Having assembled and packed at the Surrey RA the previous evening, seventeen members of the team embarked on the coach at 0645 for the trip to Heathrow T3, with 4 accompanying WAGs, including James Thomas, newly espoused husband of Kitty Jack. Four absent team members were to join the team at Ottawa two weeks later.
After an uneventful flight and trouble-free passage through customs in Vancouver’s pristine new airport, the team emerged blinking to bright afternoon sunshine and headed, in rental vehicles, for Chilliwack. As is normal the team started in convoy and ended in disarray, a variety of routes being used by different vehicles. Eventually all converged on the hotel.
While some members of the team went to Jackson’s steakhouse to find their supper, the Adjutant led the remainder off to the Jolly Miller pub across the road from the team hotel for bacon cheeseburgers and chips, washed down by ‘a number’ of pitchers of beer.
It had been a long day.
A beautiful morning as team members emerged from their beds to seek sources of breakfast and shop for essentials like water and ingredients for lunchtime sandwiches. After a briefing from team management, the team started to swing into shooting mode, assembling rifles, pushing bullets, making sandwiches and, yes, writing the diary.
The morning slid by quickly and, at 1230, the team boarded its vehicles for a trip to Chilliwack range for a practice shoot. The drive follows the meandering Chilliwack River, green with snow melt, foaming over rocks under steep wooded hillsides, and a stop was made for a team photo on the bridge. The range has been described as the most beautiful in the world and the view from the left end of the firing point does not disappoint as, to the right of the butts, a jagged ridge with snow filled corries juts into the clear blue sky, providing a dramatic backdrop.
Greeted by old friends from the BCRA it was not long before the Chief Range Officer, Bob Pitcairn, past winner of the Bisley Grand Aggregate, was delivering his briefing. These instructions spared no detail and included a warning that brown bears have been spotted around the range, a point of interest for those answering a call of nature in the trees.
As the first practice detail prepared to shoot, the second detail trooped off to the butts. Worthy of note is how immaculate the range looked in the afternoon sun. Soon the shooting was under way and a number of GB shooters encountered problems hitting the 400m target. The extent of the problem seemed to be roughly in proportion to the seniority of the shooter, and a number of foresights had to be re-positioned on their ladders before a hit could be recorded. A more extreme example of this problem was the captain who, without the assistance of the main coach, would have found the target somewhat quicker.
Back at the ranch in the evening, more bullet pushing, sandwich making, briefings and eventually a meal.
Today the team started the BC Open Meeting and were greeted by some of the most confusing wind indication they had ever seen, outside New Zealand’s notorious Trentham range, with flags often pointing in opposite directions to both each other and the mirage! A wide variety of firing points were also provided for added interest, ranging from bumpy and holley to soft and spongy, to pure dirt. Despite all of this the team got off to a solid start with many people making good scores.
We started off at 300 with the butts in shadow, which made the sight picture quite difficult for some, although that probably wasn’t quite a good enough excuse for our Main Coach and wind reader extraordinaire’s spectacular 41. His pain was not soothed by knowledge of the WAGs’ trip to Vancouver’s most expensive antique jewellery shops. Another team member who shall be nameless struggled to connect with the target, led astray by an old shothole or ricochet on the target being marked erroneously as his first sighter.
The firing points at 400 were much smoother making the team quite a bit more comfortable. However, it didn’t get much easier with the light now behind the targets creating the effect of a square aiming mark and the flags still pointing in every possible direction, often at the same time.
The team lunched healthily on home made sandwiches and fruit, sitting in the shade to keep cool. Even the smokers had a healthier time than usual, being forced to walk all the way out to the main road before being allowed to indulge their habit since under extreme fire risk, smoking was strictly forbid on or near the range.
We finished the day at 500m where the firing points lacked any grass at all and tarpaulins had to be place along the front of the point to prevent dust being blown up into your face when firing.
As the day finished it was the team’s sailor who was showing us how it should be done with only two points dropped on the day. And the Captain was found to be leading the first stage of the Lieutenant Governor’s Prize (the BC equivalent to the Queen’s Prize) with a 105. Despite the contradictory wind conditions most people found that it all seemed to balance itself out to near zero and finished well in the afternoon details.
Day 2 of the BCRA Championship meeting dawned bright and sunny but somewhat cooler than previous days, with the first clouds we had seen since arrival in Canada. The vans rolled as usual at 0715 to get to the range in good time, to be greeted by reports that one of the local bears had been sighted on the edge of the range. While everyone on the team is keen to see a bear while we are here, most are not so sure that they want to have too close an encounter. Having rifles close to hand might have made for a greater sense of comfort, but there were questions as to what size foresight one should use, what elevation was appropriate and whether we would get the essential 5 minute preparation period before we had to shoot. And would the bear remain stationary and conveniently adjacent to a wind flag ? Those who remembered the Scottish team’s brochure of a few years ago knew that there were many pages of advice therein on what to do when confronted by a bear, but could not remember the essential elements (Stand still or run? Be quiet or shout?) So would we survive a close encounter with a hungry bear? The conclusion was . . . probably not!
Trigger weighing preceded the day’s shooting for everyone – BCRA has adopted the ICFRA rules which only require a 0.5 kg trigger weight, so this proved not to be a problem given that everyone still had triggers set at 1.5 kg to meet NRA rules.
While the rest of the team prepared to settle into the first competition the Duff Stewart (2 +10 at 300m) of the day, this correspondent, who was on the second detail, decided that it would have been prudent to bring some wet weather gear to the range, given that the forecast was for 60% chance of thunder showers later in the day. With 50 minutes before his detail he set off to the hotel, returning to the range at the required 15 minutes before the appointed start time for his detail, only to find that the detail time had been brought forward and that he was now very late! The range staff and his target partner were very accommodating, and he slotted in and managed to complete his shoot before the last target finished. Phew! Unsurprisingly, his score was not nearly as good as the Adjutant, who won the competition, , with a 50.9.
The day continued with the Vancouver (2+10 at 500m) and the Past President (2+10 at 600m) prior to lunch. After an early lunch, with threatening clouds gathering all around, the MacDonald Stewart 2nd Stage (2+10 at 600m), rounded off the day’s individual competitions. There were plenty of ‘possibles’ from the Brits, but equally many from the home range Canadians and visiting Americans. (See the results page for details).
The final shoot of the day was the first range of an International Match. The match is shot over a Kolapore course of fire, but with just one range shot per day. As teams settled onto the firing point, the first spots of rain were felt. Fortunately they proved also to be the only spots of rain, stopping as soon as they started, with the threatened thunder showers never materialising.
As well as GB and Canada, a goodwill team from the USA is also competing in the match, with a second GB team shooting alongside. Despite almost flat calm, with the flags hardly stirring and no visible mirage, all teams struggled a little on the tight ICFRA targets. After 300m, the top team is 6 off, with all the other teams close behind, although the placings and scores will not be announced until the match concludes on Monday.
The early finish to the day allowed bullets to be pushed and showers taken prior to the BCRA hosted International Team Dinner at the Chilliwack Golf and Country Club. After an excellent meal in good company, the President of the BCRA presented the GB Team Captain with a memento. Jane responded with thanks and presentations to the BCRA and the many organisers and officials involved in planning and running the meeting. And so to bed, in preparation for another busy day on the range tomorrow. Will we see a bear?? Watch this space . . .
Today was an eventful day and one which proved much more fruitful with many people achieving better scores than previously. En route to the Range our chief coach first accused the Captain of altering his driver’s seat until realizing he was just sitting on his packet of biscuits!
We started out at 400m, in a dead calm, which left us with no excuses for not scoring highly. Fortunately most did, in particular our adjutant with a very good 50.8. Unfortunately this was insufficient to win him the competition, so he had to go one better later on at 600m with a very impressive 50.9 to ensure victory in the Vern Barclay competition. At 500m the team was again able to make the most of the virtually windless conditions with many of the team members scoring ‘possibles’.
Back at 600m was where it got a bit more interesting - for all except the Adj who took the conditions in his stride as mentioned above. Not only did the changeable winds start to rear their ugly heads but the high mound and steep slopes of the 600 point created a hazard for some with the diarist taking a tumble down the slope at least 3 times and on one occasion ending up in the fence!
However, one person’s hazard is another’s sporting opportunity and the Vice Captain, flush with success from winning the BC Grand Aggregate, was later seen trying to toboggan down the slope on his shooting mat, trialing (unsuccessfully) both the luge and skeleton positions! He has been gently advised that more practice will be required before he is ready to take on the Cresta Run. Rumour has it that a team rolling competition may take place tomorrow after the conclusion of the more formal team matches.
The Sir Arthur Currie team match then took place at 600m. GB had entered two teams – the GB Tigers, captained by the Captain and the GB Lions, captained by the Main Coach. The vice Captain took a much needed rest and observed proceedings from behind the point. This was a good opportunity for all to show that they could improve on yesterday’s far from perfect team performance - and generally both firing point drill and individual performance seemed much improved.
This match was followed by stage 2 of the International Teams Match, shot at 500m. Again, both GB teams’ performance improved considerably with the Red team dropping only 3 points. But so reportedly did the US team, so all is still very close and to play for at the final range tomorrow afternoon.
The team retired back to the Hotel before the match results had been posted to sort out kit and then enjoy beer and free chilli at the Jolly Miller pub - and to laugh at the latest edition of ‘Kittycam’. The team webmasters are trying hard to find a way for our readers to view Kittycam also. Currently lack of bandwidth is preventing us from sharing this daily gem. However, we will persevere in the interests of our readers’ education and amusement.
Sadly no sun today – and the view of the mountains was rather obscured by low cloud – but there was no rain either so we were happy.
And no sightings of bears either!
The fourth and final day of the BC championships dawned fine. The programme for the day comprised three shoots at 600m., two of these being the last two individual shoots and the third being the final range of the international match against British Columbia, representing Canada, and a US team consisting of shooters from the Western states.
The results from yesterday showed GB shooters in the ascendancy with various individual successes, the most note-worthy being a win in the Grand Aggregate by Nigel Ball, who had shot four scores of 50 in the day to overtake local shooter Don Pitcairn. Kitty Jack was runner-up two points behind Nigel, with David Armstrong in third place, a further point back.
In the first shoot today the scoring continued high as the conditions were straight forward in the first competition, the Life Governors. Jane Messer, team captain, was second with 50.8, just behind Dave Adams, BCRA President, with 50.9.
The final individual competition, the Norm Beaton, is also the final of the Lt Governor’s and the only 15 round shoot of the meeting. David Armstrong won the Norm Beaton with 75.10, with Jane Messer in second place with 75.7. This resulted in Jane being declared the outright winner of the Lt Governor’s Match with a score of 378.42, with Nigel Ball second with 377.36 and Archie Whicher fourth with 373.32. Jane was duly chaired off the range to the strains of “Scotland the Brave”, played by a lone piper in full highland regalia.
The day’s third shoot was the third and final range of the International Teams Match shot under Kolapore conditions. GB Red Team had edged the 300m and 500m ranges each by one point from the US team, and a 2 point lead could hardly be described as a cushion.
Jane made it clear to the team that real focus was required if disappointment was to be avoided and the 600m leg of the match got under way in tricky wind conditions with sudden changes of both strength and direction and occasional dust clouds raised by the gusts. Once again Jane was to the fore, both shooting (coached by Kitty Jack) and coaching, and a composed team performance was delivered. Dropping five points, GB progressed to a clear win with a score of 1,185 ex 1,200, with the BC (Canada) team on 1,176, the US team on 1,168 (we think!) and the GB Blue team on 1,166.
The prize-giving soon followed and a high proportion of the fine silver trophies were claimed by GB team members. It should be noted that, overall, Nigel won the BC Open TR Championship and Jane was runner up. None of the visitors had ever shot on such a pristine range in such spectacular surroundings. The organisation by Bob Pitcairn and his team had been flawless, a tribute to all their hard work.
So ended the 2010 BC Championships. The Captain was moved to state that the day had been ‘most satisfactory’. After farewells on the range, the GB team celebrated their successes with an excellent dinner at the local steak house. Some then retired while others, mindful of the rest day to come, returned to the Jolly Roger pub before, in the small hours, serenading a sleepy captain - and no doubt all the other hotel guests - to the strains of Hail the Conquering Hero, thus rounding off a very good day.
Well, Tuesday’s diary begins minutes after Monday’s diary ends. Your correspondent cannot claim to have witnessed the continuing celebrations, and therefore is obliged to rely upon anecdotal reports, some of which are, at best, rather vague.
It seems that the younger(?) half of the team, which included several “young at heart”, retired from Jackson’s Steak House to the now familiar surroundings of the Jolly Miller bar. There ensued a tie shoot, the rules of which seem to have developed as the match continued. Ammunition was a blend of Jagermeister and Red Bull and course of fire two convertible sighters and ten shots to count. Time was limited to two hours.
The result of this prestigious event cannot easily be described as this diary is a “family show”, save that your correspondent shared a room with one of those who completed the tie and who did not leave the room until the team left for Jasper on Wednesday.
And, as already reported, the evening ended with a serenade at the window of our victorious captain in the early hours.
Meanwhile, back on planet earth, those who had planned to leave at 9.00 a.m. to spend a day in Vancouver found themselves in a gathering of two. As others emerged, blinking and recounting earlier events, John Deane, transport manager, called upon all those with driver’s licences to attend the offices of Hertz in Chilliwack, for the completion of bureaucratic formalities to do with vehicle insurance, following misinformation given out by the Vancouver Hertz office on our arrival.
The mundane continued for most of the morning until the first of several Vancouver buses set off. Lunching and shopping seem to have been the preferred activities, with disappointment for some that the famous Hooters was closed, whilst others visited the acquarium, local lakes and hot springs, and the captain spent an enjoyable day with family friends. The vice-captain decided not to stray from base, spending the day on domestic chores.
Charles Dickenson’s wife, Sue, and daughter Annie had meanwhile appeared, to accompany the team to the Rockies.
In the evening, team members busied themselves with packing and preparing for Wednesday’s long drive up to Jasper, a beer and a sandwich being the most ambitious supper reported.
A day of travelling 700km (over 430 miles) across the Rockies to Jasper was in prospect as the team emerged into bright sunshine with assorted rifle cases, suitcases and bags and started the process of fitting a quart into a pint pot. Recognising the impossibility of the latter, an extra car had been hired which meant that, with a bit of careful packing, wagons were ready to roll not long after the target time of 8 am.
After dire warnings from the Captain about the lack of fuel (‘gas’) beyond Hope (Abandon Hope all ye who pass that point without a full tank), and firm instructions from the Vice-Captain that it was not a race and that the full team would be required in one piece in Ottawa, the team set out in 6 vehicles for the 8+ hour drive (longer for a certain Irishman who left his hat in a restaurant and had to repeat a chunk of the journey to retrieve it).
Although all followed (almost) the same route, each vehicle chose their own stopping points for food, drink, leg stretch and driver changeover, with the consequence that most vehicles didn’t see much of the others except for the occasional passing manoeuvre. However, when they finally arrived in Jasper, all agreed that the good quality roads, light traffic and constantly changing scenery had made the journey a lot easier than they had expected.
Watering points sampled by the various vehicles ranged from an excellent restaurant with pretty lakeside views, to which the Captain unerringly led "Bus 1," through food halls in shopping malls, to rest areas by the side of the road. Amongst the latter was one excitingly named ‘Thunder River’, where one van load was tempted to stop to eat their lunch. Unless an Australian Thunder Box interpretation is put on the toilet (which more closely resembled a well) in what turned out to be little more than a lay-by, it sadly failed to live up to its name, as the adjacent river no more than gurgled in the background.
Despite atmospheric haze, caused by the large number of forest fires currently burning in BC, the scenery was spectacular, but not only of the steep wooded mountainsides that were so familiar from photographs of the Rockies. There were areas of rolling hillsides and treeless patches more reminiscent of Dartmoor, and in some places many of the trees have been killed by a major infestation of Pine Beetles. While some were just awestruck by the sudden, unexpected and spectacular appearance of Mount Robson, shortly after turning onto Highway 16, there were some with guide books who anticipated its appearance with “I think it’s that mountain”, “No it’s not, it must be that one”, “OH MY! No it isn’t, it’s THAT one!”.
One person who missed all this was the not so aptly nicknamed ‘Lucky’, who was due to join the team today after flying into Calgary and driving up to Jasper. A forgotten driving licence meant that he couldn’t pick up his hire car and had to catch a bus, but only managed to get as far as Lake Louise, still some 3 hours drive away. We will probably now pick him up as we drive past Lake Louise on Friday. Enjoy Lake Louise, David!
Today was a day of some much needed exercise, as after the long eight or nine hour drive to Jasper yesterday the team ventured out to explore a little bit of the Rockies.
The majority of the team took to the Jasper Tramway, a cable car up Whistler’s Mountain to a height of 7472ft (2277m). Once there we enjoyed a short one and a half km walk up to the summit. However, those who had sampled the (rather limited) Jasper nightlife the night before perhaps didn’t enjoy the steep inclines quite so much, with one team member making it up the tramway, declining the walk and returning to the bottom to have a snooze.
At the top those who had done the climb were rewarded by some spectacular views of the surrounding Rocky mountains and lakes - as well as some expert tuition by the team’s Geographer. After taking in the views and meeting the local marmots (who do indeed issue a piercing warning whistle, for example when confronted by a Cambridge student sprinting straight for them), the team enjoyed a short impromptu snowball fight before heading back down for lunch.
Those who had not done the mountain trip also enjoyed plenty of exercise walking around the various shops and museums to be found in Jasper.
After lunch the team headed off to spend the afternoon by Patricia Lake. Some of the team were satisfied, having ‘believed’ they’d seen ‘part of’ a bear, so enjoyed a late lunch and lazy paddle by the shore. A select few who hadn’t got quite enough exercise from climbing Mount Whistler that morning went on an adventurous five mile ramble through the forest and around the lake in search of bears and other wild life, but discovered only a chipmunk and two butterflies, despite climbing up to a little visited lake that they were assured by the locals was ‘bear central’. This was followed by some well-deserved tea and cake and some more shopping, to the dismay of the main coach.
Meanwhile, the Dickenson family not only enjoyed a serene day out at Lake Maligne and Canyon, but also spotted a photogenic bear and returned with incontrovertible proof of the encounter.
The team later made up for their extraneous activities by filling up on Mega Game Burgers containing Elk, Venison and Moose.
Readers who have travelled the route between Jasper and Banff by road will be aware of the spectacular nature of the wild mountain scenery that greets visitors to the area, the “first time” category of which includes your correspondent.
The team plus “WAGs” (a group expanded to include a husband and a daughter) packed up the buses and moved out of Jasper in good order this morning.
The first port of call for many was the Athabasca Falls which provided an opportunity for a “plunging tree trunk” kind of pooh-sticks game for the 50-something children on the team. Although the captain and others walked down below the falls to adjudicate, no pooh sticks were seen to emerge from the torrent, so a draw had to be declared, to the disappointment of the participants.
Just down the road, lies the famous Athabasca Glacier where a number of team members took the 4x4 bus onto the ice to experience biting cold in high summer. Those on the 1998 team to Canada were able to recount how much the glacier had receded during the intervening years. The team geography teacher was able inform the team that, above the glacier and invisible from the road, lies the Columbia Ice Field, which lies on a high plateau and occupies an area the size of the City of Vancouver and whose ice takes 150 years to travel from the centre of the ice field to the bottom of the Athabasca glacier. This was an advanced lesson in glaciation after the basic lesson that a glacier does not actually have cravats, as described yesterday by the team’s aspiring geography student.
Lack of education amongst team members was found not to be confined to the subject of geography, but to extend into the realm of zoology. Yesterday’s confusion concerned the difference between a moose and a mouse (the context being the ingredients for a Jasper gameburger). Today the main coach photographed, at close quarters, two white tailed deer at the roadside before asking his companions if the hapless quadrupeds were mountain goats. However, a number of team members have now seen – and correctly identified - one or more bears. And the captain was delighted to see potentillas growing wild around the Falls and did her best to install some botanical lore in her bus mates, with limited success.
Moving on, some much faster than others, the next viewpoint was the terrace of the Chateau Lake Louise, accompanied by an excellent lunch. This is a classic picture postcard view across the immaculate garden and the jade depths of Lake Louise to the glacier plunging down the steep rock in the distance.
Round about now the first rain of the tour drenched a wedding party as the bride and groom acted out their dream ceremony on the shore of Lake Louise, and deterred your correspondent and others from taking a high level walk around the lake. And so the buses headed for the shelter of the Caribou Lodge Hotel in Banff.
Here the team was greeted by David Luckman and Dominic Harvey (remember him?) both joining the team somewhat later than expected. The latter, fully living up to his reputation as a party animal of some renown, soon had the majority of the team rounded up for a magnificent dinner of bison steaks, venison and fine wines at a stylish restaurant in Banff, the pretext being his claim to have attained the age of 30 in recent days. This correspondent, mindful of his duties to an extensive readership, retired early to write about the day’s activities, so can only surmise how the later stages of the birthday celebrations will pan out as the night progresses.
Having been reunited with the team’s social secretary last night, the team wasted no opportunity to make up for lost time. After finishing our delightful steaks, we heard of a new bar, the Dancing Sasquatch, which was having its opening night that evening.
Having been reunited with the team’s social secretary last night, the team wasted no opportunity to make up for lost time. After finishing our delightful steaks, we heard of a new bar, the Dancing Sasquatch, which was having its opening night that evening. So what better than to give the Canadians a taste of what British clubbing is like? The last revellers eventually wound their weary way back to the hotel in the early hours, two of the team demonstrating a level of sophistication en route by re-enacting a well-known work of Shakespeare with one of the locals on her balcony.
We hope that the Dancing Sasquatch enjoyed our presence at its opening night but we cannot be certain as when some of the team walked past it today, it had metamorphosed from a night club back into a souvenir boutique.
Coincidentally, some of the team chose to enjoy a relaxing morning at the hotel with the spa and hot tub being particularly well patronised.
Those not satisfied with lazing around the hotel all day variously chose to go horse riding, take a boat cruise on a local lake, or take a climb up Sunshine Mountain. No, really, it is a mountain. This provided some great exercise with the 12km walk taking in some stunning flora and fauna (but no bears) and, even with the ever present haze, the views over the landscape were well worth the walk. An added bonus to the trip was the impromptu opportunity for team bonding that was provided by the rather small bus in which the 5 GB team members had to share 3 seats and a wheel arch! This was much to the embarrassment of Bob the driver, tour guide and general factotum who later made up for the mistake with free hotdogs and interesting knowledge of the surrounding area.
The other members of the team later ventured out into Banff to enjoy some of the town’s daytime attractions. The team’s youngest member soon proved his maturity with the purchase of a cuddly lion hat and glove combo. Meanwhile the same team member’s former shooting master went in search of more cultural activities, visiting the Indian museum and enjoying a demonstration of a traditional Indian powwow dance. We hear this was well worth watching, although one of the dancers was unfortunate enough to suffer a twisted ankle during the Health Dance and had to be carried off the stage.
This evening the team dined on Italian cuisine before having an early night ready for the match against Alberta at Homestead range tomorrow.
After a few days - and nights - spent in idle frivolity, as reflected in recent editions of this diary, the tone of the day was set by the determined expression on the face of the captain after she had completed her breakfast. Today’s plan was for a team match at Homestead Range, with three GB teams and one Alberta team, of five shooters plus coach, competing at short and long range.
The captain’s good humour was tested somewhat when two team vehicles set off to the range before she had had the opportunity to stiffen everyone’s resolve with a team meeting, the aim of which was to emphasise that performances in today’s match would be taken as a serious trial for the match selections in Ottawa.
The one hour drive to Homestead took us past the jagged ridges and pinnacles surrounding Banff, and down into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the road to Calgary. The lack of bear sightings during the tour has induced a state of paranoia in some circles, with domestic cattle now being identified, in desperation, as bears.
On arrival at the range we were welcomed by Frank Lalear, Henry Rempol, Peter Redstone, Peter Papasideris, past Queens Prize runner-up, and introduced to the other Alberta shooters, a number of whom were shooting F Class alongside us – and who very kindly also did most of our marking for us.
Unfortunately the skies were darkening and light rain came and went through the first two ranges, 400m and 600m. The three GB teams were as follows: the Captain’s team, coached by the captain; the Vice-Captain’s team, coached by Dom Harvey, and the Adjutant’s team, coached by Martin Townsend.
After 600m two of the teams had dropped three points, and the Adjutant’s team only two. At 800m a diversion was caused by a small bird which decided not only to fly right in front of the firing point during the shooting, but also to land on a shooter’s barrel for a short rest, much to the latter’s confusion. Your correspondent is not sure that this eventuality is provided for in the ‘45 seconds’ rule, whether under DCRA or ICFRA rules, but the shooter refrained from firing for the bid’s safety and it few away unharmed. After 800m the scores remained close, but, as is invariably the case, it was 900m which provided the sternest test for both shooters and coaches. By the end the Captain’s team proved to be in the lead with 991 points ex 1,000, with the Vice’s team on 987 and the Adjutant’s team third with 985. The Alberta team scored 905 (full results).
The highlight of the individual performances was the only highest possible score of the day, 200.23, coached by Martin Townsend, and shot by Alex Bryson, at 18, the youngest member of the team. Highest scorers in the other teams were Bruce Roth, 199.23 (after starting the long range with shots on the target adjacent to his (and at which he had been aiming), following damage to his foresight), and Nigel Ball, 198.27. As Bruce observed, the individual performances were dominated by Wellington College, with a former pupil and two members of staff topping the list for their respective teams.
Following the match the sky brightened and, in glorious sunshine, Frank Lalear presented prizes and the Captain thanked our hosts with some reciprocal presentations, including a team photograph to add alongside the 1998 GB team photograph already on the clubhouse wall. The team was then entertained by the Alberta shooters to a barbeque consisting of delicious steaks and salads, washed down with Canadian beer and followed by home baked cakes and cookies. As clouds gathered again and the heavens opened, we were all heading back down the dirt road and back to Banff. Meanwhile, Frank and Peter were preparing for the three day drive across the Prairies to Ottawa, laden down with the team’s excess baggage. Many thanks to Frank and Peter – we will think of you as we fly over on Tuesday!
Today was the team’s last real free day before flying out to Ottawa tomorrow to start the main purpose of our trip. Yesterday evening having also been the last night off before the serious end of the tour, we sampled a bit more of the Banff nightlife. By coincidence, we met some of the hotel staff also enjoying a night off and this gave us a nice opportunity to socialise with them and thank them for being so helpful during our stay.
After the enjoyments of last night, some again ‘chose’ to have a lie in before a relaxing last day in Banff. However, the walkers of the team could not pass up a last opportunity to explore more of the Rockies’ stunning scenery, so took the drive towards Lake Louise to Morraine Lake to do the walk along the valley of the 10 peaks and up to Lake Eiffel, as recommended by the Albertans on the range the day before. . Although our views where somewhat obscured by the rather inclement weather, like true Brits we pushed on in our shorts, t-shirts and raincoat combos and were fortunate enough to get some sunlight and views over lunch. We were again quite hopeful of some bear sightings especially as everyone taking the trail from the lake was told they had to be in groups of 4 or more in case of bear attack. Despite this the closest we came was a bear of the small feathered variety, the lesser spotted Guinea Bear. Though this may have had something to do with almost every walker jingling along to the sound of bear bells. We returned to Banff after enjoying some well-earned tea and cake on the terrace of the chateau hotel overlooking Lake Louise.
Meanwhile, for those less keen on walking, Simon Harding had organised an outing to Brewsters Kananaskis Ranch Golf Course, whither he set off in the company of Peter Griggs, Archie Whicher and Steven Thomas. Dividing into two teams, each sharing a buggy, the 9 hole match got under way in perfect golfing conditions. After some wayward shots on the first hole Griggs and Whicher were three up after four holes, with Griggs providing a steady anchor whilst Whicher's flashing blades brought him triumph and disaster in roughly equal measure. Harding and Thomas responded with wins at the fifth and sixth holes to reduce the deficit to one hole. However Whicher struck a killer blow to win the 7th whilst all three of his companions were lost in the trees, of which there are many in Canada, making Griggs and Whicher two up with two to play. It was all over when Whicher struck again to win the eighth giving his pair the match in three and one. On the consolation 9th Thomas made a fine par four and Harding produced the shot of the day, chipping in from off the green to card a four, sadly too little too late. All felt very fortunate to drive away as the heavens opened and the surrounding peaks were obscured by Banff's daily thunder storm.
Meanwhile the Main Coach and his better half took a boat trip out on Lake Minniwanker, accompanied by the team physio, Jackie Davis and her husband Gareth, who had travelled up from their new home in Medecine Hat, Alberta, to join us for a few days.
The team rounded off the day with many taking the last opportunity to enjoy the hotel spa before busying themselves with packing for the flight to Ottawa tomorrow. Some team members made a last ditch attempt to see a bear by booking onto an evening safari but unfortunately this only brought them to more goats and deer.
Later, everyone met up for a team meal at the local Swiss restaurant to say farewell to the accompanying ‘WAGs’ - and the Honorary WAG, James- and also to Jackie, as sadly she has been unable to accompany the team to Ottawa as originally planned. We shall miss them but are looking forward to seeing the final two members of the team, Paul Sykes and Chris Haley, who will both be joining us tomorrow in Ottawa.
In common with Vogue, Elle, Gentlemen's Quarterly and other such publications we keep our finger to the pulse and bring you our "guest editor" slot. We hope that both of you, our loyal readers, enjoy this gastronomic diversion while our hard-working scribes give their typing fingers a rest ahead of the barrage of the DCRA Meeting to come. Excitement certainly mounts at this end. The day started with 7am packing after early nights all round following a team dinner to bid the WAGs farewell (no longer a group of WAGAJ, following James' graduation from apprentice to fully fledged WAG) and the buses were packed with the minimum of fuss. All continued smoothly at Calgary Airport, so much so that two of our number took time-out to discover their inner beings with an impromptu tai chi session in the departure lounge with Bruce Roth puffing somewhat as from the Master Tai Chi Yoda Steve Thomas he learnt. The ever faithful Kitty-cam was on hand to record the moment for posterity. One of the team had "accidentally" booked himself into business class on the basis that this must be the lowest class of flight available, although it should be said it did help the excess baggage situation. There followed unprecedented currying favour of the Team Captain when said business class seat was relinquished in her favour, although we understand that full use was not made of the champagne consumption available, which may cause some consternation in certain (Shed) quarters at Bisley.
A broken luggage belt at Ottawa airport caused a slight delay but we were soon on our way with our resident geography teacher leading the way, at least until the highway when she appeared to have a problem distinguishing her East from her West and went sailing off in the opposite direction leaving a rather bemused convoy to head West towards the Barons Inn at Bells Corner. There we were finally reunited as a full complement with Charles Dickenson (aka Admiral Whitebeard) having returned from filial wedding duties in Iowa and Chris Haley and Paul Sykes having joined from the UK. At last. And not that late really. Our fine group of finely tuned athletes were most relieved to have the team's Medical Officer finally on board and it did not take long for the advice to start flowing. This guest editor is highly confident on tonight's showing that this could develop into a regular feature with a Daily Medical Tip providing immeasurable health benefits for the team and both our readers. To set things moving, we offer you two nuggets:
- Why on earth are they bothering to eat salads first? Completely unnecessary use of stomach space.
- Did you know that it is impossible to sneeze while you are shooting?
Good to know that perhaps the oldest medical problem can be cured by an annual membership of the NRA and the purchase or loan of a few simple items of shooting kit, with shoots to be administered three times daily.
We feel better already. The new arrivals were welcomed into the fold over an impromptu steak dinner (on strict medical advice) washed down with appropriate fluids (on strict social secretary advice) and speeches were made by an elder statesman of the team who eloquently welcomed the complete team and set our minds to the tasks ahead with a response from the captain. The social secretary then detailed the histories of certain senior team members for the benefit of the younger ones. Big shoes to fill but this editor is confident that they are up to the task.
‘Be flexible’ was the order of the day, and indeed what was scheduled to be a busy day getting team facilities set up at the range turned into a quieter than expected day: the range was not ready to let us set up camp, so that job has been postponed to Friday morning.
The Captain had called a team meeting for 0900, allowing many of the team what is likely to be a rare chance to sample a ‘Full Canadian’ breakfast in the hotel restaurant (the aptly named ‘Delicious Steakhouse’). This could be considered a good lesson in how the financial markets work, as dollars were expended in exchange for pounds gained, in large quantities by some.
The Team Management’s early visit to the range prevented the rest having a fruitless trip, and a further team meeting ensued to develop an alternative plan. This gave the team doctor a chance to provide further medical tips of the day, prime among them: while hydration is essential in the high temperatures and humidity being encountered, eating a healthy (?) balanced diet including some crisps should provide all the necessary salts and minerals.
With bear hunts now being off the menu, a quiet day ensued for most, though the Vice-Captain still found time to demonstrate his nature-loving side by feeding the ducks while on a visit to the historic Watson’s water mill in nearby Manotick.
The team seemed to gravitate together at dinner, with two options topping the polls: the gourmet contingent headed into Ottawa for some fine dining while the majority found their way across the road from the hotel to the local ‘Pub’, the Cock and Bull. The latter had an ambience reminiscent of many a good British local, with all horizontal surfaces sticky enough to capture firmly anything that wasn’t kept moving (that’s what your right arm is for . . .). Nevertheless, the food was good and the proximity to the hotel is likely to ensure it becomes a regular watering hole.
The staff were also most helpful and provided the information that there was a large fireworks competition taking place at the Casino in Hull (the city in Quebec, just over the river from Ottawa, not the one near Grimsby). Being enthusiastic dabblers in things explosive and pyrotechnic, two vans of adventurous explorers set off for the bright lights, arriving in time to see the crowds dispersing at the end of the show. Not wishing to waste a good journey, the adventurous explorers decided to sample the bright flashing lights inside the casino as an alternative entertainment. A few of the more intrepid members ventured to test the facilities. However, a close eye was kept on the team Treasurer: although the opportunity to recover the full tour costs in one go was very tempting, the majority weren’t quite convinced the plan would work.
It was the Vice-Captain (again - what a busy day he had!) who led the way at the gaming machines, returning a profit of over 1000%. While this may sound impressive, he had to sit amongst the grannies to do it, and never strayed from the 5 cent slot machines. With an initial stake of a massive $2, his winnings would barely have bought a round of drinks for two people! At this point most of the team (almost all of whom had now converged on the casino, the fine diners only after a protracted tour of downtown Hull due to scant directions and major roadworks) decided to call it a night and retired to the hotel. A small core of the younger, energetic members, suitably chaperoned, concluded that the night was yet young, and that downtown Hull should be explored further while the shooting programme was still a day away. . . they were heard to return to the hotel in the small hours...
Today was the team’s last non-shooting day before the end of the tour. Most of the team enjoyed a lie-in before heading to the ranges to watch and support the Athelings shooting the final stage of the Rex Goddard match and the ACF cadets shooting the Canloan match alongside. It was great to see the Athelings win the Rex Goddard, with a sprightly Rex himself present in this, the centenary year of the Athelings. This also gave us an opportunity to meet the Athelings and ACF cadets and offer them our assistance during the DCRA Meeting should they need it. However, from the good scores that they were getting in the match, it is apparent to us that we shall need to take care not to be beaten by them too often in next week’s individual competitions! The Canadian strong performance in the Rex Goddard was also noteworthy, given that this year’s Athelings’ team is particularly strong.
After this we were able to get the keys to one of our team rooms a day early so we took the opportunity to collect the GB team kit from storage and move it across to our team room, which should save us a fair bit of time tomorrow.
The team then headed back to the hotel before splitting off to various activities. One bus however, stopped off at the local Dairy Queen on the way back to the hotel for chocolate and cherry blizzards. (This mention is dedicated to the memory of the late Andrew St. George Tucker, always a regular DQ patron at lunchtimes when on his almost annual tour to Ottawa with the GB team!).
During the afternoon one bus headed off to the local Bay Shopping centre for a fruitless search for small camping stools for use on the range. Unfortunately they don’t seem to be available anywhere in Ottawa now that summer is well advanced. On the bright side, we were able to purchase a Frisbee and some balls for diversion when not shooting (this before being told that similar invaluable items are stowed in the team kit that has yet to be fully unpacked!).
Others spent the day exploring downtown Ottawa, with an emphasis on Parliament Hill and the Changing of the Guard ceremony (all strangely familiar to us Brits) and the Museum of Art.
The rest of the team, less culturally inclined, headed off to explore the caves on the Bonnechere river. These turned out to be both further away than expected and a little less exciting than hoped. However, they did offer opportunities for the brave to have a paddle in the river, avoiding both fast flowing channels over the cascades and the rampant poison ivy. They also produced another gem from our geography student who, when asked to name the three main types of rock, promptly answered Sedimentary, Igneous and ‘Metaphorical’. The tourists were also taken aback by a sighting of the long looked for black bear – this large specimen was spotted a few kilometres from Kanata, an Ottawa suburb, nowhere near any mountains where we had expected to see one. Sadly, this bear had been knocked down and was lying dead by the side of the road.
This evening, one party visited La Pointe, a local fish restaurant well known to visiting teams for the excellence of its fish. (Our Channel Islands friends should know that the lobsters are still considered worthy!) Others opted for pizza by the hotel pool and the chance to catch up with some work on the team website. This correspondent is informed that captioned photos are now possible and that Kitty-Cam is still scheduled for release very soon!
Imagine, if you will, a collection of people washed up on a desert island. The crew consists of a consultant surgeon, an HR consultant, a quantum mechanic, a gap year student, a defence procurement systems engineer, an ophthalmic optician and a business manager; what project would they be best qualified to complete efficiently?
No, you are right, erecting a gazebo would probably not feature on your list and it took much of the morning for the group to complete the task (described by the Captain as ‘an opportunity for team building’). On our first day at Connaught, the morning was spent creating our home on the range for the coming DCRA meeting.
Whilst Kitty and her helpers shopped for water, breakfast and sandwich ingredients, others were busy cleaning the allocated Portakabins and erecting the gazebo. Meanwhile team management were visiting the DCRA, returning with altered plans and calling team meetings to revise the briefings given at previous team meetings. A hive of activity capped off, at midday, with those activities essential to the rhythm of a GB tour, making sandwiches and pushing bullets.
Amid all this housekeeping, it was revealed that we were to shoot on the range and, at 1.30 p.m. the team divided into three targets for a coached practice at 800m. On a hot afternoon with a pleasant breeze, some took a while to make contact with the target, while others had a few shots and quickly pronounced themselves satisfied, making way for the next person down.
At 6.30 in the evening, as the sun was sinking and the wind was dying down, the first detail of the “Ottawa Regiment” at 800m, the first of the DCRA warm-up competitions, got under way, with three GB team members participating. The majority were squadded in the second detail, starting some time after 7.00 p.m. The captain out-scored the rest of her team, scoring 75.14 after converting a “5” sighter, a conversion she may regret, with no less than 17 team members achieving scores of 75.
One team member fired an inadvertent dry shot mid shoot, when a round that he thought was in the chamber was found to have fallen out and lodged itself between shooter and mat. This minor distraction did not prevent a score of 75.12 from being achieved and the captain pronounced herself satisfied with the collective day’s work.
For some it was their first visit to the range on this tour and it was good to meet again with friends amongst the Canadian and American shooters.
Back to the hotel for a late shower and meal, all look forward to 6.00 a.m. alarm calls and more warm-up matches tomorrow.
Today we continued the pre-grand shoots, starting with the Gooderham at 500y and 900m and then the Army and Navy Veterans at 900m. The winds really started to show what they could do today, with those shooting at 900 first being at a distinct advantage to those who shot it just before lunch.
In the Gooderham, the Adj. was able to put together a very good score despite turning up without any ammo; fortunately his target companion was able to give him some of his. This forgetfulness is rather alarming as the Adj is also in charge of the whole team’s ammo. The Adj, complete with his own ammo, was then able to put in a good score at 500 to win the Gooderham overall.
After lunch the team got together for a practice at 900m. By now the winds had got to full strength and were flicking rapidly between 1 and 11 left, giving us a real challenge but great practice for the team as a whole and the coaches in particular.
The Army and Navy Veterans followed, a 2 & 15 at 900m. The wind had calmed somewhat but was still quite changeable. Most of the team averaged around 72, but David Luckman came through with a 74.9 to win the match.
The final shoot of the day was the tie shoot for the Ottawa Regiment between our Captain and Scott Fulmer of the USA team. The whole team turned out to watch. Jane's sighter was a bull 5 to which Gary was heard to say "She won't convert that, it's what got her into this mess in the first place!" However, this bull had been converted with the result being a further tie after 5 shots at 25.3. Will the Captain ever learn? Sudden death saw Jane land a plum V-bull to Scott’s 5 winning her the match to cheers from the team.
There was not much time to celebrate as we had a mad dash back to the hotel to shower and change into No. 1’s ready for the DCRA “Meet and Greet’ (or Meat and Greet’ as it appeared on the GB team notice board to give an accurate idea to the team of what was involved). We enjoyed a fine roast beef dinner and got a chance to meet old friends as well as make some new.
3 matches in and 3 wins. We’re all looking forward to tomorrow and the start of the Grand and hoping that our run of success will continue...
Happy Birthday Alex! Another year older, but still the youngest member of the team.
As the team awoke at around 6am it was already raining and we set off for the range full of optimism that the Accuweather forecast suggesting sporadic sun would be accurate.
Happy Birthday Alex! Another year older, but still the youngest member of the team.
As the team awoke at around 6am it was already raining and we set off for the range full of optimism that the Accuweather forecast suggesting sporadic sun would be accurate. Sadly it wasn’t. We huddled in the clubroom using the chalkboard to indicate the delay forecast by the DCRA, in the same way Tony Clayton predicts the cut for Queen’s III back at Bisley.
This gave the early details time for a comfortable breakfast before they shot and for a spot of musical tables led by the Main Coach as the cadets, who had been occupying half of the clubroom, had moved out overnight. With breakfast and Feng Shui activities complete and word of a further half hour delay to the shooting, a hardy few settled down to a good game of Scrabble. A prolonged debate over the legitimacy of the work ‘zany’ (worth 48 points on a triple word square) was resolved thanks to the power of the internet and the on-line Scrabble dictionary. Other words such as ‘flange’ proved to be too easy.
Following a foray onto the range by the first detail as the rain eased, news was brought by the Captain that the morning’s shooting had been abandoned and the team returned to the comfort of the hotel. A team meeting was called in the foyer but, with seating a premium, some had to settle for the cold comfort of the raised hearth. One enterprising member of the team found a cosy nook in an unused fireplace and promptly earned the title of Chimney Elf having been captured by the fire guard. The team was congratulated on winning the first three competitions with a number of other top places also going to team members. However, the Captain exhorted the team to raise the stakes and standards yet further. The meeting concluded with the presentation of a card, box of toffee and a cake to the birthday boy, accompanied by recommendations not to eat it all in one go.
By midday the rain seemed to be easing and those on the first detail of the afternoon set out for the range again. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the range there was a steady downpour with thunder and lightning all around. On safety grounds the DCRA had no option but to abandon all shooting for the day leaving the leader board of the Grand Aggregate cramped, with nobody yet having dropped a point (or maybe everybody having dropped 100 points?).
The team reluctantly headed back to the hotel and used the opportunity to catch up on domestic activities. For some it provided a chance to learn about them. Having loaded their clothes into the washing machine, Dom and Alex deposited their money in the slot, pressed the Start button and left the machine humming away. Returning a short while later, Dom was puzzled to find the empty tumble dryer on top rotating merrily but nothing happening to the washing. Eventually the penny dropped, and further change was fed into the correct washing machine slot. Dom then opened the door of the tumble dryer to stop it and save the remaining time for when the dryer was needed. A little later Alex went to check on progress and, finding the tumble dryer door open and remembering earlier instructions to be tidy, promptly shut it and ran down the remaining time.
A further adventure included the Main Coach who, despite having stayed in the hotel on at least five previous occasions, required one-to-one tuition from the Captain to undertake the novel experience of learning how to use the washer/dryer – Pearl take note!
To brighten an otherwise dull and damp Sunday afternoon, the Captain arranged a tea party with all 21 members of the team proving how spacious the rooms are by fitting into one for tea and cakes. During this the teams for the Coaches’ match on Tuesday afternoon were revealed and while most willingly accepted the Vice-Captain’s choice of team names, a few decided they could improve on theirs. All will be revealed with the results of the match...
For the evening the majority of the team headed to a local Italian restaurant to celebrate Alex’s birthday. Conversation included concern over the likely surge in mosquito numbers following the rain and the Team Doctor declared that he was unconvinced by the suggestion that Marmite is a good mosquito repellent. He therefore resolved to conduct a (non) randomised controlled trial using the Marmite loving Main Coach as guinea pig to see what proportion of Mosquitoes love Marmite and how many hate it.
Dinner was rounded off in true North American style by the presentation of a large slice of cake to the birthday boy, to a lively rendition of Happy Birthday accompanied by tambourines that had been furtively distributed by the restaurant staff while the birthday boy was distracted. See KittyCam for the full event.
Back by popular demand, or at least because his mum asked us nicely, our "guest editor" returns to twirl his quill pen once more. With the jangling of tambourines still ringing in our ears, the day dawned ominously with black clouds overhead and a steady drizzle, with the threat of more storms. Surely not another day to be lost to the elements? The doom-mongers were wrong however (we're all doomed Captain Mannering) and the skies were noticeably brightening as we headed to the ranges with the sun making a welcome return by the first detail. The occasional spot was felt early afternoon but generally a bright and sunny day was enjoyed. Up and running in the Grand at last with the Norman Beckett at 300 & 800 metres and the Colonel J Brick at 500 & 600 yards, with the 300 and 500 shoots in the morning. Shooting in pairs there is plenty of down-time and so the team slipped back into a comfortable rhythm with Chris and Peter erecting a large flag pole, David Rose becoming ever more inventive at Scrabble, Nigel gardening, Archie livening up the blackboard at the expense of one or two in the team, Chris obsessively lubeing his bolt and Martin eating crumpets with Marmite on. A lot of crumpets. And a lot of Marmite.
On the ranges, Henry set the early pace to record the first 50.10 but the familiar names were all about the business of trying to secure more pots as commanded by our Captain. And who are we to argue?! Most had moments to be proud of. Conditions in the morning were steady with most needing around 1/2 - 1 left at 300 and 1 1/2 - 3 left at 500. The 50s continued to flow, but many had a careless or unlucky moment, with the changeable light having a marked effect on elevations. In typical Connaught fashion conditions began to liven up after lunch but it depended on your detail, with easier details falling either side of what we shall call "special" ones. Your faithful scribe watched a detail at 800m that stayed at 9 left throughout with triggers aplenty to be weighed, only to be confronted with a wind bracket of 11 to 5 left that turned in seconds in the next detail. Sadly the excitement of making a spot-on 5 minute wind change was too much for him as his enthusiasm to get the shot away before another change came through resulted in a 6 o'clock inner. Doh! Steve Thomas, our Master, was on the same detail and recorded a fine 50, the only one on the range. He followed it up with a fine 50.10 at 600, when his goat was up, to end the day as our top man with 200.27. David Luckman had an exceedingly fine day too, as Mr Kipling might say, a mere V-bull behind - the inevitability of his consistency a real testament to his abilities. David Armstrong was on one off and 6 of the team on 2 off. Sadly for us, honours in the daily agg went to Kent Reeve of the USA, with 200.31, but we did take 2nd, 3rd and 4th. In the 2 competitions, Chris Haley was our top man in the Becket with 100.16 beating the other 6 100s, which secures him a tie shoot place for the trophy with 2 others. That man Steve Thomas again made 100.17 in the Brick, with the team scoring another 2 100s and he too will be tie-shooting for first. Solid.
This evening we are entertaining the Athelings to a PPP Party - Pizza, Pool & Pop Party - at our hotel to give them a break from the ranges. No sore heads tomorrow but I'm betting there'll be some stories, not least as the KittyCam roving reporters are out and about. The suspense is killing. Ta-ta for now.....
Once again the team left the hotel shortly before 7am, to pleasant views of blue skies, ready to shoot the Letson (the Canadian equivalent to Queens I) and the Alexander of Tunis. Those on the early morning details were pleased to be advantaged with next to no wind and soon made the most of it.
Before lunchtime most of the team had had fairly uneventful mornings with many going clean. However by midday the wind had started to rear its ugly head, just in time for the Coached Pairs match which was to be another trial for the shooters and coaches of the team. Squadding for this match was rather unusual involving a rather athletic, survival of the fittest, type technique where those who could run to the point quickest got their first choice of target. Ironically, this left the most athletic member of the team wandering up and down the 900 point looking for a target. Fortunately the Captain and Main Coach had prepared for this well with some rather unusual lunch combinations. As the Captain’s Pair did the best of our teams, her cheese, salad and peanut butter sandwiches were obviously much better than the Main Coach’s tuna mayo and marmite.
In the afternoon, the Alexander of Tunis lived up to its (and its British cousin the Corporation’s) reputation by blowing an absolute gale. Winds ranging from 10 to 15 left proved challenging to read on the flags and large gusts caught many out with 46’s being a standard score and only one 50 in the whole competition achieved by an American on the last detail of the day. There were some impressive 49’s with the Main Coach topping the team with a 49.3. Another impressive 49 was achieved by the Atheling Evan Torrance who shot with the ever mysterious Gary Alexander, winding off from every one of the latter’s inners. While Evan was understandably reluctant to admit this to Gary, the diarist understands that Gary is pleased that someone could salvage something useful from the debris of his shoot.
The late afternoon gave us the excitement of not one but two tie shoots with Chris shooting for the Norman Beckett and Steven Thomas for the Brick. The excitement was a little too much for the Main Coach who in his rush to chauffeur Steven from a late Tunis detail to the 600 yard point, scrunched to a halt using some of the (hopefully less important), plastic parts of the car’s underside to brake on the kerb.
Despite a valiant effort at 800m, Chris came a close second. Fortunately Steven’s shoot had got off to a rather slow start, enabling those who had watched Chris’ shoot to get to the 600 point in time to see Steven’s go to ‘sudden death’. After three further shots, Steven’s Tai Chi approach prevailed giving him a V to Kent Reeve's 5, winning him the Col. John Brick.
The team wrapped up the day with a team meeting, primarily to congratulate Charles Dickenson (aka Admiral Whitebeard) on his birthday, before moving over to the NCRRA’s clubhouse for an excellent corn boil and sausage BBQ.
The team has now settled into the routine of wagons rolling at 0645 to get to the range in good time for those on the 0800 first detail to be ready at the appointed hour. The forecast was once again for a fine day with plenty of sunshine, though the morning dawned cool and quite cloudy, with a heavy dew that made it rather moist underfoot for those in sandals or leaky trainers.
The official results of Tuesday’s Coaches’ Match (coach + 2 shooters at 900m) confirmed that the Captain’s team (coach Jane Messer, shooters Archie Whicher and Bruce Roth) came second with a score of 99.8v, one point behind a Canadian team who posted a full score.
Today’s shoots comprised The President’s (2+10 at 300m, 500 and 600 yards, not necessarily shot in that order) and the first range of the 3 range Gibson match (2+10 at 800m).
The first details at 300m and 500 yds had very calm conditions and scores of 50 abounded, with the Adjutant leading the way with the only 50.10 at 300m. As the morning progressed, the winds picked up and became variable, providing unwelcome visits to the inner for the unwary. After the first two ranges, eight of the team still had clean sheets (Armstrong, Ball, Alexander, Sykes, Day, Luckman, Haley and Deane). The Captain, however, was clearly in a generous mood as she ‘donated’ a shot to an adjacent target, a gift that was to prove very costly.
By the end of 600 yds it was team adjutant David Armstrong who topped the poll and won The President’s with 150.25, followed closely by Paul Sykes in second and Mystery Man (see Kitty Cam) Gary Alexander in third, both on 150.23. Henry Day and Nigel Ball were 7th and 8th , both with 150.20. The aggregate of the Letson and The President’s determines the 50 who qualify for the final of the Governor General’s prize, and 15 of the team are in that top 50. Sadly the Captain is not, as her cross-shot (the only points she lost on the day and in the Qualifier) took her below the qualifying score of 4 off (251.27).
The first range of the Gibson at 800m had some fickle winds: although the strength was never more than about 5 minutes, the mirage and flags were often in complete disagreement, and the fall of shot sometimes didn’t agree with either of them. Nevertheless, the Captain showed how to bounce back from disappointment and leads the competition, tied with Bob Pitcairn (our host in British Columbia) and two Americans, on 50.8. Four other team members also scored 50.
Lessons for the day included a demonstration of the highest standards of British sportsmanship from Kitty when she lent her rifle to American Scott Fulmer (the USA team adjutant who had taken the Captain to sudden death in the tie shoot for the Ottawa Regiment) when his firing pin broke. David Rose learnt the importance of bringing a change of clothing to the range when he suffered a Janet Jackson style wardrobe malfunction of monumental proportions that he (and we) had to live with for the rest of the day. Nice boxers Dave! Our travelling Bedouin (who should have known better) was given a timely reminder of the need to keep well hydrated and then of the subsequent “in-convenience” of emergency rehydration efforts.
The day’s aggregate (the Gil Boa) was won by David Armstrong with a score of 200.31, with Paul Sykes coming a close second on 200.29.
The team enjoyed early suppers, none more so than our Main Coach who was reunited with his Surf and Turf “Diet of Champions” and promised the Captain she would see a noticeable improvement in his individual shooting in the morn. The day was rounded off by a reception hosted by the GB & USA Teams in the Mess, at which the quintessentially British Pimms was served (thanks to the resourcefulness of Steve Thomas) to some initial suspicion and subsequent delight of many guests. Speeches were made by both Captains, mementos presented and friendships were renewed and made afresh, to the backdrop of a beautiful sunset over the ranges. And so, after a short team meeting at which the Captain announced the two teams that would be competing in the Outlander Match tomorrow, with a final chance to impress the selectors, a weary team retired for a well earned night’s rest.
The morning after the reception hosted jointly by the GB and USA TR Teams, the team assembled at 6.45 a.m. to travel back to the range under a clear sky, but with thunder storms forecast for late afternoon.
The day started in the team ‘hut’, (aka a Portakabin) where the anxiety level of the main coach, as always first to the breakfast table, was raised to fever pitch by delays caused by circuit breaker failures at the sockets due to simultaneous use of kettle, coffee machine and toaster. Amid recriminations a number of enthusiastic amateur electricians were galvanised to trace the faults and power was soon restored but not before the aforesaid main coach had flooded the breakfast area after inserting a pint of tea into a half pint mug.
At this point, tempers were defused by the arrival of Dom Harvey with his iPod dock rendition of the Morecambe and Wise signature tune: “Bring Me Sunshine”, with the team joining in the chorus.
It should also be reported that, after the catastrophic structural failure of Dave Rose’s fashionable cut-off pants yesterday, and after the split had appeared to lengthen by 3 inches at each range, Dave reported back today in good order, wearing his reserve pair.
On to the range and the morning was taken up with completion of the Gibson, of which the 800m was shot yesterday, and 300m and 600m today. Conditions were warm and sticky with a light wind, initially only indicated by a readable mirage, as the flags hid behind their telegraph poles. The wind became fresher later but many 50s were recorded, including 50.10s by Davids Luckman and Armstrong, and by Steph Ward. The competition was won by David Luckman with 150.25, with David Armstrong third with 150.21. Interestingly one or two young tigers had taken to cutting “5” sighters at 300m in a desperate bid to catch “Lucky” but without success.
By lunchtime a number of aggregate competitions had been completed and the All Comers was won by Kent Reeve (USA) from David Armstrong and David Luckman, the Maple Leaf being won by Kent Reeve from David Armstrong and Steven Thomas, with David Luckman fourth and Henry Day fifth. Our captain showed everyone else the way in the Short Range Aggregate, with 185.33, dropping only 4 Vs throughout the 300m shoots, with David Luckman second and David Armstrong third.
Meanwhile the Grand Aggregate continues with only the Gatineau competition to be shot (15 rounds at 900m) on Friday morning. Current leader is Kent Reeve (USA) having dropped 2 points with David Luckman second (4 points dropped), David Armstrong third (6 points dropped), Steven Thomas sixth and John Deane seventh (both 8 points dropped), Paul Sykes ninth and Henry Day tenth (both 9 points dropped).
The Senior/U25 Pairs event was completed, being won by Steven Thomas (Athelings 1969) with Alex Bryson, who celebrated his 19th birthday this week. Next up amongst the concurrent teams matches was the Gillespie, won by L&MRA Red, with NLRC second and L&MRA Blue third, and the Mayor of Bagshot’s Vase won by L&MRA Red, with NLRC second and Tuna’s Terriers (Athelings) third.
On to the afternoon and the Outlander Match. GB entered two teams, designed to be of roughly equal standard, and the opposition, apart from each other, was the USA team. Jane Messer’s Captain’s team of eight shooters and two coaches (Jane and Dom Harvey) surged into the lead after 2ss and 15 at 600 yards, with the USA 3 points behind and the Vice-Captain’s team (coached by Martin and David Luckman) a further 5 behind. All retreated into shelter as the sky, as forecast, became blacker and thunder became louder. After a two hour break for torrential rain the match resumed with the evening 900m shoot reduced to 2ss and 10 to count.
During the break, to the team’s general amusement, Kitty Jack asked Alex Bryson, recent alumnus of Wellington College, whether he could read something she had written. His reply? “Your writing is very eligible”
At 900m the Vice-Captain’s team reduced the deficit by four but the Captain’s team were worthy winners with 978.88, whilst the USA scored 976.80 and the Vice-captain’s team 974.90. It should be noted that, on every occasion to date that Jane has led a Captain’s Team on this tour - and there have been several, her team has won. The day finished late with the announcement of the team for Friday’s Commonwealth Match and it is hoped that the Captain’s winning form will continue into the main matches towards which we have been working over the last three weeks in Canada.
This morning’s competition, the Gatineau (2+15 at 900m), was the last one in the MacDonald Stewart Grand Aggregate. The majority of the team were on the third detail starting at 0934, with only the Main Coach on the first detail at 0800, and Dom Harvey on the second detail, so most welcomed the opportunity for a rare lie in.
Arriving at the range in bright sunshine, David Luckman was disappointed to see the flags hanging limply by the side of the flagpoles, indicating that the task of catching up the 2 points and 6 Vs he was adrift of Grand leader Kent Reeve of the USA was unlikely to be achievable.
The flagpoles at the Connaught ranges are what we would recognise as telegraph poles, and are fat enough to prevent the flags lifting until about 4 minutes of wind (900m) is present. Fortunately the mirage was strong, giving good clues as to the strength and direction of the variable fishtailing wind, but also seeming to play tricks with sight pictures as many of the team, used to holding ½ minute groups, struggled to maintain groups much smaller than the 2+ minute diameter bull. In all, only 10 people managed a 75 in what appeared to be relatively easy conditions, with Bruce Roth our only man with a possible in 10th place with 75.2.
Even Grand leader Kent Reeve only managed a 74.8, while David Luckman joined the majority of the team on a 73 (with 7 Vs in his case). This was, nevertheless, sufficient to secure second place and the Silver Medal in the Grand Agg on 724.94 (ex 730.146), 3 points behind winner Kent Reeve. David Armstrong had a 73.6 for 722.88, which was enough to keep him in third place.
Overall, the team had 11 members in the top 25, the others being Steven Thomas (7th), John Deane (8th), Paul Sykes (12th), Gary Alexander (13th), Henry Day (14th), Jane Messer (15th – that cross shot costing her 3rd place), Nigel Ball (20th), Peter Griggs (21st) and Alex Bryson (24th), with Kitty Jack just missing the top 25 by one V.
Amongst the other aggregates resolved today, Alex Bryson won the Russell G Potter Memorial, the Harrison and the Cadet/Junior Open Target Rifle Championship, while the Captain won the Tess Spencer for ladies in the Grand Aggregate, with Kitty Jack third and Steph Ward 8th. David Luckman was second in the Polar Bear Aggregate behind Kent Reeve, with David Armstrong 4th. The Victoria Rifles of Canada (teams concurrent with the long range competitions), was won by the LMRA Red team (Ball, Luckman, Sykes & Armstrong) by 3 points from the NLRC Red team, with LMRA Blue team 3 points further back in 3rd place.
The afternoon’s event was the first of the big three matches to which the team has been building: The Commonwealth Match, equivalent to our Mackinnon (international teams of 12 shooters, 2+10 at 800m & 900m). After a team brief and pep talk by Jane and the Match Captain (Nigel Ball), the whole team moved out onto the range to pitch battle against the host Canadians and the visiting USA team. In bright sunshine, the winds remained similar to the morning, light and variable, with the mirage giving often the only indication of strength and direction.
After 800m, GB were 9 off, with Canada hot on our heels on 12 off and USA just a further point behind. In the interval between the two ranges, the Match Captain provided more motivation, stressing the closeness of the match, and the team redoubled their efforts. The winds got no easier as the match progressed, and by the time the last three GB shooters got down it was clear that nothing short of 3 possibles was going to secure the match. Paul Sykes, Kitty Jack and Gary Alexander and the coaches duly rose to the challenge and delivered just that, to give the team a score of 1173.112. The Match Captain then nearly had a heart attack when a total of 1175 appeared on the Canadian scoreboard. Fortunately this proved to be a mathematical error, and the correct score of 1171.113 was eventually recorded. The USA had had a few problems at 900m and ended up in third place on 1167.98.
Celebrations were somewhat muted as the Canada match (Kolapore conditions: teams of 8, 10 shots at 300, 500 & 600 yds) starts at 0800 tomorrow. After announcement of the team, the team nevertheless dispersed to various locations for supper with a definite spring in their step.
The final day of the DCRA championships dawned cloudy and dull, with the threat of rain. On the programme for the day was the Canada Match (equivalent to the Kolapore – team of 8 firing 2+10 at 300, 500 & 600 yds) in the morning, and the Governor General’s Final (equivalent to Queen’s III – 2+15 at 800m & 900m) in the afternoon, followed by chairing of the winner and prizegiving.
The Canada Match started at 0800, so wagons rolled at 0630 to ensure the team was fully breakfasted and ready to start at the appointed hour. Match Captain Archie Whicher gave us a new twist on a motivational brief, which seemed to inspire the team and, in gloomy light, the GB team settled into the process of establishing a lead on the extreme right hand side of Connaught’s A Range. By the end of 300 yds, GB were on 398.57, Canada were on 397.51 and the USA were on 395.52.
At 500 yds all teams moved to the extreme left side of the 40 target range as very light rain started to fall intermittently. This rain wasn’t heavy enough to provide any advantage and GB dropped 3 points to Canada’s 2 and USA’s 1. Going into the final range, scores were thus finely poised at GB 795.110, Canada 795.97 and USA 794.95. The team huddle provided inspiration and renewed determination, and GB consolidated with just a further 3 points lost. Unfortunately both Canada and the USA managed one point better, to give final scores of USA 1192.154, GB 1192.164 and Canada 1193.142. A very close match and disappointing to have been beaten at the final hurdle, but credit must go to Canada who held it together to record a narrow victory.
Alongside the Canada Match, Henry, Alex and Steph were shooting with a number of Athelings in the Under 25s International Short Range match. The GB U25 team had more success here, posting a score of 1186.155 to the Canadian Under 25s’ score of 1182,119. This completes the shooting part of the Athelings’ tour, which has been extremely successful. We have enjoyed their company on and off the ranges and wish them much fun on the final part of their tour.
During the long lunch break before the Governor General’s final, many people were seen to be plugged into their i-pods, seeking suitable music to establish the right mood. Alex found that Steph was listening to some particularly unusual ‘noise’, and kindly passed it round team members in the clubhouse, one at a time, so they could sample it for themselves. Facial expressions ranged from anguish to hilarity, via bemusement, pain and shock. Dom summed it all up: “The nicest thing about the experience was that someone took the headphones away”. Nice one Steph! Others played Scrabble, with Dom deriving further considerable amusement from ‘coaching’ the youngest team member.
As forecast, the rain proper arrived during the lunch break, and the few who had failed to qualify for the final were breathing a collective sigh of relief that they didn’t have to get wet.
Scores from the President’s are carried forward and added to the scores in the Final. Before the start, David Armstrong lead the field of fourteen 150s with 150.25, two Vs ahead of Paul Sykes, Gary Alexander and Grand Agg winner Kent Reeve of the USA. After 800m, David, Paul and Kent, along with Des Vamplew and 2005 Queens Prize winner James Paton had still not dropped a point, thanks to the steady winds that accompanied the rain. 900m, however, was a different story, as the rain passed and the wind, initially strong from the right in the wake of the rain, died and changed angle part way through the shoot. Many caught magpies, and some more than one thanks to winding sights the wrong way! Paul Sykes and David Armstrong both ended on 2 off, Paul with 38 Vs, one ahead of David, They were beaten into 4th and 5th places respectively by James Paton on 298.40. All three were, however eclipsed by Des Vamplew on 299.36 and the winner of yesterday’s Grand Agg, Kent Reeve on 299.43, who thereby also claimed the Governor General’s Prize and the ‘Double’ and was duly chaired from the range, preceded by a band playing familiar tunes.
After a quick shower and change, the team reassembled in No 1s for prizegiving, where they scooped an impressive haul of silver, to be held momentarily, photographed and then handed back for safe keeping until next year.
The captain announced the team for the America Match during supper at the hotel, and the team retired to bed to prepare for one last early start, with dreams of taking revenge for the Canada Match.
This was it. This was the BIG ONE. This was the day for which the team had been preparing for over a year. This was the one that really mattered: the America Match
This was it. This was the BIG ONE. This was the day for which the team had been preparing for over a year. This was the one that really mattered: the America Match.
The day was overcast with plenty of wind to lift the flags off their fat poles, and a forecast of rain – all factors that should be to the GB team’s advantage, particularly with a strong coaching team of Main Coach Martin and target coaches Jane and Dom. Conditions for the match are similar to an Australia (Empire) Match – teams of 8 shooting at 300 & 600 yds and 800 & 900 metres but with 15 shots rather than 10 at each range.
After particularly good motivational briefs by Match Captain Archie and Tour Vice, that old hand Nigel, the Match started at 0830. As with the Canada Match, for which we were seeking revenge, the GB team led off by Lucky and Milko quickly settled into the process of hitting the middle in an effort to establish a lead. Once again we were on the right hand side of Connaught’s A Range. This time, despite the longer course of fire, the team only dropped one point, compared with 8 dropped by Canada and the USA. As well as the 7 point advantage, we had also built up a healthy lead in V bulls with 86 compared to 68 and 59 for the USA and Canada respectively.
At 600 yds the teams once again moved to the extreme left side of the range. The light rain that had accompanied the start of 300 yds had quickly stopped, and continued to hold off through 600 yds. The wind, though around 3-4 minutes, was fairly steady and Canada moved up a gear to post a 599.79 but were left wondering what they had to do to catch GB who had a superb shoot, going clean to post 600.89. The USA had also improved, but still lost 6 points to trail Canada by 5 and GB by 13 as the teams broke for lunch.
After further motivating and inspiring briefing from Jane and Nigel, Team GB came out very hard at 800m posting 599.76. The USA had clearly also received some effective motivation over their lunchtime sandwiches as they went clean with the same number of Vs, to claw back a point on GB. Canada posted the highest number of Vs, with 86, but lost a further 2 points. Going into the final range, scores were finely poised at GB 2 off, Canada 11 off and USA 14 off, by no means a safe margin at this longest and most difficult range.
Nigel’s motivational brief at the team huddle drew on a number of references and ended with a rousing adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V inspiring speech before the Battle of Agincourt with Jane substituted in for St George. Fired up for the final push with reinvigorated determination, the GB team set to work and were quickly posting steady high scores. So too were both Canada and the USA in relatively steady wind conditions, but with plenty there to take you away from the bull if you did not take care. By the end of the range, it became apparent that all three teams had posted the same score, 9 off, with only 2 Vs between top and bottom score. The final scores were thus GB 2389.315, Canada 2380.287 and USA 2377.280. Yet another very close and hard fought match and one that GB were delighted to win, this having been the Captain’s prime shooting objective throughout.
The Captain’s bold selection of two new caps for the match team, Henry Day and Steph Ward, might have surprised a few, given that neither had shot in the Canada Match and only Henry had shot in the Commonwealth match. They had, however, both shot very well in team matches over the whole tour and in the winning GB Under 25 short range team, where Steph had posted a superb 150. They both rose to the occasion in the America match, fully justifying the Captain’s faith in their ability to shoot well as quality gun platforms under pressure, with excellent 299s, each losing a single shot to wind. Clearly both are talented shooters to watch in the future. Mention must also be made of the David Armstrong’s 300.42 and Paul Sykes who shot superbly throughout, including a 75.15 at 600.
Chris Haley, disappointed at not being part of the America Match team, had the compensating role of Butt Scrutineer. In other circumstances this role may not hold many attractions; however, at Connaught, the butt markers are all bright young things aged 17 to 19, from one of the local girls’ schools. This was therefore a much coveted role, but Chris had been specially selected by the Captain as a person who would be able to focus on the appointed task, despite the potential distractions. Nevertheless, Chris’s smile at the end of the match was as broad as those of the winning match team members.
Throughout the match, the whole team remained focussed on its goal, including the ‘back room’ team ably led by Archie and Simon who supported the firing point so ably and to whom so much credit is due for our success. However, the debrief revealed that not everything had gone quite to plan. Perhaps due to it being the end of a long hard few weeks on tour, or maybe the distress of discovering that for the first time he now featured in the older half of the team, Lucky had managed to get to the firing point without his shooting jacket. Nigel had gone one better, turning up without his rifle. Lucky had also forgotten his driving licence and shooting sweatshirts on the outbound journey, and it is rumoured that the concerned Captain has now appointed a Lucky minder for the return trip to ensure that he is returned, with all his baggage, into Susie’s care. Archie, clearly under the strain of match captaincy had, after four weeks of driving in Canada, got into the right hand front seat, put his hands up and wondered for quite a while where the steering wheel had gone...
It had been a day for motivational thinking, but Chris Haley came up with possibly the finest suggestion for future touring, endorsed by all, that Martin might improve his tally of possibles during the meeting (1) if his lobster consumption were to be limited to one per highest possible score.
Following the match prize giving and farewells to our Canadian and American friends, the team retired to a private room in Mama Theresa’s Italian restaurant in downtown Ottawa for a celebratory dinner, at which each team member made a speech to varying degrees of hilarity and various tour awards were posted. However, all had a strong central theme of congratulations to Jane for being such a fine team captain and role model and gratitude for having been selected to join such a well integrated, happy and successful team. Most then retired back to the hotel while an intrepid group continued the celebrations in downtown Hull.
Team Doctor’s Medical Tip of the Day: It’s important that you remember to breathe – thanks Doc, we had never realised it mattered.
And so began the final day of the tour. Heavy rain during the night had not dampened spirits and the sense of euphoria from winning the America Match still lingered, though so too did slightly thick heads for some. Order of the day: packing, cleaning and preparing for the return flight.
Rifles and bags were packed and weighed, with most puzzling over how their bags now weighed more than they did on the outward journey, despite having disposed of a large number of team brochures. Eventually rifles and bags were relocated to a few rooms for temporary storage and a party departed for the range to finish storing all the team kit for use by future visiting teams. David Rose, a member of next year’s team, took the opportunity to make a full inventory of the items, ranging from the fridge, cool boxes, gazebo, flag poles and coaching chairs down to paper napkins and the ever popular Scrabble board.
After packing and stacking the items on pallets to be taken away for storage for another year, one final duty remained, for the team Captain to nail pair of her favourite old shooting shoes to the shoe tree, a tradition dating back through the annals of time. An article about this venerable tradition appears in an earlier NRA Journal (probably also lost in the annals of time, unless some kind reader can point us to it). Needless to say, Jane’s rather elegant pair of white shoes make a notable change from the usual tatty old brown range shoes and trainers. See KittyCam for a video of the ceremony.
Duties completed and goodbyes said, we departed from the Connaught Ranges for the last time on this tour in glorious sunshine and blue skies (a complete contrast to the local forecast for rain all day), carrying with us many happy memories of our successes.
With four hours to kill before we needed to load the vans and depart for the airport, some team members opted to stay at the hotel. Others headed off into Ottawa for some last minute shopping (quite ignoring the fact that they were already over their weight limit for baggage). The Captain lead a small select group across the river into Gatineau Park for a drive up into the Gatineau hills with views over Ottawa, Connaught Ranges and the Ottawa River valley, as well as several scenic lakes (the Pink Lake is actually green!). The name derives from the people who lived nearby and the colour derives from an annual algal bloom). The main attraction though, at least as far as the Main Coach was concerned, was a stop for tea and some rather delicious ice creams at a place the Captain had found on a previous visit.
The team reassembled and by dint of some ingenious packing, managed to get all the rifles and 4 people in one (heavily laden) van, and all the baggage and two people in another, with 7 in each of the remaining two vans. In case anyone is concerned that this leaves one team member unaccounted for, Dom had to stay in Ottawa for an extra day to make a presentation to the Canadian Government, so we said our goodbyes to him and headed for the airport.
Check-in was confused – just insert these pink forms with Bruce Roth’s signature in each rifle box – no we need each rifle case to be checked in by each individual – but half of us have already checked in without them – as your rifle cases have been checked in individually the pink form needs the individual’s signature on it – . . . The Vice Captain proved a master of magic by making everyone’s pink form disappear into their rifle box without opening the box, with the assistance of no more than sleight of hand and a long key.
At least we didn’t have to open any of the rifle boxes, although the memento pewter coasters presented at the Homestead range caused a bit of a stir as the rifle boxes were being x-rayed, until an example was produced to allay concerns.
Being a late flight (2245 local time), all of the airport shops and bars were closed. The team consoled themselves with their last fix of Canadian junk food from the Harveys burger outlet (the second of the day for some).
The homeward flight was particularly uneventful, especially so as the on board entertainment system refused to work for the entire flight. After the meal and free drink, the exhausted team (one of whom so tired that he attempted to drink his gin & tonic without adding the tonic) endeavoured to sleep. Within no time at all, we were awoken to land at Heathrow.
In quick order luggage was collected, formalities were completed, the bus was loaded and in less than two hours from landing we were all back at Bisley to a select welcoming committee of David Hossack and Pearl Townsend. With soup and sandwich from the Surrey for sustenance, the team dispersed back to normality after a final word from the Team Captain. And so ended a successful and memorable tour.
