With this year’s revised schedule, only one shoot today is in the Grand Aggregate so our readers might be forgiven for assuming a quieter day lay ahead for the team. However, the morning contained the State President 2nd stage, three shoots of 2&10s at 300m, 500m and 600m. This shoot is not part of the Grand, but counts both for qualification for the State President Final and for the SA Open.
There were still many opportunities for those in the lead in the SA Open to lose a few points and shake up the scoreboard. The top 108 in the aggregate of 1st and 2nd stages would earn a place in the 3rd stage. Conversely, failing to do so would earn shooters a lie in, or relaxing back at the hotel pool. A win-win scenario. 17 of the team went clean at 300m, with Theo Dodd’s perfect 50.10v the best. Another member of the team learnt the hard way that there is in fact a wrong way to put your bedding bolts back in, but the team sprang to the rescue and the shoot was completed with a spare rifle. At 500m, only the second time we’ve shot at this range, 20 members of the team went clean, James Watson and Parag Patel’s 50.9v the best. As we fell back to 600m, temperatures were at their peak, and the wind, which can be fickle at the best of times, decided to start changing through zero more often than most of the team could stay ahead of. Rick Shouler’s 50.8v and David Armstrong’s 50.4v were the only clean scores.
After a brief lunch, the only Grand Aggregate shoot of the day began – the Municipal Cup at 800m. According to some on the first detail, the wind was ‘easy’ and you didn’t need to move your sights much. I think those on other parts of the range, and definitely those of us on the second detail experienced a different range, with very quick changes from ½ left to 6½ right catching many people out. Despite this, the team managed to post three 50s ex 50, with Chris Mitchell on 5v, Parag Patel on 4v and Matthew Ensor on 3v. James Burch of GB Under 21s scored a fine 50.4v to finish in 24th place and as top Under 25 in the competition.
Immediately after the shooting finished, the team were able to join other shooters from around the world for a catch up and cold drink for the first time this week as we awaited the start of the first prizegiving of the championships. This is held in the army complex on the range, where daily scores are posted (much like the boards outside the NRA offices at Bisley). As Prizegiving started, the rain gods finally decided to join the party, and they did so in style. The heavens truly opened with a thunder and lightning storm with rain and winds that we were very glad not to be shooting in. With the heat of the earlier part of the day, and the sun as we arrived at Prizegiving, some had thought that an open window would be a wise strategy for bus cooling. We’ll report later if they swam or drove home.
We collected our silver medals for the RSA International and cheered the deserving South African team as they collected gold. Hopefully it will be our turn next time! It was great to see the GB U25s collecting gold medals, and Glyn Barnett collected his gold for his earlier win in The President Cup. The whole team were delighted, if for some a little surprised, to hear that we have all qualified for the State President Final on Friday, with a cut off of 242.15v, a full 13 points dropped. Theo Dodds (254.38v) led from Rick Shouler, David Luckman and Nick Healy on vee bulls for qualifying. Only the second stage is carried forward so Rick Shouler leads the team, and indeed all competitors, going into the State President Final with 150.20v from Stage 2.
After jumping through puddles to get back to the cars, we returned to the hotel. For some, this is ahead of an optional day off tomorrow to recharge. For others, this is for a quiet meal ahead of tomorrow’s last day of the Grand. As we head into the evening, Matthew Ensor continues his good form and is leading the Grand having gone clean in the only qualifying shoot today, leaving him on 405.47, a full three points ahead of the next team member. Provisional results suggest Matthew lies just two vee bulls ahead of Australian Jim Bailey in second place, with Riaan Gouws and Brandon Green also five points off. Full results are awaited for remaining standings to be confirmed.
