On target with big winning margin

THE widest victory margin in the Hinckley Air Rifle League’s latest round of matches came at the Greyhound where the Hounds were visited by Ashby Road ‘B’. The home side shot first and whilst they did not get off to a great start their efforts were bolstered by Paul Huddlestone’s 28 and a closing 27 from Roy Pritchard.

In reply the best the Ashby Road first half had to offer was Neil Price’s opening 26 and a 27 from their fourth shooter, Martyn Wood.

The Hounds’ second half shot consistently well throughout, opening with Adam Padamsey’s 26, followed by the 27s of Chris Allen and new recruit Paul Griffin, Richard Green’s 28, and a 29 from another new recruit, Giles Headley. This excellent second half took the home side to a highly respectable 192, a total that was immediately unbeatable, as Ashby Road’s three remaining shooters would each need to score a maximum 30 to tie the match.

They didn’t come near to achieving this level of shooter, their best scores being Mike Sansome’s 26 and Jeff Goodyer’s 27, taking their final team score to 177, a 15 shot deficit.

Ashby Road’s match against the visiting New Plough Inn started well for the home side with a 28 from Alison Finney. The next two shooters did less well, a decent first half was achieved thanks to Richard White’s 27 and Pete Finney’s 29.

The visitors had the same good start, their team’s 28 coming courtesy of Daniel Lakin, but with their next best first half score being Glen Foxon’s 26, the break was reached with the home side having a distinct advantage.

Ashby Road’s second half didn’t do quite as well as the first, David White’s 27 being the top score ahead of a trio of 26s from Seamus Moore, Lorraine White, and Paul Holyland, taking them to a potentially vulnerable total of 189.

This left the Plough’s second half needing to shoot really well but having the quality of shooter to make this a real possibility.

However, they failed to reach their full potential with a couple of 25s, and the 27s of John Bray and Tom Bray, taking them to just 183.

The visit of the unbeaten Sporting Lions side to the Barwell home of a winless Smallshaws team went pretty much as one would have expected.

The visitors enjoyed an easy victory over their struggling hosts. The toss went the way of the home side but this was their last success with the best score in their otherwise undistinguished first half being Jackie West’s 28.

Starting the Lions were an impressive successive set of 30s from Glen Dainter and Todd Astill, before the team added a 27 form Melanie Jenkins and a 29 from Jeanette Mulkeirins.

Smallshaws improved slightly in the second half thanks to Tom Williams’ 27, and the 26s of Simon Grewcock and Chris Rose.

An unprecedented collapse from the visitors would have been required for the resulting 182 to give them any sort of positive result.

The Lions’ second half did score much less readily than the first, Taryn Cockerill’s 26 being their best individual effort.

It was still enough to take them to 191.