North of England Skeet Selection 1 of 4 (NOEAC, 25 March)

 Well, no sooner than the British Open begins to fade from memory, the next appears on the horizon and the assembly of the next Northern Skeet Team begins! Thirty seven intrepid skeeters attended the first selection, and a quick glance over the scores at the close of play showed that places on this year’s team would be hotly contested!

NOEAC, Rufforth, was the venue for the opening event and although the first wave of squads were greeted with thick fog on the ranges, it soon passed over and sunshine prevailed.

Northern skeet stalwarts Steve Leppington and Gary Cooke stamped their authority on the shoot, leading the way with sterling 100 straights, closely followed by Bill Gray on an oh-so-close 99. James Perry and David Hornby also came close with excellent scores of 98. Seven shooters carded what appeared to be fashionable, but very respectable, 97s – David "Blackie" Blackburn, Paul Dodd, Steve Frost, Nigel Hirst, Graeme Rice, Wendy Taylor and Mark Webster!

Oliver Greenwood led Juniors with a 95, with Ollie Johnson following closely behind on 93. Wendy Taylor marked her intent on the Ladies Team with an excellent 97, 2 ahead of Chris Lancaster’s 95. Northumberland’s Liz Shanks also finished on a strong 93.

Full results can be found at www.cpsa.co.uk/scores/fixtures/42/55034.

There are 10 places up for grabs on the Senior Team, and 3 on the Ladies, Veterans and Juniors. The teams will represent the North of England at the British Open Skeet Championship, being held between the 17^th-19^th of August at Nottingham & District GC. With three shoots to count, and three shoots remaining, it’s still all to play for – so make sure to jot down the following selection dates in your diary!

 

6 May – Bywell SG

10 June – Coniston SG (Tel Entries)

1 July - NOEAC