Shooter wins silver but bowler just misses out on a bronze

Aaron Heading fired his way to a fourth Commonwealth Games medal at the weekend.

The 30-year-old from Long Sutton finished second in the men’s trap final on Saturday to add to the gold and silver he won in Delhi in 2010 and another silver in Glasgow in 2014.

England ace Heading was beaten by Michael Wixey of Wales, who struck gold at the Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane just 24 hours after his wife Sarah won a bronze in the women’s event.

Wixey finished with a Games record score of 46 three more than Heading.

Heading said: “I feel amazing, because the last Commonwealth Games I got silver there and then two weeks after that I came off a motorbike and nearly lost my leg.

“It’s been a hard road to come back again, to leave where I was four years ago was absolutely brilliant. I’m over the moon, that was a hard four years.

“After this I’m flying out to Korea for a World Cup there and see if we can pick up some silverware there.

“I was very lucky that I came here in October for the Test event, and that was a really good event, I had to come back. The atmosphere, the people, the game-shapers everyone is so friendly and made us feel so welcome.”

Peterborough bowler Mike Robertson was also in action for England on the Gold Coast.

He was involved in the para triples with Kieran Rollins from Kettering and Paul Brown from Bristol and they went through to the last four.

But they narrowly missed out on a medal as they lost 16-13 to South Africa in the bronze medal play-off.

Parkway player Robertson, who was born without a left arm, said: “I was expecting a tough game, we played South Africa in a couple of practice games ahead of the competition and they were tight as well so it was never going to be easy. It was always going to be tight.

“I’ve loved it here. The crowd were well into it, which is excellent. I really enjoyed it.

“I loved the atmosphere. Lots of singing and chanting, that’s the way that bowls should be played.

“It’s just great - playing bowls, beautiful greens, floodlights, shorts and a t-shirt, with a crowd that are getting involved. It makes bowls a great game, it really does.

“In four years’ time I will be 56. I might be over the hill by then. We will see how it goes in four years time.”

Aaron Heading with his silver medal.

Mike Robertson just missed out on the bronze.