T Hurstfield 282. There were 33 Cheshire shooters, which was a great turn out, many thanks to everyone that came today. We’d just like to say thanks, and we hope you enjoyed your day with us, hope to see you soon, thanks from Dave, Helen, Toby and Jane...  

 

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English Sporting (ESP) County Championship. It is still hoped that we will be able to run this competition sometime before the end of the year. Keep checking the website for further details.

English Skeet (ESK) County Championship. It is still hoped that we will be able to run this competition. Originally scheduled for 10^th October at North Wales shooting Ground, if the restrictions on competitions are relaxed, the date may be brought forward. 

Resumption of CPSA Registered Shoots. As from 1^st June all Registered Grounds in England are able to resume Registered competitions. Special temporary measures have to be in place as well as social distancing. The special temporary measures vary by discipline, so please check the CPSA website for full details. Check with the shooting ground before travelling.

West Midlands Shooting Ground. Has reopened on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for Sporting and Sport Trap. This must be booked and paid for in advance, and special measures are in place. Please contact the ground for further details.

Lucy Earl, my story so far. I started shooting when I was around 15. My dad’s friend introduced us to sporting through our local ground, which is when we bought a Beretta Silver Pigeon that we shared. I didn’t start shooting competitions until I was nearly 17, after having some lessons from Phil Daniels, who taught me the basics. He improved my scores dramatically and inspired me with all of his shooting successes. I was introduced to the competitive atmosphere by the Ladies Clay Shooting League. At my first event with them in 2019 I won high gun and went on to place runner up in the league overall. After starting at the Ladies League, I joined the CPSA and represented Cheshire for English Sporting at the Inter Counties last year. I currently shoot a Syren Elos N2 sporting gun, which I shoot for both sporting and skeet.

I have since tried English and Olympic Skeet, DTL and Sportrap. My favourite discipline is English Skeet, but I still love the variety of English Sporting. I have recently started to shoot some more DTL with a Miroku trap gun and I am really enjoying it. My favourite registered ground is Doveridge Clay Sports, because of the huge range of disciplines you can shoot there and for non registered I love Leek and District Gun Club. I am most inspired by Amber Hill because of the hard work and effort that she has put in to have achieved so much as a young shooter.

I get the most pleasure from seeing my scores improve and knowing that my commitment and determination is paying off, but I obviously like breaking clays and winning competitions! I am thrilled to say that this year I joined Team Lyalvale Express. Everyone is fantastic and really supportive. I applied to join the team through my local gun shop, Central Guns, after shooting Express cartridges since I started, and I was lucky enough to receive an offer  of sponsorship.

In future, I’m planning on trying more disciplines to decide which one I want to pursue, whilst continuing to shoot sporting and skeet at a higher level, at some major competitions. I hadn’t had many competitions planned for this year as I was meant to be sitting my A levels, but due to COVID 19 they were cancelled so I have time to make some improvements before next year. I’m aiming to shoot at National level before I leave Juniors in a few years time, so I will be working towards this.

The advice I would give to someone looking to take up English Sporting is to get a few lessons with a good coach that works with your way of shooting, instead of trying to change everything at once, so that you don’t get the chance to pick up bad habits or get overwhelmed by so much change. I’d also say to not compare yourself to others too much, because even though some healthy competition can inspire you to improve, constantly comparing scores with someone who has been shooting  a lifetime when you have just started can be disheartening.          

 

CPSA Pull Magazine

International World Rankings. Congratulations to Cheshire shooters Tony Dean and Andy Jones. Tony is listed in the top ten Seniors in both Compak Sporting and FITASC Sporting, and Andy Jones in the top ten Veterans, ahead of John Bidwell in Compak.  Great shooting guys, keep it up.

Skeet Selection Shoot. It was the first ESK team selection shoot on Sunday 15^th March. Showers of rain hampered the early and late starters, and it was overcast most of the day. Nineteen Cheshire shooters made the trip to Doveridge. High gun of the day was Colin Babcock with a 99, other high scorers were Jack Hope 97, Miles Machin 96, James Barnett and Ian Cunliffe on 94. It was also good to see so many Ladies and Juniors taking part. Well done to you all. 

Holmes Chapel Shooting Ground. After much soul searching, following the government’s announcement yesterday, we feel that we have no option but to shut the shooting ground with immediate effect, for the safety of our customers. We know this is not what you want to hear but due to the current situation we feel it is the right decision to make. As this is an ever changing situation we will keep you updated. We wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU for your support and helping us build a reputable shooting ground. Please keep yourselves safe and well in this difficult time. David Hurstfield. 

North Wales Shooting School. Closed until further notice. We will of course be keeping you up to date with our news through the normal channels  of social media  and our website regarding our reopening. We have set up a new line of contact via the mobile 07835700447 for URGENT enquiries, that will be manned 9am till 5pm. Most importantly though , we wish all of our customers and friends the very best in these difficult times.

Mickley Hall On behalf of the Mickley Hall Team it is with great sadness that we are writing this post. We have decided to temporarily close the shooting ground in line with Government advice as of 23^rd March. But our on line store will continue to stay open. Also Scott will be available to discuss gun sales, cartridges, clay’s etc. You can contact Scott on 07766252438. Please can I remind you that no cold calls to the shooting ground. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on 07766252438 or admin@mickleyhall.com. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our lovely customers for understanding and for your cooperation during this time.   

CPSA Announcement. The English Open English Sporting, and English Open English Skeet are cancelled.

All registered shoots are cancelled. This decision will be reviewed weekly to consider changes to the situation and Government guidance.

All CPSA Premier League shoots have been postponed. The series will provisionally resume on 28^th June at Southdown Gun Club.

West Midlands Area and Inter Counties FITASC Competition, and Cheshire County Championship. Well the weather couldn’t have been much worse for the FITASC but the turnout was good with both Saturday 29^th Feb and Sunday 1^st March full to Capacity at Garlands, making Steve very happy he almost smiled, competitors that shot on the Saturday had the worst of the weather with not only the wind but pretty much every other type of weather there is. Sunday was the better day if you could call it that, with just a little rain but the wind stayed strong. This event is not only the West Midlands Area but also the team event on top of which Cheshire holds it’s FITASC Championship.

In the West Midlands Inter Counties, Cheshire had a great result finishing third, matching last years highest result, congratulations to Gloucestershire for taking gold. Miles Machin took the bronze in Vets.

In the Cheshire Championship everything went down to the wire with only one or two clays separating the front runners with one layout left to complete. The eventual winner was Steve Randles who shot an exceptional  last round of 24, closely followed by Carl Vickers with Miles Machin and Tony Dean tied for Vets, and our Junior winner was James Barnett. Thank you to everyone that took part and to Steve Lovatt for a great layout.   

 

CPSA Pull Magazine

Cheshire DTL team selection shoot. We now have the date for the selection shoot at Nottingham and District, Sunday 19th July is confirmed.

Ladies Clay Shooting League. Our big 2020 news is, “The Festival of Ladies Shooting Event” which will be on Saturday 26/09/2020 at Doveridge Clay Shooting Ground. We have lots of items to confirm but can tell you there will be a 75 bird sporting, with have a go Skeet and DTL and much more. We will be making exciting announcements in the coming weeks so SAVE THE DATE. Congratulations to Mandy Berrisford for coming second in the CPSA Sports Personality of the Year award 2020. Mandy has also been nominated for the “BASC Ladies Shooting Star Award 2019”. Keep up the good work Mandy. The League now has over 200 members, averages 30 shooters per event, and many of them have made the County teams.

Cheshire CPSA AGM. Over forty attended, and it was good to see some new faces. From the Chairman’s report we learned that 2019 was a great year for Cheshire shooters. We had 147 competition entrants. Ten new caps for the county. Fourteen Cheshire shooters featured in the CPSA top 20 rankings. Seven Cheshire shooters represented England or GB in international competition. Cheshire was second overall in the Lyalvale Challenge. The debate continues reference lead shot versus steel shot, and the rules for under 18s owning or having access to shotguns are changing, we will let you know when we have something definite. Ladies participation in clay shooting is increasing, which is good.

It was decided to keep Cheshire Air Ambulance as our chosen charity. The committee have received a letter from Andy Duncan thanking us for our support, and he goes on to say that they started with one helicopter, they now have three. During 2019 they were called out to 2,000 incidents, and their running costs are £9.5 million per year.

There will be a Kevin Howarth memorial shoot at Mickley Hall on 11th July , more details will be available soon.

Full details of all your new committee members, team captains, vice captains, and their rolls are now on the web site.

Please support your County teams, and let us see if we can make 2020 even better for Cheshire than 2019.

West Midlands Clubman Event. Has been a great success during 2019, and we are now looking at taking it to a National level.

Team Selection Shoots. Details of all the team selection shoots, across all disciplines are now on our web site. Please check under your relevant discipline.

Championship Fixtures. For details of all the Cheshire individual, and West Midlands Area Championship shoots, please go to the Championship Fixtures page on our web site.

Eley English Sporting Ladies Championship, will be held at Mickley Hall Shooting School, on Saturday 30th May. It is a 100 Bird competition. Entry fees are £45 per individual, or £180 per team of 4 Ladies. First squad out at 10am. Last squad out at 1pm. Please note, Prior bookings only, Tel 0800 7720058 or via the website www.mickleyhall.com

Forthcoming dates.

15th March ESK Team selection, Doveridge.

26th March Cheshire Shield Police ESP, West Midlands Shooting Ground.

29th March ABT Cheshire Individual Champ, Fauxdegla.

19th April DTL, West Midlands Area Individual Champ, Fauxdegla.

4th and 5th April ESP West Midlands Area Individual Champ, Garlands.

5th April ESK Team selection shoot, Doveridge.

12th April ESP Team selection shoot, Oakedge.

13th April CSP West Midlands Area Individual Champ, Garlands.

19th April DTL Team selection shoot, Fauxdegla.

3rd May ESP Team selection shoot, Garlands.

24th May Universal Trench, Cheshire Individual Championship, Fauxdegla.

 

CPSA Pull Magazine

Cheshire Top Shots. Congratulations to all those Cheshire shooters that feature in the list of Top Shots, from the last edition of Pull magazine. Cheshire has been well represented, with a total of fourteen shooters covering eight disciplines. They are, for Down The Line, Eleanor Hardy, Toby Hurstfield, and Tom Roberts. For English Skeet, Christian Bethell, Ian Cunliffe, and Hazel Denney. In English Sporting, Kerry Oakley and Fred Whitehurst. In Compak Sporting, Carl Vickers and Andrew Jones. For Automatic Ball Trap, Michael Faux. For Olympic Skeet,  Alexander Wilkinson. In Olympic Trap, Fred Thornley.  In F.I.T.A.S.C. Thomas Woodcock. A great achievement.

All Cheshire Shooters.  A reminder to all Cheshire shooters with aspirations to shoot for your County. Please check our web site, and the “Forthcoming dates” paragraph of Pull magazine, for the dates of Team Selection Shoots. These will be published as soon as possible after our A.G.M. 

North Wales Shooting School 28/12/2019. A small but dedicated group of English Skeet shooters opened the new season of the 50 bird skeet league. The weather was good for the time of year, and high scoring was expected. Alas nobody managed a 50 straight. But three shooters tied for first place with 49s. They were Colin Babcock, Jack Hope, and Dave Tavernor, who all took home 100 cartridges. The next leg is on 25^th January.

Mickley Hall Shooting School Development Programme. This development programme is a must for anyone looking to improve their shooting. There are seven thousand Eley cartridges available at cost price. Free instruction once a fortnight. Free clays whilst being instructed. Twelve months Mickley Hall membership included. Full details will be available @Mickleyhall.com soon.

New Committee Members. Paul Ellis is taking a break and stepping down from his duties as English Sporting, team captain. Tom Lowe and Andy Gate have volunteered to take on the role. We wish them well.

Ladies Clay Shooting League. Well the weather stayed fine for the Ladies Clay Shooting League Christmas event which this year was held at Manchester Clay Shooting Club, where we were made very welcome.  The Course was tricky in parts and a high tower target needed  to be hit in order to win your chocolate Santa, I’m glad to say that most got a Santa but not all, rules are rules!!  It was a great day and great fun along with some competitive scores. On The Peg Clothing provided their fantastic support, which they have all year, thank you to them, prizes were also provided by A1 shot and Louise Aldford from Yorkshire Fillies, these were collected by the Ladies who straighted the most stands. High gun was a joint affair by Victoria Gallimore and Julia Payne who both finished on a great 58/75, well done to you both.    Thanks also to Mike Sargeson, Paul Ellis, Miles Machin and last but not least Robert Eckersley for their support, hints and tips around the course. Thanks again to MCSC for a great day and we hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Cheshire Down The Line team selection shoots. There are six selection shoots, with the best four scores to be used. Selection shoot at; Fauxdegla on 19^th April. Holmes Chapel 14^th June. Cheshire County Championship at Holmes Chapel 26^th July. Please note that the Inter counties is only one week away, so be ready for a call from the Team Captain to go. Nottingham and District date to be confirmed. Plus any two registered scores submitted to David Hurstfield. The DTL West Midlands Inter Counties is at Nottingham and District on 2^nd August, and the National Inter Counties is at North of England on the 27^th September. Let’s have a great summer of shooting, there’s some great things this year so let’s get Cheshire shooters there!

Cheshire English Skeet team selection shoots. Please note, these dates are provisional and subject to confirmation. Keep checking the website, and the “Forthcoming dates” paragraph in Pull magazine, as the dates will be confirmed as soon as possible. Doveridge 15^thMarch. Doveridge 5^th April. Doveridge 31st May. North Wales Shooting School 6^th June. North Wales Shooting  School 11^th July .

 

CPSA Pull Magazine

Cheshire County CPSA Annual General Meeting.  Attention all Cheshire shooters, the date for our AGM is Wednesday 5th February, at Catton Hall Shooting Ground, starting at 7.30pm. This is your chance to have your say. Everybody is welcome.

28^th Sept West Midlands Individual Sportrap, Garlands SG.  Congratulations go to Tony Dean for shooting a magnificent 97, and coming second overall, and first in AA class. Also scoring well on the day were Brett Davies 88, Ian Cunliffe 86, Paul Ellis 85, and Miles Machin 81. Well done to you all.

20^th Oct National Inter Counties ESK Dartford SG. After the disappointment of missing out on a Gold medal in the West Midlands Inter Counties, due to a miss calculation of the scores, we rallied round and formed a team to shoot the Nationals. The shooting got underway at just after 8.30 in the morning, the team performed well, with a combined score of 473 x 500. Chris Bethell scored a fantastic 98, followed by Jack Hope on 96, Colin Babcock 95, Jim Wagstaff 93, and Jacqui Slater 91. Thank you to all the team for travelling to Dartford and competing so well. We look forward to next year where we hope to be competing for Gold in all categories.  

20^th Oct West Midlands Area Inter Counties ABT at Rugby.  An eventful day at the West Midlands Inter Counties ABT team competition. Weather was good with light cloud, little wind, temperature around 10 degrees. Six teams competed over the three layouts at Rugby and District Gun Club, who maintain their policy of free shooting for the under 19s. Corsivia clays give a good contrast and scores were high, though the day was long as often happens with these inter county shoots. It might well be better to compete over 75 targets in these team events. Cheshire maintained a good position throughout, with shooters Thornley, Culverwell, Faux, Gowrie, O’Donnell, and Whitehurst giving their best. Cheshire won the Silver Medal, out of six teams, with Paul Gowrie high gun for the team with 95. Our reporter understands that this is the third time of medalling in the fast trap teams this year. Well done to you all.    

Cheshire’s Year of DTL. With six selection shoots at the early part of the year, and very well attended the teams needed to be in place for the West Midlands Inter Counties event at Fauxdegla Shooting Ground on 25^th July. It was a great start to the season, even with the weather early in the day against them the Seniors took silver, the Vets silver, Juniors silver after a shoot off for gold, and a fantastic gold for the Ladies team of Nicola Booth, Jane Hitchmough and Emma Percival.                                              

Some got wet while others stayed dry at the DTL weekend at Bywell, but all shot well.

Our Cheshire shooters were doing well and at the end of the first day of the Eley Sponsored DTL we had Eleanor Hardy winning the Ladies title and also 3^rd in the Juniors. In Colts we had Toby Hurstfield at twelve years old in 3^rd place as well.

On the second day the weather had not changed much for the Dougall Memorial when our guys were on the podium again. We had Toby Hurstfield winning C Class and 2^nd in Colts, with Tom Roberts winning Juniors and Eleanor Hardy coming 3^rd in the Ladies.

And so to the English Open, well I know, it gets better, 1^st in A Class Jezz Frith and in Colts, Toby Hurstfield was 3^rd.

Well shot to all the Cheshire Shooters and what a fabulous weekend we ha d!!! Congratulations to Tom Roberts who achieved a place on the England Junior team at the Home International .

Then onto the National Inter Counties at Northampton Shooting Ground on 16^th October. Were the Senior team was placed 3^rd, and the Junior team of Eleanor Hardy, Tom Roberts and Toby Hurstfield took the runners up medal.

In July it was the European DTL Championship at Bywell Shooting Ground. It attracted entrants from all of our home nations and France, 253 in all. So competition was fierce. Congratulations go to John Barnett from Mickley Hall, for shooting a fantastic 197/588 and being third in Veterans class.

So overall a great DTL season for Cheshire at all levels, and the numbers in all categories looking good too, well done to all who took part.  

    

Jez Frith - A Class winner at the English Open DTL

 

Tom Roberts - 3rd in the Juniors at the English Open DTL

 

T Hurstfield - 2nd in Colts at the Enlgish Open DTL

 

DTL National Inter Counties Team 2019

 

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CPSA Pull Magazine

28^th July,  West Midlands Inter Counties DTL at Fauxdegla.   Five squads were booked in, Seniors gold, Seniors Red, Vets, Ladies and Juniors. New Caps shooting this year were N Booth, E Percival, T Warburton, J Tennison, E Hardy, and C M Harris. Congratulations to you all. The results after some tricky targets on a somewhat wet and windy day: The Juniors had to shoot off with Hereford and Worcester after tying on 569 points, unfortunately we were runners up by one point. Good shooting!!! Seniors were runners up to H and W. Ladies won, great result with two new caps!! Veterans were also runners up. This was a fantastic result for all of you, many thanks to you all for making the effort and time to go. The Nationals are next, so be ready.

3^rd Aug, Ladies Clay Shooting League.    We were back at Mickley Hall Shooting School for the 6^th event in the LCSL. At our usual early briefing we had talks from Steve Randles on the SP, an eye dominance tool, and Scott Barnett on different types of cartridges with the pros and cons and what to look for when buying cartridges. The 75 bird course set by Scott Barnett had a great mix of targets to suit everyone from all classes, and what great scores we had on the day. A great turnout saw six squads take on the course. Coaching for the day was Paul Ellis, Miles Machin and Steve Randles gave up his time to not only coach a stand but to also demo the SP after the event. We would like to thank all the coaches for their time. Mandy Berrisford as usual did a fantastic job behind the scenes with her organisation and the day ran well and smoothly. The first scores started to roll in, with a great number in the 50’s but Julia Payne was first to hit the 60’s with a great 63. Only to be overtaken by Victoria Galimore on 65, then Chiara King shot a superb 69 to take the high gun and the top prize of a Mitsubishi to use over a weekend, kindly donated by Grenson Motor Company, a big thank you to them. Chiara also picks up a voucher from our main sponsor On The Peg Clothing, well done to her. It is fair to say that the Ladies are all improving as the year goes on, with some making their county teams and doing well in CPSA registered events across the country, and we are very proud of how all the ladies are doing and the spirit with which the events take place and the comradery that has evolved.

11^th Aug, West Midlands Inter Counties Olympic Trap.  Cheshire won the WMIC OT at Fauxdegla today. With an amazing score of 416 x 500, beating Hereford and Worcester on 414, Shropshire on 396, Cheshire ”B” with 374 and Derbyshire on 347.  Cheshire “B” consisted of two Vets (Chris Bushell and Kevin O’Reilly) two Ladies (Hazel Denney and Jeanette Bushell) and two Juniors (Fred Whitehurst and Tom Watson). Cheshire was once again the only County to enter teams in these categories and once again there were no medals provided – a shame. Cheshire Senior team consisted of Dave O’Donnell (team high gun with 87 x 100), Andy Pownall  (86), Paul Gowrie (84), Mike Faux (80), Fred Thornley (79), and Bob Gallagher (78). In the Area Open Championship, Cheshire shooters featured in the medals, Tom Watson took Junior Silver, Hazel Denney took Ladies Silver, Andy Pownall took Veterans Silver, Paul Gowrie took Veterans Bronze. It is good to hear that Fred Thornley has not only qualified for the England OT team, but is this year’s Captain.

8^th Sept West Midlands Inter Counties English Skeet. Congratulations to Cheshire Seniors team on coming second. Cheshire Ladies came fourth, and Cheshire Veterans came fourth. Well done to you all.

21^st Sept Cheshire County ESK Championship. It was a high scoring day at North Wales Shooting School with many scores in the high nineties. Two shooters finished on 99, Christian Bethell and Hazel Denney. Christian won the shoot off to be Cheshire County Skeet Champion, and Hazel was Ladies Champion. Ian Cunliffe was Seniors Champion with 97, Kevin O’Reilly was Vets Champion with 96. Congratulations to you all.

 

 

 

22^nd Sept West Midlands Inter Counties  ESP. Cheshire shooters made their way to Garlands SG. The event was both run and set up by Steve Lovatt of the Clay Shooting Company. The course was over thirteen stands and the targets were well thought out, offering the competitor a varied mixture of both colours and types with varying speeds and angles. All the targets were fair and hittable. The early starters benefited the most from the dry conditions, but those that chose to start later suffered with the poor visibility caused by the rain clouds and darkened sky, let alone the torrential downpours. Let us not though detract from an extremely competitive event which saw some amazing scores from members of all the Counties in attendance with over 300 entries on the day. Cheshire fielded 2 teams of each category and were duly rewarded for their efforts having some new caps amongst the Teams. Cheshire overall high gun was Brett Davies on a fantastic score of 93. The junior team comprising of Fred Whitehurst (88) Eddie Morris (75) James Barnett (74) took the gold medal. The seniors took the bronze medal , and our 2 Vets teams took bronze and silver, with the Red Team piping the Gold Team by 2 clays. Our Ladies Team was 4^th overall which was no mean feat particularly as two of the Team, Amy Bratt and Barbara Eckersley were new caps this year, well done Ladies. Continued good shooting to all. 

 

 

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CPSA Pull Magazine

Skeet League at North Wales Shooting School. Saturday 27^th July saw the tenth and last heat of the monthly ESK league. It was a great day for Cheshire skeet shooters. Colin Babcock won the heat with 50 straight, great shooting considering the terrible weather. Then for the grand final four Cheshire skeet shooters made up the top six. The final was a normal round of 25, then a round of 25 using low velocity ammunition supplied by NWSS. Some shooters coped with the different ammunition better than others. The final result was, 1^st Jim Wagstaff, 2^nd Colin Babcock, 4^th Ian Cunliffe (after shoot off), 6^th Maurice Cunningham. All six finalists received a package of prizes kindly provided by Eley Hawk. Our thanks go to the staff and helpers at North Wales Shooting School for putting on such a fun competition. We are looking forward to the next league starting in December.

Olympic skeet. Well done to all Cheshire shooters that took part in the West Midlands Area Olympic Skeet Championships, held at Gloucester SG on 21^st July. The Cheshire team finished in third place, whilst Alex Wilkinson was third in the Juniors, and third in the Area Individual event. Well done everybody.   

European DTL Championship The weekend of the 20^th and 21^st July saw Bywell Shooting Ground host this annual event. It attracted entrants from all of our home nations and France 253 in all. So competition was fierce. Congratulations go to John Barnett from Mickley Hall for shooting a fantastic 197/588 and being 3^rd in Veterans class.  

Ladies Clay Shooting League The 6^th July saw the league descend onto North Wales Shooting School for a fantastic day of skeet. We broke the day into morning and afternoon squads, with a great turnout for both. We were very lucky indeed with the coaching to not only have Paul Ellis and Miles Machin but also a legend in his own lifetime Ian Cunliffe. Who took control of things for both sessions and started to get the dark art of skeet shooting over to the ladies judging by the improvement in the scores through the day. Jo Knapper took up the early running with Victoria Gallimore and Julia Payne then taking over the lead when Mandy Berrisford and Janine Dixon got their act together only to be pipped at the post by Lucy Earl. It was definitely fair to say the day was an overwhelming success with everyone taking plenty away for food for thought.

Universal Trench Sunday 4^th August saw the West Midlands Intercounties Championships at Rugby. Cheshire shooters did very well. Paul Gowrie scored 95 for 2^nd Veteran, Andy Pownall 93, Dave O’Donnell and Bob Gallagher both on 89, Paul Culverwell 88, and Mark Wright 77. Team score with best 5 to count was 454. Team results were; Warwickshire 463, Gloucester  459, Cheshire tied with Hereford and Worcester on 454, we had a great final round, so took team bronze after count back. Congratulations to you all. Great shooting.

English Sporting Selection It was the 5^th selection shoot being hosted by Mickley Hall Shooting School on the 13^th July, and the numbers were outstanding with 77 entries all told. The day was squaded with a number of squads starting at 10.30am and the next batch at 12.30pm, and with the weather staying fine and only a slight breeze it looked good for some great scores. The course was set by Scott Barnett, and had pretty much everything for everyone with some tricky stands to catch out the unwary. Nick Beavis, Eddie Morris (junior) and Guy Robinson took the early lead with 85, 86, and 87 respectively. Nigel  Lane through a spanner in the works with a great 88 only to be knocked off the top spot by a fantastic score of 95 by Steve (SP) Randles. With things hotting up for both the Inter County teams and the Clubman event there is still all to play for, at the last but not least 6^th and final selection shoot, and of course the Cheshire Championship at Catton Hall on 28^th July.

 

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CPSA Pull Magazine

Great news from the Cheshire Shield, held at West Midlands Shooting Ground on 3^rd March. Champion was Scott Barnett, with a score of 96, and Cheshire Shield team champions were Mickley Hall. Well done to you all. Staying at Mickley Hall, Diana Barnett won the first Welsh DTL selection shoot for the ladies, congratulations Diana.

On Saturday 30^th March Cheshire Skeet shooters were out in force at North Wales Shooting School (NWSS) 50 bird Skeet League completion. In near perfect weather conditions, Christian Bethell scored 50 straight to win 250 Eley cartridges and a trophy. Congratulations Christian. The Skeet League runs from October to June, with the top 6 shooters invited to shoot in the final. NWSS also hosts registered ESK once a month, on a Saturday.

Cheshire FITASC shooter Steve Randles has launched a new eye dominance product.  More information is available at www.shootsp.co.uk

Congratulations go to Ellie Harding, who has now been officially sponsored by Gamebore.

Due to a timetable clash, the WMIC ABT event scheduled for May has been postponed, date TBA.

Mike Faux has moved back into Cheshire, and so is eligible to compete for County Championships, and for Cheshire team selection.

The Cheshire ABT championship was won by Mike Faux (90+24) after a very close shoot off with Dave O’Donnell (90+23). Dave took the men’s trophy again, and Andy Pownall won the vets. Regrettably there was a low entry from Cheshire shooters, and no entries in Ladies or Juniors categories.

 

 

The FITASC  Africa Sporting and Compac Championships were held in March, at Valley Gun Club, situated north of Cape Town, between Paarl and Durbanville. As a Beretta World Cup event it attracted competitors from more than 21 countries. In FITASC Sporting George Digweed took high gun, and Tony Dean put in a strong performance to take top place, and gold medal in Seniors scoring 180x200. In FITASC Compac Tony Dean scored 192x200 to take silver medal in Seniors, just 3 targets behind the high gun. It delivered a 1,2,3, for Great Britain, with Martin Papworth and Phil Smith also on the podium.  Congratulations Tony.

A reminder to all Cheshire shooters with ambition to shoot for your county. The selection shoots have already started, please see the Cheshire CPSA website for more details. Or contact the relevant team manager, details are on the Cheshire CPSA website.

The first Cheshire selection shoot of 2019, for ESP was held at Doveridge SG on 31^st March. There were 195 entries in total, and 46 of these were from Cheshire. An excellent turnout from Cheshire CPSA members, with Seniors, Vets, Ladies and Juniors all taking part. Weather was good with a little breeze. The course was over 12 stands and incorporated a variety of targets with battues, 70mm crossers, rapid distant teal and an overhead. Some appeared to have struggled on stand 9, a fast away teal, then on raport, a fast dropping overhead midi. Concentration was required, particularly on two stands throwing five pairs high into the sky. Well done John Shreeve, the only one to straight it. High gun was Carl Vickers 90, Miles Machin 87, James Savage 87, Kerry Oakley 82, E Morris 84. I would like to thank all the competitors, and staff at Doveridge for a great day.    Paul Ellis.

The sun was shining on the second league event which saw 34 shooters including 2 new members, tackle a technical course set by Scott Barnett. Miles Machin, Stu Ashton and Stella Harvey pointed us in the right direction on the testing stands giving guidance to those who needed that extra bit of confidence. High Gun Victoria Gallimore matched her personal best with an impressive 65 out of 75 winning a Gift Voucher kindly sponsored by On The Peg Clothing.

 

Forthcoming dates

9^th June DTL Selection shoot , Holmes Chapel SG

23^rd June DTL Selection shoot, Holmes Chapel SG

8^th June ESK Selection shoot, North Wales SS

29^th or 30^th June ESK Selection shoot, Fauxdegla

15^th June Cheshire OT Championship

16^th June ESP Selection shoot, Orston SG

13^th July ESP Selection shoot, Mickley Hall SS

 

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CPSA Pull Magazine

Well the season is upon us and the first of the Inter Counties events has taken place at Garlands in the form of FITASC, this was also the Cheshire championship and what a great turnout from all counties to what was to be a number of tricky layouts set by Steve Lovatt (we expect nothing less). After the two days of competition the Cheshire team of Scott Barnett, Niel Waterman, Guy Robinson, Steve Randals, Carl Vickers and Brett Davies found themselves in a very credible bronze position, a great result for the team, well done. The Cheshire championship was a close affair with Scott Barnett taking the honours by one clay from Steve Randals who takes Men’s and Niel Waterman taking Vet’s. 

 

            

 

The introduction of the new Inter Counties Clubman event is underway for A, B and C class shooters   which is looking like being a great addition to the year’s competitions for all level of shooters we hope it gets the following it deserves as do all the counties. Any information about the event can be found on the Cheshire CPSA website.

Early in March saw the start of the Ladies Clay Shooting League and what a day it was with 41 competitors taking part on a bright and rather chilly day. Catton Hall Shooting Ground hosted the event setting great targets for the day and with the coaching from Linda Grayson and Paul Ellis great scores were turned in from all levels. It was great to see the faces from last year and new faces from this year with a fabulous atmosphere throughout the day. Our sponsor was there” On the Peg Clothing” with a scintillating array of goodies for our perusal and donating a pair of MacWet gloves for our top shot of the day Lucy Earl on her debut event with a 65 ex 75 followed closely by Victoria Gallimore and Barbara Eckersley on 64 and Sarah Oldham on 63. The team event went to Mickley Hall with all other teams hot on their heels, it looks like being a closely fought season for both individual and teams.

Our team managers have been working hard in the off season to get all selection shoots sorted out for the year and these can be found on the Cheshire CPSA website along with any news items and selection shoot scores as we progress through the season.

Tony Dean has had a great start to the international FITASC season with a 7^th overall at the Grand Prix of South Africa, good luck for the rest of the season.

Good luck to all Cheshire shooters who are invited to the England and GB selection shoots and good luck to all Cheshire shooters for the season.

 

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CPSA Pull Magazine

 

Cheshire's AGM will be held on Wed  23rd January at Catton Hall Shooting Ground, Bradley Lane , Frodsham, WA6 7EU. Meet at 7 with a prompt 7.30 start. I hope as many of as possible can make it , it’s always a great night with the presentation on at the same time.

Cheshire had some superb results in the National Inter county events, starting with the National Sporting event held at Orston Shooting Ground on the 8^th October taking first place in the Veterans category was Mike Holland and John Shreeve, many congratulations to them.

 

           

 

Onto the National Inter-Counties DTL at Nottingham and District Gun Club on the 16^th October where our young shooters showed us the way taking runners up position in the juniors was Eleanor Hardy, Tom Roberts and Toby Hurstfield, the future is looking bright.

On the 20/21st October at Nottingham and District Gun Club was the National Inter-Counties Skeet where the top three teams were separated by just two clays. After a very tense shoot off Cheshire were victorious over Yorkshire to take the runners up medal, many congratulations to them. Veterans Paul Ellis, Jack Hope and John Shreeve(again) took the gold medal, fantastic day for all.

 

           

On the 4^th November saw a fantastic turnout for the Cheshire single barrel championship at Holmes  Chapel Shooting Ground. Although a little breezey the weather stayed fair and saw some fantastic scores. Cheshire Single Barrel Champion went to Chris Bushel, who took the title by one clay. Mens title was a three way shoot off with Peter Relph, Ed Firber and  R Simson, the eventual winner was Peter Relph, Ladies was Jeannette Bushell, Vets was John Shreeve( and there he is again) and the Junior title went to Toby Hurstfield, what a great day.

At Catton Hall Shooting Ground on the 20^th October saw the final event of the Ladies Clay Shooting League and what a great day it turned out to be with all places up for grabs in both the individual and team positions. Eleanor Hardy came through taking top spot for the year in the individual chased all the way by Victoria Galimore, Kirsty Fenwick and Barbara Eckersley.The team event was taken by team Mickley followed closely by team Catton and team Cloudside.

The whole day was a fantastic success with a great shoot as always by Catton Hall, bubbly and cakes courtesy of the ladies themselves, a fashion show from Mickley Hall, with our very own models,  a big thank you to everyone involved. We would also like to thank the many volunteers who came along to help with the scoring and of course our coaches Becky McKenzie and Linda Grayson. Thanks to Catton Hall for the use of the room and help through the year and to all the grounds who helped with the coaching and prizes and setting some great targets. So a big thank you to Fauxdegla Shooting Ground, Mickley Hall Shooting Ground, Cloudside Shooting Ground, North Wales Shooting School, Holmes Chapel Shooting Ground . This has been a resounding success this year and we can only see it getting better and better as we move forward.We are running some coachiong sessions through the off season and looking forward to next year and if we can keep the shooting improving at the same rate as it has this year there will be some great shooters for many counties.

 

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Cheshire’s FITASC Championship took place on the 11^th August at Mickley Hall Shooting School, Ladies title went to Janet Gornal , Vets Mike Holland, Juniors James Barnet, Men's Kev Barnet and the champion was Steve Randles.

The 26^th and 27^th August at Kegworth saw the inaugural Promatic Shield event take place ending with a tie between Scott Barnet and Steve Randles both on 107/120 with Scott taking the title.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WMIC OT took place at Fauxdegla with Cheshire entering two teams with one squad made up of a Junior, Ladies and Vets team even though these are not recognised we hope in the future that they will be. Fred Whitehurst took Junior Gold and overall Bronze.

Saturday 15^th saw the start of what we hope will become an annual event across the whole of the WM region, the WMIC Clubman. This year it kicked off with four counties taking part from Staffordshire, Shropshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire. Teams consisted of 12 with four from A, B and C class respectively, competitors shot as a team, in class and individually. Staffs took the overall team with Cheshire taking both B and C class as a team and individually with Nigel Lane taking B and Tom Lowe taking C. The event took place at Mickley Hall Shooting School and was shot over a 75 bird ESP layout and was a complete success with all. A big thank you to all who gave up their time to help and ref a stand, thank you.

On the same day 15^th was the Cheshire Sportrap Championship which was a very close affair indeed and a tricky course set by Scott Barnet which befuddled many a competitor. Vets was won by last year’s winner Mark Davenport, Ladies by Hazel Denney, Men’s Steve Randles and HG was Guy Robinson by just one clay.

 

WMIC Skeet took place on Sunday 16^th which was a very well attended event and though the weather was a little up and down through the day generally it stayed fair if not a little breezy. Cheshire fared well taking Senior Team Gold.

 

Fauxdegla had the privilege of the Ladies Clay Shooting League on the 1^st September to shoot a very testing 75 bird ESP with some really devilish targets at the end. With a fantastic turnout once again and with the weather being extremely kind to us the fun started in earnest and lasted all day. Eleanor Hardy took HG with Hillary Hankin, Rebecca Ball and Kirsty Fenwick hot on her heels. Team Mickley triumphed once again followed closely by Catton and Cloudside. Thank you to Mike and Debbie and the team at FD for helping to make it a great day. 

Tony Dean and Andy Jones represented Great Britain in the 15^th FITASC World Championships Compak Sporting held San Martino SG in Rio Salso, Italy shot over eight purpose-built layouts with testing targets all round, Andy Jones came away with a Vets silver and Tony Dean a senior gold making that two golds for the year.

And last but not least the fantastic story of Eleanor Hardy;

Day 1

I was quite excited & nervous about shooting here, it was my second major 200 bird shoot in this discipline. I started shooting DTL in July 2018 after shooting sporting for 3½ years. Thanks to John Barnett and the Ladies clay shooting league. I turned up on the first day of the two-day event, the weather was perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and shot my personal best of 98/287 which I was very pleased about.

 

Day 2

I turned up on Sunday it was raining and windy, but that wasn't going to stop me!! I was still overwhelmed about shooting my personal best on Saturday. I had set myself a challenge to beat my personal best today, and boy what a day it was, beating my personal best with a score of 98/289, giving me a total score of 196/576. I was so pleased with myself and my scores.

And the day didn't end there!

I went on to win C class-£200.00 and 500 cartridges, which then put me in the final shoot off with the other classification winners. And I won with a score of 25/75. Achieving High gun. I was ecstatic!!!!!

I was now in the grand final against Saturday’s high gun Ian Roper. I also came joint 3rd in the ladies which I forfeited (energy needed). I also came 3rd in junior - winning my first medal in DTL. I found myself to be calm and collected in the grand final shoot off. Unfortunately, Ian beat me, but that didn't seem to matter to me, I was full of excitement, very happy on what I’d achieved over an excellent weekend of DTL. One I won’t forget in a long time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my coach John Barnett for all his hard work; mid wales shooting school for hosting a great event and Gamebore for the generous prices. Also, a huge congratulations to Ian Roper on winning Gamebore grand prix 2018.

See you next year!!!!

 

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It was a fantastic turn out this year for the Cheshire DTL Championship at Holmes Chapel, especially on the ladies front, with 10 ladies taking part. Great scores with Chris Bushel taking high gun and became the County Champion followed by Peter Relph taking senior , vets was Andy Pownall, ladies Jane Hitchmough and finally juniors was Tom Roberts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the same day over at Doveridge the West Midlands Area SKD was taking place and what a day for Cheshire’s Jack Hope took high gun and Area Champion followed by overall silver Maurice Cunningham, overall bronze medal Kevin O’Reilly, vets gold Jack Hope , vets silver Maurice Cunningham and last but not least vets Bronze Kevin O’Reilly.

Cheshire Champion at SKD was Jack Hope, senior Champion Colin Babcock and vets Champion Maurice Cunningham.

On the 7^th July at Mickley Hall Shooting School the Cheshire Championship in Double Rise took place and the title went to Ian Cunliffe.

The Cheshire Championship in OTR took place at Fauxdegla Shooting Ground  with David O’Donnel becoming County Champion, senior Champion Steve Dutton, vets Champion Andy Pownall and Ladies Champion was Hazel Denney.

The Ladies  Clay Shooting League were at Cloudside in July for a great day not only weather wise but also target wise and with the help of Linda Grayson coaching there were great scores in all classes the final high gun was Victoria Gallimore followed very closely by Eleanor Hardy.

In August the Ladies Clay Shooting League were back at Mickley Hall Shooting School for another glorious day and more fantastic scores which seem to improve month by month. High gun was a tense affair with a shoot off between Victoria Gallimore and Eleanor Hardy, this took place on a pair of rabbits, cruel!, both ladies took on the challenge and Eleanor Hardy finished on 7 from 10 to put the pressure on Victoria Gallimore who came out victorious with 9 from 10 and won the Mitsubishi Pick Up truck for the weekend kindly put up by Grenson Motor Company.

Our very own Scott Barnett had a fantastic day at the Perazzi Sporting Grand Prix at Mid Wales Shooting Centre. The competition is set over two 75 bird layouts, the red and green course, both courses had their own degree of difficulty, with many competitors falling by the wayside, George Digweed finished on a great 140 but was pipped by W Baughan at 141but Scott had two equally fine rounds to finish on an incredible 144 from a possible 150 three clays clear of the field, to take high gun and win the Perazzi High Tech gun, well shot Scott.

Scott also received some great news in the form qualifying for the England FITASC team, great result!

 

Congratulations to Alex Wilkinson who competed at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Germany, he was selected to be part of the Great Britain Junior Olympic Skeet Team. Further to this, Alex had one of his best competitions to date at the Olympic Skeet Home International in Scotland. Alex shot extremely well to finish as the Overall England Team High gun and as Overall Runner up, only one clay behind the Commonwealth Bronze Medallist, Gaz McAuley on 95/100. The weekend was topped off as he was part of the winning England Senior team, a great result for them all!

Alex followed that fantastic result with a great weekend at the Olympic Skeet British Grand Prix at Doveridge. He was delighted to have shot consistently over the two days to score 184/200.  Alex was the Junior High Gun and was placed 3rd overall. He's now looking forward to the British Shooting Grand Final which takes place in September at Fauxdegla.

All eyes are now on the teams for the Inter County Sporting events and getting ready for the Nationals in October, good luck to all who make the teams.

 

 

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CPSA Pull Magazine

 

The selection shoots are in full swing, in fact the DTL selection shoots are over and the teams selected for the West Midlands Team Championships at Fauxdegla, thank you to everyone who took part.

On the 22^ndApril the Cheshire ABT took place at Fauxdegla with Andy Pownal taking high gun on 91 Dave o’Donnell taking mens on 89 and Vets was taken by Paul Culverwell on 85.

The West Midlands Area and Team Championships  ABT event on the 8th April didn’t go to well for the team but there were some great individual scores non more so than Dave O’Donnell who shot a 98 took the Cheshire high gun and after a tense three way shoot off took West Midlands Area silver medal, very well done Dave.