Shooting for the Derek Holt Memorial cup.

I am delighted to be able to report that for the first time in ten years the VRC were able to use the Crowl Langley full-bore rifle range for a much-needed practice session with our match weapons.

Hopefully, we will be able to train our new members to a better standard and perform better on Ashburton Day at Bisley next year and once again out-shoot Blundell’s Magpies. At 1400hrs we moved down to the Albert Beer rifle-range to take on the School VIII for the Derek Holt cup competition. Ruan Pring, captain of the school team set a very high standard in the first detail with 81.1/85 and no-one else cleared 80 points in the match. Ruan’s dad, Lewis (78-83 C), produced the second best tally of the afternoon with probably his best ever score of 78.1/85 which put him just in front of daughter Cicely (07-14 C) , now shooting for the VRC, who shot a very good 77/85. Emily Small (07-14 C) also shot for the VRC for the first time, but struggled with the standing application having injured her shoulder in a recent shooting match. Connor McCreevy had some problems with his bolt action in the prone speed shooting and dropped about ten points. Mike Langdon (66-69 C) joined us again for the third time this season and very nearly produced our best tally of the day.

Terry Curtayne (51-56 F), our most senior veteran, was delighted to not get the lowest score in the match. Sean Beer (79-81 B) and I were surplus to requirements, due to a good turnout again, so we shot as reserves.

Altogether, we had an excellent shooting match and no-one knew who had won until the protracted scoring process was completed over our traditional shooters tea in the Karslake Hall.

The VRC were eventually declared outright winners and Ruan Pring continued the family tradition by claiming the Ludlow-Gillies challenge cup for the highest score of the WBS team and also of the Holt Memorial Cup.

Many thanks to David Price for organising the whole shooting match- better luck next time! Chris Wilson (66-72 B)