This year’s pattern sees a different schedule overall to accommodate the World Championships, but in keeping with the usual timelines Friday signalled the start of individual competition shooting in the Free State Championships, the traditional warm-up to the South African Champs (or SA Bisley as they call it). Published course of fire was to be 2 sighters and 10 to count at 300m and 800m, and 2 sighters and 11 to count at 600m and 900m, shot in distance order. On arrival, all shoots were changed to 2&10s – which given the 36 degree heat elicited no complaints!
The standard wind pattern at the General de Wet ranges typically follows the path of the sun, with an easterly breeze early on which then swings round to the north and finishes in the west in the afternoon. As the ranges point to the south this often means that the wind and sun are directly behind the firing point in the middle of the day creating fast changing winds from left and right, often at the same time across the range. Today offered the same pattern, but the lack of cloud cover meant stronger winds than usual throughout the day. At 300m where we started the day the wind was readable, and Matthew Ensor top scored with a perfect 50.10 (having successfully challenged a vee that had been indicated as a 5!).
It wasn’t just the wind that proved tricky. The drama of the day was at 600m, with firers ‘enjoying’ different target faces both to the plan and each other. Unfortunately this made scores for the range uncomparable and the range was removed from the stats. Praise must be given to Chris Mitchell’s 50.3 on an 800m F-Class ICFRA target!
The new safety rule about not having bolts in the rifle off the firing point often meant bolts not being put in until message one. This contributed to the slightly late running of the day, but the ladies did manage to squeeze in a photo in honour of International Women’s Day before we broke for lunch.
The afternoon seemed as much of a wind reading test as a shooting test, with wind bracket from ½ up to 9½ minutes of right wind. On ICFRA targets, and with the very quick changes, carnage ensued. Matthew Button showed us how things ought to be done at 800 with the only 50 (with 5 V-Bulls) but scores in the low 40s were much more common. It did not get easier at 900, where Parag Patel’s 48.4 was top of the group. With 600m excluded from aggs given the chaos, top long range was Matthew Button with 95.05v.
We finished the time on the range with the Captain announcing the team for tomorrow’s RSA International Match, and prizegiving for the Free State Championships. With the deletion of 600m, Matthew Ensor’s 50.10 was enough to ensure he retained the short range aggregate he won in 2023. Glyn Barnett was 2nd with 50.9, following a victorious coin toss that pushed Australia’s Jim Bailey into the bronze medal position.
Daisy Armstrong of the GB U21s won the U25 prize with an amazing 50.9.
The Long Range Aggregate was won by John Snowden of New Zealand with a fabulous 98.5, one point ahead of GB Veteran Jeremy Tuck in silver.
These epic long range scores meant that the overall aggregate went to John Snowden with Jeremy Tuck once again in second place.
After much needed stretches led by our amazing physios, the team split into target teams for dinner, some time to recuperate and recharge from today’s heat!
