News
Day 24 – The Return Home
Day 23 – Recovery
Day 22 – Palma Match Day 2
Featured Team Members
Nick Tremlett
GM SB
Nick started shooting before most of this team were born, and first competed at international level in 1976. Dabbling in both Target Rifle and Match Rifle, Nick has won the H.M. Queen’s Prize and the Hopton, and a few other trophies along the way. He was Captain of the undefeated GB team to South Africa in 2017, a tour during which he also won the State President prize for the 2nd time.
2024 will be Nick’s eighth visit to Bloemfontein, and he was a member of the last GB Palma team to compete there, in 1999, along with six other members of the current team.
He has a fascination in long range ballistics and has played an instrumental role in the development of the GB team’s ammunition for this Palma tour; creating a load to overcome the particular ballistic challenges presented by a combination of Bloemfontein’s altitude and high daytime temperatures.
Matthew Button
SB
Matthew started shooting at the age of 14 as part of his Duke of Edinburgh’s award, following his father and grandfather into the sport. He continued shooting through school (winning the Ashburton with Oakham) and while studying medicine at London University. During this time he managed to combine his overseas medical elective with the 1995 Championships in New Zealand.
Since qualifying his surgical training at times limited options for shooting and touring. He now works as a Vascular Surgeon in Brighton and is encouraging the next generation into the sport! He has managed to take part in the Imperial Meeting in some form each year and has competed as part of GB and England tours to Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya and Namibia. Including returning to New Zealand after 24 years for the last Palma Match.
Under 25s
Toby Little
Toby started shooting at Gresham’s School at the age of 14 after breaking his nose playing rugby. Under the watchful eye of Freddie Grounds he became Captain of the school team in his final year and was selected for the 2017 Athelings (with Harriet as his Captain) and in 2019 the GB U19 team to South Africa. Toby is also very proud to represent Wales, having shot every National Match since 2018, and Norfolk county, for whom he first represented while at school.
This will be his third trip to South Africa having also travelled with GB U25 in 2023 and his second World Championships, after going to New Zealand with the GB U21s. He is really looking forward to meeting international friends on the range once again, and competing at the highest level against the best in the world.
Under 21s
Hayden Thomson
Hayden first began shooting in 2017 at Dollar Academy under the watchful eye of Craig Stewart and was appointed Captain in his final year. He is currently a member of the Exeter University Rifle Club and is in his second year of studying International Relations with the intention of going to Sandhurst after graduating and embarking on a career in the Army.
Having toured to Jersey and Guernsey, with the Athelings and GB U19 teams respectively, he is looking forward to touring further afield with the opportunities for varying shooting conditions and cultures that are to be experienced. A true Scot, he shot for Scotland in this year’s National Match, and West of Scotland in the Inter Counties and is pleased to be representing those north of the border. Following the tour, he hopes to continue shooting for Exeter University and help continue the team’s recent successes.
Veterans
Stephen Penrose
Having first discovered the delights of shooting in South Africa as part of the 1993 GB team, Stephen is looking forward to making his 10th return visit. He first started shooting at Rugby School, continuing at Cambridge University where he managed to change course enough times to ensure he got in plenty of practice. Over the years, he has shot in many teams matches, has captained the England team in the National Match and enjoyed the odd highlight individually too – winning the SA Long Range Agg in 1993 and State President prize in 1999.
Stephen is a veterinary surgeon by profession and was a partner in a small-animal practice in Colchester; now managing a small property business. He is a keen skier and, with all three children having flown the nest, he enjoys travelling with his wife Kate.
Chris Fitzpatrick
GM SM
This is Chris’s third GB Veterans tour to the World Championships and his inclusion no longer lowers the average age of the team.
He has worked his passage to the Veterans through many teams, the first being the Athelings to Canada in 1967. The same year, he represented Ireland in the National Match and is pleased to say he still makes that team. Full GB representation started in Canada in 1975, he was back there for the Palma in 1982 and again in 2013, that time as Captain. Chris is a H.M. Queen’s Final winner, taking the prize in 1991.
Flying has been Chris’s career, with the majority in the Royal Air Force. The RAF TR team was extremely successful at home, regularly winning in the Inter-Services but also around the world which it toured regularly, including South Africa in 1996 when the RAF team beat the SA Protea team by one point.
Tour Information
Captain’s Foreword
