Shot both yesterday, weather was really cold first thing but at least it stayed fine apart from a little drizzle at times.
Found both disciplines tough, which they should be for a GB selection shoot but enjoyably challenging.
On the FSP there seemed to be always one bogie bird which was there to be a real tester. On the Hillside layout it was a rocketing teal. On the Willows there was a white standard which was sent from a trap about 25/30 yards away from the right quartering away low and dropping, it looked to be 60 yards away by the time you could get a shot at it. A fast dipping crosser from the left following the contours of the hill caught most of our squad out on the Field lay out and on the Tower layout it was an innocuous looking going away bird into the trees.
Finished on a 77 which was not bad compared to the other scores on the day.
The Compak was something a little different; the first layout was all singles with full use of the gun. Testing birds on here were a very fast long crosser which I surprised myself by hitting with a monster lead and a very fast low driven which if you missed with the first did not leave much time for a second shot.
The second layout was tricky due to the amount of birds coming from a similar spot on the right, you really had to have your head in gear to work out what was coming next. Third layout had combinations including two tower birds, the difficulty here was which bird to shoot first in the simo pairs. The fourth layout had a nasty incoming low dropper and again it was the which to shoot first decision which could cost targets. Finished on 82 again a score which I was pleased with.
Overall a fantastic day out with a superb variety of targets - a real endulgance of shooting.
The organisation worked vey well apart from a bit of a wait to shoot the Compak but having said that I was all finished and ready to drive home by 3.30.
Many thanks to John Dyson and his team!
Found both disciplines tough, which they should be for a GB selection shoot but enjoyably challenging.
On the FSP there seemed to be always one bogie bird which was there to be a real tester. On the Hillside layout it was a rocketing teal. On the Willows there was a white standard which was sent from a trap about 25/30 yards away from the right quartering away low and dropping, it looked to be 60 yards away by the time you could get a shot at it. A fast dipping crosser from the left following the contours of the hill caught most of our squad out on the Field lay out and on the Tower layout it was an innocuous looking going away bird into the trees.
Finished on a 77 which was not bad compared to the other scores on the day.
The Compak was something a little different; the first layout was all singles with full use of the gun. Testing birds on here were a very fast long crosser which I surprised myself by hitting with a monster lead and a very fast low driven which if you missed with the first did not leave much time for a second shot.
The second layout was tricky due to the amount of birds coming from a similar spot on the right, you really had to have your head in gear to work out what was coming next. Third layout had combinations including two tower birds, the difficulty here was which bird to shoot first in the simo pairs. The fourth layout had a nasty incoming low dropper and again it was the which to shoot first decision which could cost targets. Finished on 82 again a score which I was pleased with.
Overall a fantastic day out with a superb variety of targets - a real endulgance of shooting.
The organisation worked vey well apart from a bit of a wait to shoot the Compak but having said that I was all finished and ready to drive home by 3.30.
Many thanks to John Dyson and his team!
