First results this month come from West Devon.
West Devon.
Dartmoor.
A very strong and gusting wind was blowing downrange, whipping over the top of the benches and fishtailing down toward the targets. It was generally agreed, prior to the start of the match, that a score of 240 would be a realistic goal in these conditions. And so it proved, just 13 of the 40 cards shot during the match scored 240 or over. Although each group of three shooters, the start times, and bench allocation, is determined by picking numbers from a hat, a curious thing happened yesterday. The first set of cards shot by each randomly selected squadproduced remarkably similar scores – squad 1 = 233, 231, 234. Squad 2 = 230, *244, 232. Squad 3 = 237, 235, 238. Squad 4 = 242, 241, 240. This beautiful symmetry was unfortunately spoiled by Neil Jenkin’s *244, his best card to date and achieved with a recently acquired Hammerli AR20 – a superb effort in such incredibly windy conditions. This odd coincidence was to repeat itself. After everybody had completed their second card, there were two 481’s and two 482’s on the board – so all to play for. But Alistair kept his nerve and his final card, a 243, secured first place overall. After four rounds the percentage scores are still incredibly close, but with five more matches to go – it ain’t over yet!It is often said that there are two types of target shooters – the dedicated, and the recreational. Among the region’s benchrest shooters this distinction is becoming somewhat blurred, I think most started out in the recreational camp – and probably intended to stay there, but looking at the proliferation of dedicated BR equipment appearing across all three participating clubs – the dedicated minority are, slowly but surely, attracting some new recruits and some real competition. Fancy kit won’t automatically ensure good scores of course, but if it instils greater confidence, then better scores will undoubtedly follow.
Paul. S.
Purbeck
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