Clay Shooting September 2019

It’s been another month jam-packed with clay competitions big and small up and down the country. As always, in this issue we bring you highlights from the big events, with reports from the World Fitasc Sporting at EJ Churchill, and the Perazzi Grand Prix at Mid Wales. Plus we’ve coverage of the superb ICTSF World Sporting in Ireland, and of course the Game Fair at Hatfield House at the end of July. The Game Fair is always a highlight of my year, and this one saw some real drama played out in front of a packed grandstand at the shooting arena, with Billy Baughan winning the big prize of a Subaru car for a year in the Game Fair Challenge, Guy Franklin winning back the Champion of Champions title that…

Now anyone can learn the technique that enabled George Digweed MBE to win 26 world titles and over 150 international titles. EJ Churchill Shooting Ground in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, has launched the George Digweed Academy. George worked with the ground’s instructors for the past 18 months, teaching them his method of shooting. five coaches have passed the course, and are accredited to teach George’s method. They are: Sean Bramley, Jack Britnell, Mike Self, Stuart Taylor and Adam Davies. George developed his shooting method by watching the best elite shooters in the world shoot and compete. He spoke to many world class coaches from other sporting backgrounds as well as looking at the similarities in other sports, such as cricket and golf. All of this has meant he has been able…

Clay Shooting magazine editor James Marchington caught up with George Digweed at the World FITASC at EJ Churchill and presented him with the Lifetime Achievement trophy he won at the Great British Shooting Awards 2019. George was abroad at the time of the awards ceremony and this was the first opportunity for the two to get together so James could officially present George with his trophy. James said: “George is a true legend of the sport and a richly deserving inaugural winner of the this award. We’re looking forward to handing out the awards again in 2020!” The Great British Shooting Awards allow readers of Clay Shooting and its sister magazines to vote for the winners in a wide range of categories, from Ammunition, Retailer and Shotgun of the Year…

The USA’s Derrick Mein won the title of World ICTSF English Sporting champion in a gripping sudden-death shoot-off against Ross Straker at the competition which was being held in Ireland for the first time, at The Devenish Lands at Dowth in July. Mein posted two 91s for a total of 183 ex-200 on the courses set by former champion Richard Faulds. That put him in a 7-way final for the title where he tied in first place with Straker, which he won within the first four targets. Martin Myers from Wales, who had equalled Mein’s qualifying score, took third place. Mein declared it one of the most memorable moments of his shooting career, saying “It is always incredible to get the opportunity to compete in front of such a large…

The CPSA World English Sporting Championships will return to the world-famous EJ Churchill Shooting Ground next year. The event will take place from 8 to 14 June 2020 and will include two world championships: English Sporting and Sportrap. The event alternates every year between the CPSA in England and the National Sporting Clays Association in the USA, and was last held at EJ Churchill in 2018 to great acclaim. It attracts global competitors and is open to shooters of all levels. The World English Sporting Championships will consist of 200 targets. The English Sporting course will be set by George Digweed MBE, 26-times world champion clay shooter. The Sportrap will be set by Sean Bramley, who also holds World, European, and British titles. Over 1,500 shooters are expected to compete,…

India has threatened to pull out of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games altogether after shooting was dropped from the Games programme. Out of 66 medals won by India at the 2018 Games in Australia, 16 were of them were in shooting disciplines. Narinder Batra, president of the Indian Olympic Association, supported calls for a boycott, and the IOA has also told the Commonwealth Games Federation it will boycott its General Assembly in Kigali in September as a protest. Birmingham 2022 issued a statement in response, saying that: “We want every single nation and territory eligible to compete in the Commonwealth Games, including India, to be in Birmingham in 2022. They are all assured an extremely warm welcome from a city and a region that is home to 187 nations. It’s…