Clay Shooting August 2019

There’s been some great news for clay shooting this month. First, it’s official – more women than ever are taking up shotgun shooting. That’s clear from the growing number of entries in the Ladies’ category at competitions, and the roaring success of events like the National Ladies Shooting Day, which Anita North reports on in this issue. Now we have confirmation from the latest government figures that the number of women shooters has swelled by more than 1,000 in the past twelve months alone – see our news story on page 9 for details. The other terrific piece of news arrived just as we were getting this issue ready for the printers. Team GB’s Matt Coward-Holley is the new Olympic Trap World Champion! He clinched the title in a decisive…

The number of shotgun certificates issued to women has leapt by more than 1,000 over the past year, according to the latest figures released by the Home Office – and the total number of certificate holders is up by one per cent. BASC say that overall there were 591,302 people holding a shotgun or firearm certificate, or both, in England and Wales during the period April 2018 to March 2019. The figure includes 572,488 shotgun certificates and 159,745 firearm certificates. Women account for 35,622 of those – six per cent of the total. That’s an increase of 1,233 over the previous year, with 1,036 of them being shotgun certificate holders. Claire Sadler, who was elected BASC’s first female vice chairman in June, said: “It’s fantastic news that more women are…

Shooting officials reacted with disappointment but little surprise to the announcement that the sport of shooting will not be part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, reports David Owen. So why did the organisers bin shooting, and choose women’s cricket, beach volleyball and para table tennis instead? Money appears to have been a major factor. Clay Shooting understands that governing bodies and other parts of the shooting industry would have been prepared to contribute some £750,000 to upgrading Bisley, had the sport been selected. That would have left an estimated further £100-150,000 to be found from other sources. The use of Bisley would also have entailed additional security, accommodation and transport costs, however. The CEO of Birmingham 2022, Ian Reid, included “showcasing the sports to our local community” among the…

Matt Coward-Holley is Olympic Trap World Champion after a fantastic performance at the ISSF Lonato World Championships on 3 July. The 24-year-old shooter from Chelmsford had already secured a Tokyo 2020 quota place for Team GB with a silver medal in Changwon just two months earlier. Having qualified in fourth spot after an eight-target shoot-off, Matt had a rocky start, but regrouped and went on to finish with a winning score of 45. He said: “I wanted to make sure I’d hit all my targets at the end regardless of whether I’d already won it or not. I’ve shot very consistently throughout the whole time I’ve been here. The conditions in the final were not easy, but it was about digging in and making the best out of it that…

The newly established Peters & May Foundation raised over £10,000 for health charities with a shoot on 7 June at Pennsport, in Thatcham, Berkshire. Teams from Sunseeker London, Clear Sphere and All Seasons Climate Control were among those attending. The event was sponsored by lifting and safety equipment provider Delphini alongside a yacht insurance company and a shipping company. Foxdenton Gin and Eley Hawk also supported the event with stands. It was Peters & May who won the top spot, with a score of 467 over the eight stands. In second place was Constantine, followed by Sunseeker Monaco in third place. Money was also raised with an auction of prizes donated by supporters. David Holley, a trustee of the charity, commented: “This was a big event for the foundation. Having…

British Side-by-Side Championship Atkin Grant & Lang are hosting the popular British Side-by-Side Championship on Saturday 31 August, over a 100 Sporting course. The event is in partnership with The Great British Shooting Show and The Hurlingham Club, and runs alongside The Hurlingham Cup Helice Challenge and a ‘Best of British’ themed Festival of Gunmaking. For details see agl-uk.com and to book call 01582 849382. Castellani distributor Castellani, the massively popular Italian brand of clay clothing and accessories, have a new distributor. They have appointed Bisley Sports Wholesale, based at Bisley in Surrey, as their sole wholesale agent for the UK. The company also handles brands such as Walther, Lapua and Negrini. Trade enquiries only to sales@bisleysports.com, or telephone 01483 485590. Hull shooters’ DTL success Hull Cartridge point out that…