Clay competition report
The Clay Shooting Classic at Orston heralded a fabulous return to competitive action for shooters champing at the bit, reports James Simon
Nick Hendrick triumphed at the 2021 Clay Shooting Classic, setting an early English Sporting (ESP) score of 143 ex-150 that the remainder of the field valiantly tried to better but rarely came close. It proved to be a Classic in both name and nature, a memorable three days of fun over May bank holiday weekend, with fierce targets and mixed fortunes.
There’s something rather reassuring about the Clay Shooting Classic. Timeless and fondly regarded as a competition that’s both accessible and challenging in equal measure, its place in the shooting calendar is assured.
Until it is not, that is. COVID-19 robbed us of this much-loved event in 2020, but thankfully Dan and Emily Martin of Orston Shooting Ground in Nottinghamshire managed to resurrect the Classic for 2021. What’s more, as they welcomed the first Shots on the last Friday in May, the rain clouds, which had been a permanent feature of the past, soggy month, parted, bathing the ground in glorious sunshine.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, we were blessed with warm spring weather, a bank holiday weekend and a much-loved shooting festival to enjoy. Could life get any better?
Not, we suspect, for the 500 or more competitors who threaded their way around Orston trying their luck at the two English Sporting courses, the Sportrap stands and the Pool Shoot. When they weren’t busy shooting, they were laughing, eating, drinking, sunbathing or shopping for exclusive brands.
Red and Blue
Nick was in superb form, taking the ESP High Gun with a remarkable 143 ex-150. He shot the Red and Blue ESP courses on the Friday, setting the bar high from the start. “This is just how the Classic should be,” said Nick. “They’ve done a fantastic job. I dropped some singles on the Blue course and a smattering on the Red, but didn’t really have a problem with any of the stands.”
Nick left clutching a very handsome Blaser F16 Grade 4 Sporter for his troubles, just part of the £20,000-plus total prize fund.
Some strong shooting found Martin Myers mirroring Nick’s total score on the Blue course with 72 ex-75, but he dropped just one more on the Red, finishing on 142 ex150. The very tricky simulated pairs on stand 10, Red, proved to be his downfall.
“I dropped two, almost at the end of the Red course, on stand 10,” said Martin, “and one or two here and there. But the target presentation was excellent throughout.”
Luck wasn’t on Martin’s side over the weekend, as he narrowly missed winning the pool shoot too. After tying with Kelvin Walsh on 24, he lost Sunday’s shoot-off by, once again, just one target. Nail-biting stuff.
Sam Green also matched Nick and Martin’s score on the Blue course, but he struggled on Red stands nine and 10 to finish third on 140 ex-150.
Some of the other big names didn’t fare so well. George Digweed was nine behind Nick on 134 ex-150, dropping five on what quickly became the infamous stand 10, Red.
Ben Husthwaite got on a little better on stand 10, Red, hitting three of the available six clays. Unfortunately, he’d already dropped a few on stands seven, eight and nine, and had enjoyed a slightly patchy experience on the Blue course too, which saw him finish on 132 ex-150.
“I found stand five, Blue, tough,” said Ben, “and managed to miss three targets. Still, that’s not a criticism of the course or the ground, which looked fantastic.”
James Bradley-Day, who shot on Sunday, was in great spirits when we found him finishing up on stand 9, Red, but had already heard that stand 10 was devilishly difficult. “I’ve heard the pairs are very challenging,” he said, “but I’m looking forward to shooting them. Shooting over the water on stand 11 looks very tasty too.”
Sadly, James had heard right. He dropped five on stand 10 but fortunately managed to straight stand 11, finishing on a respectable 129 ex-150.
Leading ladies
Heading up the Ladies’ ESP scoresheet was Cheryl Hall, with a sterling 127 ex-150. Like many competitors, Cheryl found the latter half of the Red course tricky, but was not particularly fazed by any of the Blue stands, just dropping the odd target here and there.
The ever-ebullient Hannah Gibson fell six behind Cheryl on the ESP courses with 121 ex-150. Stands that troubled her were one, Red, and predictably 10, Red, where, just
like George Digweed and James Bradley-Day, she dropped five targets. At least she was in good company.
“I’m a fair-weather shooter at heart,” said Hannah, “so, I’m still trying to regain form after the Covid restrictions and then all the horribly wet conditions we had throughout May. I can’t fault Orston though; my dad Brian and I have had a wonderful time shooting the Classic.”
Sportrap stars
ESP may be the highlight of the Classic, but there was always lively action to be found on the busy Sportrap stands. John Lee fell just short of straighting every stand with a top score of 96 ex-100, dropping just one target on each of the four stands. The Sportrap stands here are John’s natural habitat; he’s taken more titles at Orston than anyone can remember.
He said: “Sporting didn’t go so well for me. Like almost everyone, I dropped clays on stand 10, Red, but I’m delighted with my Sportrap performance. Best of all, I’m able to share the experience with my son Josh. It’s his first major competition and we’re having a wonderful time together.”
In fact, Josh went on to shoot the highest Colt Sportrap score of 65 ex-100, proving that the Classic really is an accessible, familyfriendly event.
Charlie Harrison was a whisker from chasing John down, with a score of 95 ex-100, while Chris Childerhouse and Sam Green took joint third with 94 ex-100. Cheryl Hall took the Ladies’ title with 80 ex-100.
Classic ingredients
This Classic felt more special than usual and I suspect a big part of that was due to the course-setting skills of Dan and his head
groundsman Paul Murgatroyd. What does it take to make a Classic a true classic?
“Atmosphere is the key component,” said Dan. “To build that we need a course that brings both fun and challenges to every competitor, whatever the class. This is where Orston excels. We’re on a very flat piece of land, which may sound uninspiring but it gives us a blank canvas to present any type of target.
“We have vast open spaces bordered by dark evergreens running down one side of the ground, which is where we set the Blue course. It’s difficult to judge distance here, which makes for some interesting targets. If we need height, we just hire some telehandlers.
“On the other side of the ground we have the bunds and the pond, which present an entirely different set of challenges. This is Red course territory. During the Classic, competitors got to shoot two entirely different courses, plus the huge variety of presentations on offer on the Sportrap stands. There really is something for everyone.”
Three stands in particular drew a crowd, a lot of laughs or a sharp intake of breath: stand eight, Blue, and stands 10 and 11, Red. What was Dan’s intention here?
“Stand eight, Blue, the Super five singles, was inspired by previous Classics. It’s a nod to the past, pure nostalgia, and a chance to get the high-performance bombs out of your bag,” said Dan.
“The A-bird, a dropping standard, was about 40 yards out. The midi, which was responsible for the most zeroes on cards, was about 60 yards out. The rabbit was about 60 to 65 yards, the battue was 50 to 70 yards, and the blaze quartering away standard was about 40 to 70 yards out.
“Good distances, but not impossible. Many Shots just aren’t used to seeing these kinds of lead pictures, and the open ground messes with one’s perception of distance.”
Stand 10, Red, was the most feared stand on the course. “With the right technique, stand 10 was straightforward,” grinned Dan. “Three sim pairs were launched from the base of the bank. The trick was to shoot the first target as quickly as possible, giving you plenty of time to shoot the second. However, most people were overaggressive with the first target and rushed the second.”
Last stand
“Three stands in particular drew a crowd, a lot of laughs or a sharp intake of breath”
The last stand on Red, number 11, looked a lot of fun. “This stand, shot from a platform over the water, was designed to be a respite after stand 10,” said Dan. “Time to get some easy lines back on your scorecard and a nice way to finish the course with a smile on your face. Both targets were low over the water and needed no lead to speak of.”
Dan said the Clay Shooting Classic was an excellent showcase for Orston. “It shows what our ground and our team is capable of. The competition was a five-star event and the result was a lot of smiling faces. I’m very grateful to the sponsors who gladly gave their support at the last minute, despite the impact that Covid has had on our sport.”