Rugeley members Izzy Ward and mum Carla medalled at the West Midland Open Championship this weekend. On Saturday, Izzy set a new PB of 607.5. In aggregate with her Sunday score of 605.2 she became West Midland Junior Air Rifle Champion.
In the 10M Air Pistol, Carla also PB’d with a 529, winning a silver medal in C-Class. With her Sunday score she won the C-Class aggregate. Congratulations to both!
Club Captain Richard Hemingway became the first Rugeley member to qualify in the top-20 for the British Long Range Smallbore Championship Final since Martyn Buttery in 2013. Shooting at 50metres and 100yards, Richard finished 9th in his first stage squad, comfortably qualifying for the second stage where he finished 12th, with the top 20 progressing to the final.
Richard started the final strong with a 199/200, placing him narrowly in the lead after his first card. Changeable winds caused a struggle in the middle with a pair of 191s, managing a 193 to finish joint 9th, ranked 10th on count-back.
Concurrent to the British Championship, Richard was also the highest ranking Welsh competitor, earning him the title of Welsh Long-Range Champion and the Western Mail & Echo Cup.
Richard had previously qualified for the final of the 100th Roberts Championship in 2023, when 40 finalists were taken forward as was the practice in 1923. He finished 27th.
Four Rugeley members were recognised on Thursday night with NSRA Special Service Awards for their contributions to the club and sport. Presenting the awards was Cllr Olivia Lyons – the Club President.
Russell Barlow received a Special Service Award for his work instructing novices and for his promotion of disability sport. Russell has devoted huge amounts of time to coaching and promoting and encouraging participation both within the club and volunteering at events such as the British Schools Championship Finals.
Becky Andrews and Carl Kimberley both received Special Service Awards for their work on the marketing team, raising the profile of both the club and sport nationally through their work on the web and across social media.
Richard Hemingway received a Bronze Special Service Award for a variety of volunteering work at several levels. As well as contributing to the marketing team, Richard is the current Club Captain and has served as Staffordshire County Captain since 2022, also representing Staffordshire as the County Representative to the NSRA Shooting Council. He also volunteers as Membership Secretary with the Welsh Smallbore Rifle Association.
Rugeley Rifle Club Chairman Martyn Buttery has been appointed as Chair of the NSRA Rifle Committee – the NSRA group responsible for smallbore competitions and rules. Martyn has been a member of the Rifle Committee for several years and takes over from Mike Chapman.
Rugeley Rifle Club was honoured to host the Lord Lieutenant for Staffordshire, Sir Ian Dudson KCVO CBE on Friday 28th March at our annual prizegiving. Accompanied by local councillors and Josh Newbury MP, Sir Ian visited to present the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, gazetted in November. Whilst visiting, he presented a number of awards and trophies and toured the club, viewing the ranges and learning about the club’s volunteering and charitable activities.
A £500 cheque was also presented to Rugeley and District Community First Responders, and £350 was presented to Staffordshire & Shropshire 4×4 Response – two of the club’s chosen charities. RADCFR maintain the defibrillator hosted on the outside of the club. This lifesaving piece of equipment was installed in 2019. Since then it has been activated six times, and used at least twice. SAS 4×4 Response provide charitable event support and transport for workers such as nurses during extreme weather.
The Lord Lieutenant was accompanied by Cllr Phil Hewitt (Chair, Staffordshire County Council), Cllr Steve Thornley (Chair, Cannock Chase District Council), Cllr David Williams, Josh Newbury MP and the Rt Hon Dame Amanda Milling.
Rugeley shooters have had a very successful weekend at the British Open Airgun Championships at Bisley.
Kicking off on Thursday, Abbi Beech took bronze in the Sporter Rifle championship.
On Friday, Pippa Waterson qualified fourth in the Junior Women’s Air Pistol, improving to bronze medal position in the final, whilst Oliver Hill qualified as the youngest finallist in the Junior Men’s Air Rifle, improving from seventh to fifth place.
Olivia Beech took bronze in the Women’s Air Rifle and silver in the University Championship. Megan Bamsey also qualified for the Women’s Final, finishing fifth.
In the Seniors, Paul Watkiss qualified for the Men’s Air Pistol final in 6th position, unluckily finishing just out of the medals in fourth place after a strong final.
Paul Barker won the SH1 Air Rifle, and placed third in the SH1 Prone Rifle.
All photos courtesy Eleanor Shorey, nsratheshorey.com
Congratulations to Rugeley’s Competition Secretary Dave Glover, who has been appointed Adjutant to the GB Wakefield Match Team. The two year appointment will run for the 2025 and 2026 years, and normally leads to a two year appointment as Captain.
The Lord Wakefield Monument Trophy Match is an international postal match held in September, originally between Great Britain and Sweden. In 1985 Sweden was unable to raise a team and the match went in abeyance until 1991 when it resumed with a new field of competitors including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The course of fire is an “English Match” – 60 shots at 50metres on NSRA/ISSF targets, using integer scoring. Competitors shoot on their home ranges, under supervision of a qualified witness.
Five of the ten team members are selected based on performance at the NSRA National Meeting at Bisley, with the other 5 taken from the top individuals in NSRA Comp 103 and 303 (10-metre postal leagues).
With great pleasure and excitement, the Committee can announce that Rugeley Rifle Club has been honoured with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Gazetted this morning, the King’s Award is the highest honour a voluntary group can receive in the UK, equivalent to an MBE. Rugeley is the first shooting sports club to ever receive this award.
This award is a testament to all our volunteers, including the property team, coaches and administrators; but in particular recognises the work the club has done outside it’s own membership and the positive impact it has had on the wider local community. Over the past 10 years the club has worked with the Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services and Vysions Youth Service of Brereton, providing summer camps for local young people in association with Burntwood Target Sprint. Participants have completed volunteer work at the club including a mural on the outside of the range, and in return learned to shoot Olympic Air Rifle and Air Pistol.
In 2019, the club fundraised for a Public Access Defibrillator, which saw the adoption of Rugeley and District Community First Responders (RADCFR) as a supported charity and the more recent installation of an emergency Bleed Control Kit. RADCFR themselves were honoured with the Queen’s Award in 2018.
In 2022, the Club supported British Shooting in bringing the National Finals of the Schools Pistol and Rifle Championships to Cannock Leisure Centre, with Rugeley members volunteering as Range Officers and supporting match administration during the competition. British Shooting have returned to Cannock every year since. The Club has also supported the BS Target Sprint Series, the West Midlands leg being hosted at Burntwood Target Sprint.
Alongside these major events, the club has enjoyed hosting guest nights for diverse community groups, running an air rifle range at Brereton Carnival and serving as a venue for local groups including Viking re-enactors and 4×4 response.
In competition, the club’s Air Rifle A-Team won Division 1 of the National League three consecutive years from 2018-2020, and again in 2022. Members have represented England, Wales and Great Britain, with recent sporting highlights including:
Rugeley Rifle Club is just one of 262 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The work of these organisations reminds us of all the ways fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.
The King’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee and, following his accession, His Majesty The King emphasised his desire to continue the Award.
Representatives from the club will receive the award crystal and certificate from Ian Dudson, Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire later this year. In addition, two volunteers from Rugeley Rifle Club will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in summer 2025, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Club Chairman Martyn Buttery said: “To be nominated for such a prestigious award as The Kings Award for Voluntary Service is an honour in itself but to actually win is such an incredible achievement. It goes to show what can be done and achieved with a positive attitude.“
Club President Olivia Lyons said: “I am was absolutely delighted to hear that Rugeley Rifle Club had been awarded a King’s Award, it is a real testament to the Club’s Committee and the volunteers who work tirelessly to make it such a success. The Club is a real asset and hive of activity within our local community, supporting a number of local voluntary groups, hosting youth programs and nurturing the talent of the many Club members. The award is such a fantastic achievement, which will be shared and celebrated with our whole community.”
Izzy Ward and Bill Clark competed at Aldersley this weekend in the NSRA West Midlands Airgun Open. In the B-Class Air Rifle Championship, Izzy took Gold and Bill Silver. Bill shot two days and also claimed Gold in the B-Class Aggregate.
Congratulations to Rugeley Rifle Club Chairman Martyn Buttery, who has been appointed Adjutant for the GB Dewar Team in 2025 and 2026. The Adjutant is an assistant to the Team Captain, and typically takes on the Captaincy following their term as Adjutant.
