Fire Service champion wins gold: Dave Whitfield having won gold at last year’s World Firefighter Games in Christchurch, New Zealand became national Fire Service champion in April this year – clay shooting
New Team Kit
The British Fire Service Team introduced their new team kit, sponsored by Cadcorp Limited at the Royal Navy Inter Services Shoot. The quality skeet vests were custom made to the team’s own colour scheme by Wingfield Sports and have the sponsors name embroidered across the back. Cadcorp have also generously sponsored team polo shirts embroidered with the team badge and Cadcorp logo on the sleeves.
Among other products, Cadcorp Ltd produces geographical and spatial information software for application by Emergency Services and other users.
The skeet vests also bear the new Section/team badge of a flying clay target in the colours of the union flag. The badge was designed by Aaron Batson, a 19 year old graphic design student from Kiad University in Maidstone.
This year’s annual intensive coaching course took place at Stile Hollow Shooting Ground in Nottinghamshire on April 11-12. Eighteen members from nine brigades took ‘master class’ coaching in four disciplines from John Topliss, Tony Norman and our own Roger Hill.
The course was designed to iron out any individual’s problems and improve technique and performance in Sporting, Skeet, DTL and ABT disciplines. All the members attending agreed that the course was of great benefit with a standard of coaching second to none, excellent hospitality by John Topliss and his catering team and superb spring weather.
The Section also arranged two days of beginners’ classes run in parallel to the Master Class. These beginners courses were designed to entice new members to ‘have a go’ at clay target shooting as an introduction to the sport. These one-day courses proved very popular with 20 attending on Friday and 10 on Saturday. These groups were coached by Ricky Wood, Laura Hadley, Ian Hill and Steve Lewis. Many of the participants went away asking questions such as, how to find where their local shooting grounds are? And how much would you expect to pay for a second-hand Beretta?
Fire Service Championship
The Fire Service Championship was held on April 13 at Stile Hollow Shooting Ground, following the two-day coaching course. The competition comprised 50 sporting targets from seven stands including the famous high tower, 25 skeet and 25 automatic ball trap targets and was attended by members from brigades as far away as Cornwall, Kent and Lothian and Borders.
Andrew Finch scored 25 at his first attempt of shooting ABT and just to prove it was not a fluke he immediately did it again! Clive Diplock scored his first 25 straight at Skeet which took him on to win the veterans’ trophy.
The trophies were sponsored by SGS Construction and awarded by Mike O’Neil Managing Director of Cadcorp Limited.
RESULTS
Fire Service High Gun and Champion
Dave Whitfield (Warwickshire) 91
Fire Service Runner Up
Tom Hicks (North Yorkshire) 90
Fire Service 3rd Place
Seamus Slaney (East Sussex) 85
Guest High Gun
N. Gilder 92
Guest Runner Up
Andrew Finch 87
Guest 3rd Place
M. Giles 86
Veterans Trophy
Clive Diplock (East Sussex) 71
Ladies Trophy
Sarah Jones (East Sussex) 65
FSSAA Clay Target Shooting Section 2003 Fixture List
Jun 9 Army Inter Services/Classic details on request
Jun 18 Metropolitan Police Shoot West London S.G. Middlesex
Jun 19 HM Prison Service Stilehollow S.G.
Nottinghamshire
Jun 25 Warwickshire Police Shoot Barby S.G. Warwickshire
Jul 9 Sussex Police Shoot Lower Lodge S.G. West Sussex
Jul 12 South Yorkshire Police Shoot Junction 3 G.C. Yorkshire
Jul 17 HM Prison Service Stilehollow S.G.
Nottinghamshire
Jul 27 World Police & Fire Games Barcelona, Spain
Aug 6 Police Inter Services details on request
Aug 27 PAA National Sporting East Yorkshire G.C.
Aug 28-29 PAA Skeet East Yorkshire G.C.
Aug 30 PAA Down the Line East Yorkshire G.C.
Sep 3 FSNBF Charity Shoot Edgehill S.G. Oxfordshire
Sep 18 Royal Air Force Inter Services details on request
Sep 25 HM Prison Service Stilehollow S.G.
Nottinghamshire
Jun 9 150 ESP
Jun 18 100 ESP
Jun 19 100 Skeet
Jun 25 100 ESP
Jul 9 100 ESP
Jul 12 100 ESP (felt)
Jul 17 100 ESP
Jul 27 Trap & Skeet
Aug 6 100 ESP
Aug 27 100 ESP
Aug 28-29 50 Skeet
Aug 30 100 DTL
Sep 3 100 ESP
Sep 18 75 ESP 25 ABT
Sep 25 100 A/Round
For further details please contact the Secretary, Sarah Jones on
tel: 01323 844354 or email: sjjones@btinternet.com
COPYRIGHT 2003 DMG World Media Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group