Faces

Femmes Fatales Cup 2017 at The Royal Berkshire Shooting Ground

The Royal Berkshire Shooting School played host to the Femmes Fatales Cup recently, for the third year running. It’s an event that brings together some of the best female shots in the UK with ladies who are just getting started in the sport. Schoolgirl Amy Easeman, a previous winner, went on to win the 2017 shoot with an outstanding 72 ex 80.

Easeman was one of 80 competitors at this year’s event, staged by Femmes Fatales, a shooting club devoted to encouraging shooting among women of all ages. It has been remarkably successful. Fellow guns included Hannah Gibson, the ladies’ British Open Sporting Champion; Rachel Parish, who’s an A&E doctor and in the British Double Trap team; and Caroline Greenhalgh, who went to Oxford as a mature student and decided to take up clay shooting last year. Greenhalgh is now president of the Oxford University Clay Shooting Club and ended up winning the intermediate category with 63 ex 80.

Her love affair with the sport was typical. Amanda Foster, an international stunt woman, became smitten recently, as did Marie Punter, a high-flying accountant, who’s shot three times and now has a shooting shopping list. “I’m so glad I’ve stumbled upon a great bunch of enthusiastic and passionate people. I do love it so much and I simply have to find more time to shoot,” she said. Her enthusiasm was matched by Fiona Emm, who, having taken up the sport at 50, has now “given up the fags and booze to do more shooting”.

Founded by Rachel Carrie and Lydia Abdelaoui, the club is not run for profit but simply to give women of different abilities the chance to shoot with like-minded souls. So, the Cup has three classes – novice, inter and experienced – with tuition for the former.

And was the shoot different from the usual blokey affair at Royal Berkshire Shooting School? Well, yes. There was more laughter – but just as many clays smoked.

ROW ONE

Left to right: Catrione Cochrane; Andrea Pinnock;

Lucy Pattinson; Joanne Wilson; Patricia Pritchard, The Editor

Jonathan Young, Alexandra Dalton;

Amy Easeman, winner of the Experienced Category

ROW TWO

Hannah Gibson; Anna Wooster; Alex Hammond; Lydia Abdelaoui and Andrea Pinnock; (clockwise from top) Chloe Thornton, Martine Todd and Heather Todd; say “Cheese!”;

intermediate winner Caroline Greenhalgh

ROW THREE

Megane Scott; Kirsty Fenwick; Amanda Foster; Carole Sawkins

Was the shoot different from the usual blokey affair? Well, yes. More laughter but just as many clays smoked