GB Palma Team : Australia 2011

• Cheshire
• England

John (also known as Webbie) is the team's Captain. He is no stranger to leadership, being the Chief Executive of an investment management firm in London, as well as Captain of previous GB (2004) and England (2008) touring teams.

John started shooting at Uppingham School under the careful guidance of Simon Pattinson, and progressed to international competition via the Athelings, of which he was Captain in 1974. This is his 9th GB tour, and third to Australia, having toured previously in 1997 and 2001. He has 21 ‘Big 5’ (National, Mackinnon, Kolapore, Australia and Palma matches) appearances to his credit, including shooting in all of these matches, as well as in the inaugural America Match held in Canada back in 2002.

He has also had some individual success, but somewhat incongruously for the Captain of a Palma team, most recently these have been at short range, where he beat a number of his team mates in tie shoots at this year’s Bisley meeting. He was in two minds whether to celebrate or give them a rollocking!

His other interests include rugby (he was an Oxford Blue, relegating the Leader of the Opposition in Australia, Tony Abbott, to the subs bench on one occasion), golf, fly-fishing and collecting fine wine. He also has experience of the Australian outback, having been a jackaroo in the Mallee in N.W. Victoria in his gap year.