Summer FT 2010

The summer season began at Newbury on a glorious spring day. The blue sky was occasionally interrupted by the silhouette of a Red Kite, now synonymous with Newbury, or of numerous mewing Buzzards.
The course today made use of some unexplored ground and part of it was quite exposed. For the early shooters wind did not prove a problem and the benign conditions meant scores were high. Dave Penman and Andras Fekete-Moto posted 39's thereby laying the gauntlet for any later competitor to clear the course. I heard people say of their disappointment having dropped 4 or 5 and that when aiming at the edge of kill that was where the pellet landed.
As the day got older the wind picked up and was inclined to switch direction so although most targets needed some wind adjustment picking which side might change from lane to lane.
There were plenty of high scores but none troubled the leaders or Alan Chambers who was secure in third on 38. At the end 37 was good enough to tie for 4th and a glut of shooters on 36 tied for 10th place. However, this was to change when it came to light that Andras' recorded muzzle velocity was too high; Andras withdrew his score and was greatly disappointed.
The most watched shoot-off was between Andy Calpin and Andy Gillott, they needed quite a few shots before Mr Calpin secured third place.
The shoot-offs complete Roger Moy presented the prizes and announced that the BFTA Champion 2010 was Dave Penman.
Many thank to Andrew, Geoff and all the Newbury members for organising an excellent event.

GP1 at Tawd Vale 19th April 2010
The GP season got underway in the north-west at Tawd Vale. The last two visits of the GP circuit to Tawd had been rather wet so a warm spring day was most welcome. Tawd Vale covers a large area and today the course was set in a new location. The woods were alive with the sounds of early spring with many eyes lifted to the canopy to catch a sight of the courting Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
One obvious absentee was that signal of summer the Swallow; they're normally here in good numbers by now so perhaps that hard winter has slowed down their passage.
Today the wind was only light so high scores were expected and the morning squad did not disappoint. Stuart Hancox showed why he has twice been crowned world champion by clearing the course! There were many other high scores; Chris Briscoe dropped only 1, his 45th target, and a number of 48's were recorded. Some shooters found the conditions tricky and perhaps like me they were fishing for a wind that wasn't sufficient to move the pellets. In the afternoon conditions remained favourable and scores were also high. Andy Calpin came closest with 49 but it must be a hard task to follow a clearance.
The first trophy presentation was well attended and I was delighted to see Paul O'Hanlon win his first BFTA trophy; 1st place in C grade. Well done Paul!
May 1st and 2nd 2010 - The NEFTA Classic at Pontefract.
For some shooters the highlight of the FT season is the 2 day Classic. If you've never tried it then think again and give it a go; yes the shooting is good but the event is fantastic.
The weather this year was not so kind, it was cold and wet but the wind wasn't too harsh.
This is my third Classic, which was celebrating its 20th birthday, and it was the first time I had experienced two completely different FT courses; the Pontefract and NEFTA members had obviously worked very hard and their effort were appreciated by all.
My Saturday started early, I can imagine shooters all over the country waking up as if kids on Christmas Day, and we were on the road by 4.30am for a 2 hour ride to Ponte; my sympathy to anyone else who suffered the 50mph section on the M1, it looked finished to me!
Last year Jesus from Euskadi enjoyed his first Classic and this year he was back for more accompanied by Jose.
Both days are split into three 3 hours sessions; 40 shot FT, 40 silhouettes or well earned rest. By the 6pm four shooters had posted 39 and nine scored 38 on the FT course, highest on the silhouettes were a pair of 37's. To win the classic you need to be good at both disciplines and at the top were the shoot-off pair from the 2009 worlds James Woodhead and John Costello on 73 out of 80.
My group shot the silhouettes at mid-day. It is an experience that many look forward to all year yet when Harry says "10 seconds you may load" legs turn to jelly, buttocks become clenched and stomachs fill with acid but we love it. This year those scoring on the left hand lanes may have spotted the vole that kept popping up for some of the spilled bird food. I'm using it as an excuse as it distracted me when on aim; I wish!
Two very obvious visitors to the silhouette area were a pair of Song Thrushes that continually swooped across the firing line; their call and that of others could be heard all day.
Jose's first NEFTA experience left him ...
Day 2 was a little more windy and regular rain fall contributed to make it quite a chilly day. John Costello upped the ante by dropping just one on the silhouettes whilst Ian Taylor added a 39 to yesterday's 38 on the FT course. The FT course was tougher than Saturday leading to lower scores and John managed only 29. This opened the door for Andy Calpin who scored a pair of 36's to tie the lead.
After 2 days and 160 shots Andy and John were tied on 141; so to a shoot-off. After 4 targets they were still level, Trevor Ryan then chose a standing lane. During his FT round I had watched John dink both these as kneelers but he showed his mettle to drop both standing and take the overall title.
Matt Hirst won the silhouette title on 74 and Ian Taylor was three shots clear on 77 to win the FT title. Overall grade winners were: C grade - Dean Jukes, B grade - Mark Brewitt, A grade - James Griffiths. A special mention to Nick Murphy who overwhelmed recoiling on a score of 129 which was 15th overall.
Mark Brewitt receives his B grade trophy and wins a dip from Hydrographics.
This year the overall winner also received an invite to compete in the Euskadi Open in July with all their accommodation expenses met. Here Jesus presents John with his prize
It was a terrific weekend. Many thanks to all those from NEFTA who contributed to make it such an enjoyable two days!

GP2 at ETL 16th May 2010
This is my fourth GP season and ETL's offering on Sunday topped the lot. The course was an excellent challenge set in beautiful terrain; it really was an enjoyable walk.
The morning squad enjoyed favourable conditions and despite the course containing six standers and a number of long range targets the scoring was high. Neale Marklew shot superbly to drop only two, his 48 left him two clear of a small chasing pack.
Spring had finally caught up and the woods were busy with insects and birds, a Cuckoo could be heard calling and in the skies the sight of Shelducks showed that we were not far from the Thames and the sea beyond.
The afternoon session began right on time and after a short briefing from chief marshal Simon Pattle we were off. The course offered a variety of challenges including wind from all directions. Perhaps the conditions were a bit trickier than the morning but in AA grade Craig McDonald and Mark Bassett managed to join the group on 46. A four-way shoot off followed in which Mark was victorious and Neil Daniels bagged third. Chris Briscoe, also on 46, added another 48 points to his GP1 tally to lead AA overall by 12 points.
In piston class Nick Murphy scored 43, yes 43, to win from Grubber on 40.
In A grade James Griffiths and Simon Evans shared scores of 44 and also share the overall lead on 98 points. Simon had posted on the STB how he would always be an A grade; 88% and 92% suggest otherwise Simon! Now to do it on your own course at Tondu; no pressure Simon!
B grade was won by Stan Kempton of Springfield and Mark Brewitt leads overall after another 40+ score. Dean Jukes added more glassware to the Welsh pot and he sits atop of C grade overall.
As the afternoon session ended the rain fell heavily but there were chips to eat and even a pudding. A great day out, many thanks to all those at ETL who made it possible.

FT junkies can feed their addiction on Sunday 23rd May at the Shires 100 at Sywell and then there's only one week until GP3 at Tondu.
GP3 at Tondu 30th May 2010.
For the fourth year running the Welsh GP enjoyed plenty of sunshine and today it also enjoyed a lot of wind. Tondu ground offers a variety of terrain where different challenges can be found and, unusually, a change of height. The course started with a monster kneeler at the top of the hill in strong wind, four more lanes followed on the hill and then the course descended into a bowl; here could be found a full range target placed high up the quarry side. Then the course moved into cover; although the copse offered shelter from the wind some of the targets were exposed that made the wind judgement particularly hard. The course ended with targets across a pond; these were taking an inordinate amount of wind or the buggers would go straight. An excellent course in an excellent setting.
Although the wind made the day feel a little autumnal there were plenty of birds about searching for food for their young families. In the pool there were some baby Moorhens and in the scrub alongside the pool Chiffchaffs were busy locating insects.
The early talk today was that in these conditions a 40 would secure a win. Mark Bassett and John Costello Junior confounded those watching and competing by dropping just 6 with Andras Fekete-Moro in third place on 43.
In the afternoon Kevin Sayers, James Osborne and Dave Schofield came close with 42 but the top three places remained from the morning round. In fact all of the GP's so far have been won in the morning session!
With John having set off north Berty took the title without needing a shoot-off and it was good to see Andras pick up his first BFTA trophy.
Carl Davies continued his good form from Sywell in winning A grade with 40. Tondu shooter Simon Evans placed second and James Griffiths took third.
In B grade Mark Brewitt's fine form continued he now has two seconds and one first with all of his scores above 40 (you might miss A grade Mark!). Chris Lee of Purley Chase bagged second and Mick Winstanley finished third.
Dean Jukes took his second win of the season in C and Peter Jacobs and Mark Thomas made the top three an all Welsh affair.
In Spring class Rob "Grubber" Long's win from Nick Murphy and Stephen Privett means that each GP has seen a different winner.
For those that follow the weather, of these 15 shooters I believe only 1 shot in the afternoon.
In the presentation ceremony Mark thanked Ian Harford for gaining some sponsorship from Mitsubishi - this included a prize for the top scoring lady. That honour fell to Pat Osborne; here are Mark and Pat with their trophies.
From the Celtic west we now travel to the Celtic north to Westfield near Glasgow.
GP4 at Westfield 14th June 2010.
Today proved to be the tale of two weather fronts. Myself, Paul and Ian had camped at the picturesque Bankell Farm on Saturday night. We had tripped into the town to watch the England match much to the chagrin of the local population; anyway Heskey should have scored. The next morning we awoke to heavy rain which did not perturb Paul and me because we were shooting the afternoon session. So whilst we stayed warm in our sleeping bags Ian donned full waterproofs and set off to work.
When we did arise the day started with a thrill. Adjacent to the campsite was a small copse and in it were two deer having a late breakfast. Our presence disturbed them and they ran off leeping fences as they went.
After an excellent breakfast we joined the morning shooters. The rain was dire, not particularly heavy but that sought of rain that makes you wet. Add to this a changing and strong wind and you have the recipe for unhappy shooters. Although Ian was surprisingly found laughing!
The course at Westfield was new so not even the locals knew what to expect. The first 6 lanes were in a freshly cut field; the targets extended from the hay into a small inclined copse where a lot of wind could be found. The remainder of the course consisted of targets either side and on top of a hill.
Here the target placement was excellent. There were declined targets in and around a stream and elevated targets in trees. The wind was erratic around the hill, occasionally it remained consistent making for easier shooting and then suddenly it would shift.
As if by magic the morning session ended and the sun came out. It was quite a contrast; the morning attire was full wet weather gear and the afternoon was t-shirt and shorts.
Despite the favourable weather the wind did not abate and the afternoon shooters also found the going tough but they were dry.
Once again John Costello on 44 finished top of the pile along with Conor McFlynn from Northern Ireland. Andy Calpin came close in the afternoon, his 43 securing 3rd place. In A grade Mick Brown scored an excellent 42, Trevor Davie went one better in B grade to win by 9 targets! Saul King topped C grade with our Paul notching second. Nick Murphy continued his dominance of the spring class but also congratulations to Karl Clarke for taking second on his springer GP debut. Jim Nee was the only competitor in SFT and he came in first!
Many thanks to the Westfield members for their excellent test. The weather was poor but it did not diminish the day.
Next we're off to Anston where I shall unleash my springer. Boing!!

GP4 at Anston 27th June 2010
Having seen the forecast and being an afternoon shooter I feared melt down might occur. Thankfully the Anston course was all under shelter; there must have been a 10 degree difference between the car park and the woodland it was scorching. Unfortunately whilst we were shielded from the Sun we were not sheltered from the debacle in South Africa!
Today's course proved an excellent challenge. It included some target positions that we rarely see; there was a pair of high kneelers, a pair of declined kneelers, an almost vertical close stander and plenty of long and high targets as well. The winner today would certainly deserve it.

Top score after the morning round was 45 by Mark A Fisher from Castle FTC and with the wind getting up for the afternoon it looked unlikely that his score would be matched. Enter Tim Goodall from North Oxon and Robert O'Neill from Tawd Vale who both shot superbly to score 45. Rob had to make a quick exit so Tim won his first GP.
In A grade Harriers shooter James Griffiths took the honours with 40 and B grade was another success for Mark Brewitt who scored 38. It looks like Dean Jukes will end the season top of C grade as his 35 gives him 3 wins from 4 starts. The Piston class was won by 2008 World Champion Paul James who shot an impressive 41 to win by 1 from Matt Hirst. It was nice to see Ian Harford back on the scene after a layoff due to injury; he looked stiff but managed top score in the SFT class.
Just as we were leaving it occurred to me that I hadn't seen any iconic wildlife when in the field opposite the exit there bounded a huge Hare; a terrific sighting.
Many thanks to the members at Anston for an enjoyable day's shooting. Next stop for a lucky few is the Euskadi Open in the Basque Country and if not GP6 at the excellent Castle FTC.