EAST MIDLANDS SKEET CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024

Thankfully the sun finally plucked up the courage to show its face and bathed the superbly presented Eriswell Lodge in glorious sunshine to welcome the 63 shooters who arrived to fight over the spoils.

Whilst the sun had arrived on schedule it also brought with it an irritating mistral breeze that amused itself by just wobbling the occasional target leaving the odd shooter to shake their head and wonder what they had done to deserve such unwanted tricks.

The breeze then was probably responsible for just the single ton to hit the scoreboard and that by cross border raider and vets shooter Peter Stanton-Hope from Essex.

Just one Nottinghamshire shooter took on the cross country journey from home turf and ran off with the Overall Regional title, so many congratulations to Tom Clifford who just let the one target slip by to record a great score of 99/100.

It was a tie for second place between former Cambs shooter Roger Fletcher, now shooting for Norfolk since his move to Norwich, and former teammate Peter Cook both locked on 98. A shoot off was therefore needed to separate the pair with the extra edge of not only 2^nd and 3^rd overall but the Regional Vets title also on the line.

The first round saw them both score 24/25 and it was to the centre peg and pairs to finally separate them with Roger running out the winner. Roger later told me 98 was a PB, so a good day all round for him, a PB, Runner Up overall, and a Vets title after a shoot off.

ROGER FLETCHER (NORFOLK) - RUNNER UP AND VETS CHAMPION

Completing the Vets 1-2-3 another Cambs shooter Albert Taylor took the bronze medal, he was tied on 97 with Suffolk shooter Robbie Manning, but unfortunately Robbie had left the ground and was not available for a shoot off.

In Ladies Norfolk’s Alison Coupe a former winner of this event in 2021 and 2022 recorded an impressive 97/100 to regain the Ladies title leaving English Open Champion Isabel Russell from Northants having to settle for the silver medal and Lincolnshire shooter Elizebeta MacGreggor White back in third place.

ALISON COUPE (NORFOLK) - LADIES CHAMPION

There was a good entry of junior and colt shooters but with just two of those from the region it was a head to head battle to take the junior title with Sonny Bowman from Northants just beating Cambridgeshire’s Ethan Lord by a single clay, Sonny winning on 95/100.

SONNY BOWMAN (NORTHANTS) - JUNIOR CHAMPION

Many thanks to Stuart and all his team at Eriswell Lodge for such a well run event. A great venue with some great food and the BBQ just after lunch was excellent.

Finally many thanks to Nigel Kingston the Suffolk Chairman and the attending East Midlands Rep who did a great job of the presentation and seemed to enjoy it almost as much as the winners.

Photos of the other medal winners, (Top Left) - Isabel Russell, (Top Right) - Ethan Lord, (Bottom Left) - Peter Cook, (Bottom Right) - Albert Taylor. 

Bottom photo - "The One That Got Away".