Competition Archives | Rugeley Rifle Club

GB Selection for Hemingway

8 July 202411 July 2024 by RichHin Competitions

Rugeley Rifle Club member Richard Hemingway was selected to shoot for Great Britain on Saturday after an outstanding performance in the Dewar Match Trials held at Appleton Rifle Club.

Scoring 789/800, he finished top of his squad to qualify for the team. The top five from each of four squads made up the team of twenty. This was Richard’s second GB cap after also making the team in 2018. Richard qualified for the Trials in 2023 but narrowly missed selection, finishing seventh in his squad.

The Dewar Match is an International Postal against the United States, with South Africa and Australia also entering in some years. Following the Trials, the team shot their cards – the scores of which are embargoed until the other teams have shot their end of the match.

In the match itself, Richard placed mid-table with the tenth highest score. Significantly, in finishing in the top 15 he qualifies for the Roberts Match Trials in October. The Roberts Match is a shoulder-to-shoulder match held every 8 years when the United States comes to Bisley to compete at the August National Meeting. The Roberts Squad wll be selected from the October trials.

Friend of the club Liam Webster also qualified for the trials, but missed selection from his squad after a difficult shoot at 100yards.

England selection and Silver medal for Olivia at British 50Metre Championships

30 June 202430 June 2024 by RichHin Competitions

Olivia Beech was selected to represent England in the Home Countries match on Saturday at the British 50Metre Rifle Championships. Shooting on the difficult Malcolm Cooper Range at the NSRA Lord Roberts Centre in Surrey, Olivia scored 555/600, placing her fourth overall and between team mates Wes Cann on 565 and Lloyd Collins-Page on 532. In a tight-fought match England placed second with 1652/1800, just three points behind Wales on 1655.

Having comfortably qualified for the final, she held her nerve to win Silver, making her top female competitor.

Richard defends Welsh title in Tondu

25 June 202430 June 2024 by RichHin Competitions

Rugeley shooter Richard Hemingway defended his 2023 title at the Welsh 50M Championship this weekend. Shooting at Tondu Target Shooting Club near Bridgend, Rich again saw off strong competition from GB & Commonwealth shooters.

Qualifying at the top of the table on Saturday in good conditions with a robust 618.9, Sunday saw a drizzly, flat outlook and steady start for Richard, but outdone by the stronge start of Sian Corish. A blustery middle section saw Richard close the gap, and he held his nerve in the last 15 shots to overtake Sian and retain his Welsh Championship title with a score of 617.5. Sian Corish was runner up on 615.0, and Liam Webster – formerly of Rugeley and friend of the club – narrowly placed third with 614.1.

Full Results

Gold for Abbigael at Schools Air Championship

9 February 202411 February 2024 by RichHin Competitions1 Comment

Rugeley member Abbigael Beech took Gold at the British Shooting Schools Rifle & Pistol Championships this week, winning the Junior 6yd Air Rifle event. The 6yd event is shot with “Sporter” air rifles which are lighter than full precision air rifles, and does not allow special shooting jackets or trousers.

The Championships took place over the 6th and 7th of February at Cannock Leisure Centre, and were supported by volunteers from Rugeley Rifle Club.

A sports hall built of red brick is configured for target shooting. Electronic targets for air rifles and air pistols are visible in the background. In the foreground, a blue banner identifies the event as the British Shooting Schools Rifle and Pistol Championships.

Young people shoot air pistols during a practice session at the British Shooting Schools Rifle & Pistol Championships. The range is located in a brick sports hall set up for the event. Electronic targets are visible in the background with monitors on tables at the firing point.

Final for Paul at British Shooting Air Series

7 February 20247 February 2024 by RichHin Competitions

Paul Watkiss had a stand-up weekend, finishing fourth in the open Air Pistol event at the third installment of British Shooting’s Air Series at Aldersley, near Wolverhampton.

Shooting on Saturday, Paul managed 561, topping Relay 2. On Sunday morning he improved on that with a 562 in Relay 4. Both these scores were good enough to qualify Paul for the 8-athlete final. Starting with a wobble he placed 6th after the first string. Regrouping however, he climbed to fifth after the second string and fourth after his 12th shot. Further steady shooting saw him climb in to bronze medal position, but a robust response from Charlotte Hicks over her last four shots saw her climb past Paul and Ayush Chauhan into silver medal position, pushing Ayush in Bronze and Paul just out the medals.

In the Air Rifle, Bill Clark, Izzy Ward and Nathan Clark all put in strong performances. Bill managed third and 5th in his two relays, Izzy placed 5th and 3rd, whilst Nathan placed 6th in his relay. Their best results put Bill 13th overall, Izzy 15th and Nathan 19th. Congratulations to all.

A man aims a target air pistol with his right arm. He is wearing a blue t-shirt with "Rugeley Rifle Club" printed on the back. — Paul Watkiss on aim in the Air Pistol Final at the British Shooting Air Series.

Paul takes Gold in Bedford

15 January 202422 January 2024 by RichHin Competitions

Congratulations to Rugeley Rifle Club member Paul Watkiss who won the Air Pistol event at the Bedfordshire Open Airgun Meeting!

Shooting in the 10m Air Pistol event, Paul scored 554/600 to win the Open. On his second detail he improved with 556, which together earned him the A-class aggregate.

British Shooting Finals for Rugeley Pair

4 December 20235 December 2023 by RichHin Competitions

Paul Watkiss and Izzy Ward were in action representing Rugeley at the second round of the British Shooting Air Series this weekend.

Athletes fire target air pistols in an Olympic Final style match at the Aldersley Leisure Village

Shooting two relays – one on Saturday and another on Sunday – the better score is used to qualify athletes for an Olympic Final on Sunday.

Shooting Air Pistol, Paul placed third on his Saturday relay, with 560, and managed a consistent 559 on Sunday, finishing second in that relay.

In the final he was eliminated in sixth place, missing fifth by just a point.

On the Air Rifle squads, Izzy placed 5th on Saturday with a massive new Personal Best of 591.3. She placed 9th on her Sunday relay with 580.6.

Full results at British Shooting

Rugeley awarded Performance Club status by NSRA

20 October 202320 October 2023 by RichHin Club News1 Comment

Rugeley Rifle Club is delighted to have been registered as an NSRA Performance Club.

Scan of a certificate showing that Rugeley Rifle Club is registered as an NSRA Performance Club

NSRA Performance Clubs are those with an ethos of competition and athlete development. Achieving recognition as a Performance Club is testament to the hard work by the club committee and members in developing the facilities to allow quality training activities – particularly the new club room, training building and availability of electronic targets at 10m and 50m. It also recognises the effort by the club’s volunteer instructors and coaches, not only in developing athletes, but also providing support and continued development for instructors and coaches.

A cone depicts a performance pathway, with clubs feeding into performance clubs. These lead to Regional and National squads, culminating at a World Class Programme.

Top 5 finish for Paul at NSRA-Eley Final

15 October 202315 October 2023 by RichHin Competitions

Rugeley member Paul Watkiss placed fifth in the A-Class 10metre Air Pistol final of the NSRA-Eley Postal competition this weekend. Having shot two postal stages at the club, Paul qualified with the top 15 shooters nationally for the final at Bisley.

Well shot Paul!