Sywell Airgun Sports Club based in Northampton Shooting Ground on the A43 Northampton NN6 9TE, UK Map.
This ground is part of our FFTA Winter league circuit and can be mostly a bloody nightmare course due to the Sywell winds but on some very slim occasions it just lets you shoot well, would todays Grand Prix one of those days.?
The course was set out in three sections, the Open, Garden and bank of doom section each having their own individual wind movements but having some knowledge I thought this might help me later.
My first job of the day was to Marshall the Bank of Doom which are the backs of the live rim fire back stops and often catch many a good shooter out. I sat at the drinks station just behind lane 20 T39 & T40 with my video camera and to my surprise how many shooter missed one or both the relatively close targets, it was the wind you know the Sywell wind.
I was hoping for a smooth day of marshalling like we all do when we’re in that position but unfortunately for me is wasn’t very long before I had to put my lips to the whistle. I can’t remember which target is was now I think maybe target 42 was called the shooter states he’d hit it but not gone down, target checker in hand I proceed to check the target knowing I’ve not got to make any decisions as I have the target checker to do this for me. Well who didn’t check the target checker.? it didn’t bloody work can you believe it, just as well we had more than one on site. Target changed as one of the bolts being slightly too tight, game back on and fingers crossed no more failing targets.
When It came to the afternoon round the wind had increased just slightly to around the 10-12mph as predicted so not much different from the AM session. I started on the first lane in the Garden a standing lane great… I managed to get the first but missed the next which I was kind of happy with missing as nerves played a part in the first lane as they always do. I then start well knocking down all in the garden by another two making me three down. The bank of doom I missed a further three making me six down, I’m happy until the open section where I really though I’d do well due to my own club being in an open field. Wrong I went on to drop another five missing mostly the long ones in that section sad to say but I did mange to get the two up on the bank which I thought were the ones to give me problems.
Although I’m gutted I dropped so many in the open area to finish on a 39/50 was respectable but I can’t help thinking I should have done better on a home ground.
The next and this years final Grand Prix Round 8 at Emley Moor 20th August 2017 and grade presentation. Directions