Clay Shooting January 2020

Christmas is upon us, and as a festive treat we’ve got not one but two gun tests for you this month. One is a gun that many readers will seriously consider as a claybusting tool, the excellent Caesar Guerini Invictus I Ascent. In his usual style, Richard Atkins gives it a thorough going-over on page 30. Our second gun this month is more in the realms of “when I win the lottery” for most of us – our cover star, the new Purdey Sporting Clays O/U, costs a cool £75 grand! It’s a beauty though, and Mike Yardley has been lucky enough to try it out on clays. Read his assessment on page 42. Also in this issue we turn the spotlight on some inspirational shooters, not least Compak ladies…

Olympic Trap shooter and British Shooting coach Georgina Roberts has won a ‘Women of the Future’ award for her contribution to sports. Georgina, 22 from North Wales, shoots OT for Wales and GB, coaches for British Shooting, sits on the board of the Welsh Clay Target Shooting Association and is an ambassador for sports charity The Mintridge Foundation. She is also a BASC member and has attended many of their Young Shots days. “I didn’t expect to be shortlisted for the award, let alone win it,” says Georgina. “It’s been a rollercoaster year, so this is the perfect way to top it off. The whole experience has been so inspirational, especially being in a category with so many amazing women who have accomplished so much.” She adds: “I do a…

The Martin Barker Memorial Shoot was held at Nuthampstead Shooting Ground on Sunday 3 November. It was the third memorial shoot for a man who gave so much to shooting, writes Anita North. The main part of the day was a 100 Olympic Trap registered shoot, and there was also a very popular pigeon flush. Winner of the OT competition and the Martin Barker Trophy was Nathan Hales, who was also the winner last year. However, the main reason to get together was to raise money for the Hertfordshire and Essex Air Ambulance. In addition, there was a cake stall with sales in aid of Macmillan. There was a raffle with lots of donated prizes to raise money. All prize winners in the competition donated their winnings into the donations…

Commonwealth Games Federation president Dame Louise Martin says she is determined to have shooting involved in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She was due to attend an ISSF meeting on 7 December and stated that she was “committed to working together to find a solution.” Her unexpected enthusiasm for shooting followed a visit to India, which has threatened to boycott the games after shooting was excluded from the Birmingham 2020 programme. Dame Louise met Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra and the country’s sports minister Kiren Rijiju. “The president made very clear his concerns around shooting not being on the programme for Birmingham 2022,” Dame Louise writes in a blog on insidethegames.biz. “Given that shooting is one of the most popular sports in India – and that their shooters are…

Merry shooting Xmas Grounds around the country are planning special Christmas shoots with a festive atmosphere, with many grounds opening on Boxing Day for those who are longing for a bit of fresh air after the Christmas festivities. Check your local grounds’ web pages or search on the CPSA website cpsa.co.uk. Plus sign up for the weekly Clay Shooting magazine email to receive an up to date fixture list every Friday at www.clay-shooting.com/subscribe/ University Challenge Oxford University Clay Pigeon Shooting Club hosted its annual Oxford Challenge shoot at EJ Churchill Shooting Ground. The event was well attended by several university teams who demonstrated great enthusiasm for the sport as well as considerable skill. The event was sponsored by EJ Churchill, The Field magazine, CPSA, BASC, Sporting Hares, Cens Digital, House…

Perazzi have unveiled a new gun, the HT 2020, in honour of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It has distinctive engraving featuring the date ‘2020’ and is available in both High Tech and High Tech Sporting versions. Perazzi point out they have an unrivalled history in Olympic shooting competitions. Perazzi shooters have won more Olympic medals than any other marque – a grand total of 54 – since their first Olympic appearance in Tokyo 1964, when Ennio Mattarelli won the Trap gold. The London 2012 Olympics saw Perazzi taking a remarkable 12 of the 15 top medals, including Britain’s own Peter Wilson winning gold in Men’s Double Trap. They are setting their sights just as high for 2020. The HT 2020 gun can be made to the customer’s specification, including barrel…