Abingdonian 2020

41 www.abingdon.org.uk Lent Term Rifle Club It has been an extremely successful yet varied period for the Rifle Club. In spite of the unfortunate cancellation of the 2020 Stade Tour and the cessation of shooting for the Summer Term, the club is stronger than ever and continues to move from strength to strength. The shooting year got off to a flying start with a very challenging yet successful 2019 Bisley National Rifle Meeting. All members held a consistently high standard of shooting throughout the week and excelled themselves both individually and as a team. Oscar Bennett and Will Shorrocks posted scores of 353 and 373 respectively for the Astor Championship, and all members posted impressive scores for the County Championship. Benjamin MacLennan finished overall fifth place in the D Class aggregate, and a team composed of Oscar Bennett, Benjamin MacLennan and Will Shorrocks won the Daily Sketch Trophy for the Junior Team of Three. Oscar Bennett, Will Shorrocks, Benjamin Maclennan, Charles Symonds and Marius Williamson also competed in the British Junior International Competition, where they all achieved impressive scores. Overall it was a very enjoyable week of shooting for all involved and all team members gained further experience of shooting in the challenging conditions Bisley presents each year. Moving into the Michaelmas Term, Will Shorrocks was selected to shoot for the England Team in the British Schools’ National Pistol Competition and attained a score of 194/200. Marius Williamson and Toby Baker were also selected for the Wales Team for the same fixture and both attained impressive scores. As for the Lent Term, the club returned to the BSSRA British Schools leagues, and after a term’s worth of dedicated shooting from all team members, we yielded some impressive results. The 10-Bull A Team, composed of Benjamin MacLennan, Will Shorrocks, Oscar Bennett, Charles Symonds and Marius Williamson, achieved second place in the division, with the highest team average going to Will Shorrocks. The 5-Bull B Team, composed of Will Shorrocks, Oscar Bennett, Benjamin MacLennan, and Marius Williamson, achieved first place in the division, with the highest team average going to Benjamin MacLennan. Finally, the C Team, composed of Toby Baker, Freddy Martin, Charles Maddison and Oscar l’Anson, also achieved first place in the division. The highest team average went to Freddy Martin. The club also welcomed the acquisition of a new set of shooting jackets, slings and gloves, which I have no doubt will serve our members well in the future. I also have no doubt that upon the resumption of shooting in the Michaelmas Term 2020, the club will continue to develop and make impressive progress towards further wins and achievements in 2021. As always, thanks must go to our Head Coach, Alan Smith, for continually providing training of the highest standard and for his outstanding commitment to the club. To Mandy Pritchard, for her enormously valued contribution to the organisation of trips and competitions, and finally to the Master in Charge, Mr Johnson, for his exemplary contribution and skilled management of the club. Once again, many congratulations to all and I wish the club every success as it moves into next year. Will Shorrocks, 6KJB