EAST MIDLANDS I/C ABT

HELD AT NOTTINGHAM & DISTRICT GUN CLUB

ON SUNDAY, 1^ST OCTOBER

The East Midlands Intercounties ABT always represents the season finale, but it is also the final shoot to determine which county wins the coveted Director’s Trophy.  With Norfolk trailing fellow East Anglians, Suffolk by just 2 points it was going to be a battle to the end and indeed Norfolk came ready for the fight.

Richard Bunning, Mark Goddard, and Karl Hagan excel at sporting but their willingness to support their county in a trap discipline is something special and shows Norfolk’s determination to really go all out to score maximum points.  It certainly paid off as their senior team of Richard Bunning (98), Mark Goddard (94), Jason Matthewson (94), Karl Hagan (93), Simon Owen (92), and Richard Sutterby (85) just walked away with the team competition beating runners-up, Notts, by 13 targets. 

NORFOLK - SENIOR TEAM CHAMPIONS

Likewise, the Norfolk Veteran team of Robert Flowers, Paul Owen, Richard Gilbert, and John Reynolds were also “men on a mission” again forcing the Notts Vets into second place by 10 targets. 

NORFOLK - VETERANS TEAM CHAMPIONS

Notts were rather more successful with their Ladies’ team as Olivia Stevens, Alix Gregory and Hayley Denoon picked up the ladies’ trophies finishing well clear of their nearest rivals, Lincolnshire.  Olivia, who has competed with the England DTL squad for the first time this year, also took the Junior High Gun Trophy with her score of 84.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE - LADIES CHAMPIONS

OLIVIA STEVENS (NOTTS) - JUNIOR HIGH GUN

Being the last major shoot of the 2023 season, this event was very well supported with 7 out of the 8 counties in the East Midlands putting in both Senior and Veteran teams but only Lincolnshire could muster a Junior team, and both acquitted themselves very well.

George Dilley and Jayden Wilson, both of whom are just 13 years old, had been press-ganged into shooting the National Intercounties ABT 2 weeks earlier (which they won) so are delighted to also add the East Midlands team trophies now to their growing haul.   Congratulations to them both - they are certainly going to be ones to watch next year.

LINCOLNSHIRE - JUNIOR TEAM CHAMPIONS

There was some muted jubilation amongst the Norfolk team as there was some unofficial number crunching which made them think that they had done enough to win the Director’s Trophy, but a full celebration had to wait until the official figures were released the next day.

 So, we are delighted to confirm that Norfolk are the 2023 winners.  Many congratulations to all the Norfolk teams who have competed for this trophy, your win is well deserved.