South West DTL Inter-counties 2022 – North Cornwall Shooting Ground 24/9/22
It’s been a while since I was at North Cornwall last. You never quite know what you’ll get for weather, but today it was kind to us. We had a smattering of rain from the fringes of a big cloud heading South, but nothing more, and the wind managed to restrain itself from affecting the targets too badly. When it looks like it does in the photos, it’s a really pleasant place to be!
I went there as Team Captain with a job to do.
Last year, at Brook Bank, the Devon B squad could have brought the shield home. But I missed 3 whole targets on the third layout (they were very low – but I could have shot them better, so that’s no excuse) and felt like I’d cost us victory. Other squad members also dropped points, but had I hit those 3, it might have helped carry them to better scores.
In the end, we opened the door for the Cornwall A Team to surge to a deserving win.
Today was the opportunity for some personal redemption - to lead the team “into hostile territory”, and bring the shield back.
But it wouldn’t be easy. Not when Cornwall have an A Team of Barny Jackson, Simon Ede, Dom Davey, Colin Chidley, and Dave Sleeman. And then there was the formidable Somerset A Team of Tony Dore, Gerald Sweet, John Bradnam, Steve Parker, and Pete Bugler to contend with also.
I had heavy hitters of my own though. With me were Chris Smyth, Nick Shadrick, Stuart Taylor, and Richard Ryan.
I’m not certain, but I’m fairly sure that this was Stuart’s and Richard’s first time in the A Team. On paper, it doesn’t look the strongest side. But Stuart is a steady shot who doesn’t get ruffled easily, and Richard has been on good form lately, so I knew that if I did my job, and Chris and Nick shot like I knew they could, we’d have a chance.
The start was exactly what we needed – only 7 points dropped from the entire squad, which was just as well! The opposition were putting in plenty of 25-straights of their own, and, as I predicted, we would need every point we could get!
The Somerset B Team at work.
North Cornwall is not a ground where you can shoot a big score just by turning up. You have to be disciplined and work for every target. They looked pretty good in the morning when we hooped them, and although the wind affected them a bit towards the end of the day, everything was very hittable. But everyone had one round where the result was significantly lower than the others.
In my case, that was round 2. A building wind, combined with shifts in concentration, allowed two whole targets to get away from me, and the rest of the squad fared only slightly better.
Our third round result was very similar, and it was a good job I managed to get myself back on track and find a 25 straight, albeit with two second barrels.
We were helped by our competition also finding it tough, but a third round charge by Somerset brought them right back into the fight. Pete Bugler was forging ahead, and after 3 rounds he was on 75/221. Three other 25 straights from Tony Dore, Gerald Sweet and Steve Parker showed their intent, and everyone looking at the board had the same thought – this was going to be close!
Cornwall weren’t out of it either. They’d lost ground early, but were well poised to strike if Devon and Somerset faltered. Their last round was strong with four 25s, including a perfect 25/75 from Simon.
Myself, Chris, and Richard all finished with 25s of our own, while Nick and Stuart hung in there and stayed consistent. We’d done all we could. Now we had to wait.
Devon A's scorecard.
Amazingly, Somerset couldn’t build on their third round momentum. 17 points escaped them, and, looking at the numbers, I was half preparing for a team shoot-off, it was that close.
Further examination showed an amazing outcome – Devon A had won the shield by a single point! Some work with the calculator confirmed it - we scored 1433/1500, and Somerset A had 1432/1500! Cornwall A finished 10 points behind us on 1423/1500.
The battle of the B Teams was incredibly close as well. Somerset B finished with 1397/1500, then it was Cornwall B with 1394/1500, and then Devon B with 1392/1500.
The Somerset Ladies Team of Wendy Spackman and Melissa Callum triumphed over Cornwall Ladies (Emma Cox and Bethany Walsh), and the Veterans trophy also headed North over the border in the hands of Tony Dore and Gerald Sweet.
One of the perks of being Team Captain - I get to look after the shield (again)!
Elsewhere, among the individual competition entries, there were two stand-out performances unfolding in the shadow of the team event.
Once again, Phil Morgan brought a squad down from Wales, and he himself gave an almost perfect demonstration of DTL shooting. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect scorecard was a single second barrel in round 2, giving him a 100/299 and High Gun.
The second performance is, in my opinion, equally impressive. Not for the result, but for the context behind it. Clive Keightley has had a pretty rough time over the last couple of years with serious illness, and shot his first competition today after a gap of 15 months. He shot a 25/75, then a 25/74, and was equal with Phil at halfway on 50/149. His second 50 wasn’t so good, but he still finished on a 97/287, which is his highest score to date. It also won him B Class.
Well shot to Phil, Clive, and to all winners from today, whether it was a share of a trophy, or a class prize:
High Gun
Phil Morgan 100/299
AA Class
Equal 2nd in AA – Pete Bugler 99/291, Robert Dietz 98/291
1st in AA – Simon Ede 99/293
A Class
Equal 4th in A – Colin Chidley 98/285, Malcolm Brown 96/285
Equal 2nd in A – Ben Keightley 97/287, Kelvin Walsh 96/287
1st in A – Nick Shadrick 97/289
B Class
3rd in B – Mark Venn 97/280
2nd in B – Will Andrew 95/281
1st in B – Clive Keightley 97/287
C Class
3rd in C – John Davies 89/262
2nd in C – Jason Dyer 92/268
1st in C – Steve Keyte 94/280
Thank you to Andy, Albert, and Simon for keeping everything running smoothly, to the girls running the scoreboard (they did an excellent job!), and to Vics Catering Van for keeping us all fed and watered.
The next big contest will be the South West Single Barrel Inter-counties at Two Counties on the 2nd of October. Let’s see if we can do the double and bring that one home as well!