Commonwealth Match

After a good night’s sleep, all the team managed to assemble at the hut in time for breakfast before the Commonwealth Match. We then transferred to the 800m point for the first range (the course of fire for the match is a team of twelve, 2 sighters and 10 to count at 800m and 900m). This was to be a good chance for people to stake a claim for the America Match on Sunday and everyone was fired up to perform well.

At 800m, the team put in a superb performance and lay down a marker by scoring 599 out of 600, with the US dropping 2 points and the Canadians 5 points. The wind conditions at 900m proved to be a bit more tricky, along with an unscheduled break for the early shooters when a tractor used for mowing the range appeared near the butts. A halt was called whilst it slowly drove the kilometre up to the firing point, the driver was told off and then drove all the way back!

Once shooting had resumed, the shooters and coaches had to work quite hard to maintain the momentum and once more the match came down to the last shooter. The US finished off on a match record of 1190.129, with the Canadians only three points behind on 1187.141. Angus McLeod was again the last shooter down for us and he duly slotted them all in for a 50, which meant that GB won the match by 2 points with a record score of 1192.132. This was another superb performance by the team in another very tightly fought match, with Jon Ford and Emma Nuttall top scoring on 100.14. The tension was palpable.

The celebrations were then quickly followed by another tie shoot, this time involving Emma Nuttall for the 900m aggregate (the MFC Walker Aggregate). Once more GBRT won the day as Emma first put in a 25.2 and then followed that up with a bull and a v-bull to win the shoot-out (in the best Perry tradition!). More silver earned and then it was time for a quick turnaround before most of the team had to assemble at the DCRA for the photo of the Governor General’s finalists. For those few that hadn’t made the final, there was a quick trip to Kanata for food and drugs shopping, followed by lunch at the Lone Star Tex-Mex Restaurant, in honour of our ammo of similar name.

Then it was time for the Final, which was 15 to count at 800m and 900m. Conditions proved to be testing at times but, as the dust settled, we had seven in the top 20: Emma Nuttall (6th), Dom de Vere (7th), Nigel Ball (8th), Jon Underwood (9th), David Armstrong (12th), Angus McLeod (17th), Stu Young (20th), with all except Stu (296) on a final score of 297. After the winner (Kent Reeve with a superb 299.41) had been chaired off and a photo of the team had been taken with the Commonwealth Match scoreboard, a very quick turnaround was required to get dressed in number ones for the prize giving. There, the team made many appearances, including Jane Messer picking up the largest trophy of all (for the Norman Beckett)! The haul included 14 individual trophies (Jon Underwood (4), Jane Messer (3), Emma Nuttall (3), Will Broad (2), Alastair Haley, Angus McLeod,) and 3 team matches (the Outlander, the Canada and the Commonwealth), with Lindsey McKerrell also picking up a trophy for the Under 25 short range match. Not a bad haul. Photos to come soon…

Tomorrow: the America Match!