Winner takes all
Tactical target setting and exceptional performances came together to create another sensational Clay Shooting Classic, writes Jasper Fellows
Phil Gray came to win it all – and he did. He topped the podium in the Sporting event, claimed his Blaser F16, then almost accidentally won the Pool Shoot for a healthy cash payout and a pair of Pilla glasses. He made the Classic look easy, but his path to the top was not. Phil had to tackle Paul Murgatroyd’s tactical target setting, and hundreds of other competitors all hungry for success.
Setting
Dan Martin, who organised the event with his team at Orston, explains the route
Sporting competitors had to take to reach the podium.
“First, there was a qualifying round, of two 75-target courses,” he said, “a red and a blue for a total of 150 targets. The top five competitors from each class and category were then invited back to shoot a final 75-target course on Sunday.”
The number of targets is no arbitrary figure. Through years of practice, Dan and setter Paul have mastered the maths involved in creating an exciting event.
“We’ve found that when competitors are shooting more than 75 targets, the usual top shots dominate. However, when you snap it down to 75, you even the playing field. Our format is designed to give everyone the opportunity to climb the podium.”
Phil Gray agreed: “It wasn’t just the organisation and format that worked well. The targets themselves were fair. There was something for everyone and enough to catch out the professionals.
“Personally, I found the red course tougher than the blue. However, I think that varied for everyone. I don’t think there was a particular section that we all struggled with.”
Dan agreed: “There were some challenging angles on the red course, which did catch some people out. However, we also had shooters argue that the blue was the tougher of the two.
“The weather conditions made things interesting, particularly the change of wind direction. We had a south-westerly on Thursday, then a westerly on Friday, followed by a northerly over the weekend.
“Fortunately, the finalists were drawn from each day of qualification separately,
so everyone is battling the same course and conditions for their chance at a spot.”
Build-up
Despite dropping a few targets on a blustery red course, Phil finished his qualifying rounds on an impressive 142/150, placing him third for the day behind Sam Green and George Digweed, and securing his place in the final.
Having to face George and Sam in a final would leave most with a severe case of jellied legs and quivering barrels.
“It’s just another day in the office,” said Phil. “Yeah, I had Sam Green in front of me, but I just had to shoot the targets and hopefully hit more than the next guy.”
Phil confidently ‘straighted’ the first five of 11 final stands. He then dropped one on the sixth, ninth and 11th, to end at the top of the AAA board with 72/75.
However, Paul’s tactical target setting had paid off. While none of the AAAs could match Phil on the day, Senior shot Nick Portlock had posted his 72 earlier that morning.
“When I dropped a target on the last stand, I knew it would cost me,” said Phil. “I turned to John Lee and said, ‘that’s hittable, someone will shoot a 73 today.’ Thankfully no one did. But it did force me into a shoot-off for the title with Nick.”
“For us, Nick Portlock came out of the blue,” said Dan, “over 75 targets, it’s anyone’s game.”
“To have a close final, followed by a shoot-off helps create an atmosphere of excitement. Like everything, the more
build up you have, the more of a crescendo, the better.”
What a crescendo it was, Phil stepped up to the plate first and hit all but the fourth target to score 9/10. Then Nick stepped up. He dropped his first target to enter a sudden death situation. The fourth would once again escape unscathed, sealing Nick’s fate and allowing Phil to take his place at the top of the podium.
“To share a shoot-off with Nick was a pleasure,” said Phil of the climatic finale. “If he’d hit 10 and I’d hit nine, I would have been just as pleased with the result. He is genuinely one of the nicest guys on the circuit.”
With the victory under his belt, Phil was ready to step onto the podium and take ownership of his new Blaser F16. But then he discovered he still had to shoot it off for the top prize of the pool shoot, a new pair of Pilla shooting glasses.
“I’d almost forgotten about this one,” said Phil, “I’d shot the Sporting final in the morning, so I’d had a bit of time to wait for the score to come in. I got bored and thought, ‘why not have a go at the pool shoot’ and ‘straighted’ the 25.
“After the shoot-off with Nick, someone said ‘you’ve got to have a shoot-off for the glasses now’. I managed to win that one, too, which was the icing on the cake.”
“Every dog has its day,” joked Dan.
“Phil was unstoppable. It was one of those performances that he can look back on and say he couldn’t have shot any better. He outperformed everyone.”
Phil put his success down to a renewed hunger for silverware, and his gear: “I had a particularly long winter break this year and that made me want to come back stronger than ever.
“Two years ago, I switched to a Perazzi High Tech S, with Eley Hawk VIP Trap cartridges. That gun has taken me beyond what I thought was possible. I can’t thank Perazzi and Eley Hawk enough for the support they have given me.”
Promise
Phil wasn’t the only big winner at the Classic. Cheryl Hall’s respectable final 65/75 saw her place at the top of a competitive Ladies scoreboard, where she comfortably saw off competition from Nadine Gilder’s 60 and
Sharon Niven’s 58.
Competition was fierce in the Junior and Colt categories, too. John Porter, aged 12, took the Colt’s title, with his final score of 57/75, though he thought he could have performed better.
“I wasn’t happy with my score, but I had a great squad and enjoyed the event,” said John. “I wasn’t confident of the win, but very happy when it happened!
“Orston was incredibly generous to us Colts. They had a fantastic prize fund for us, and all the other shooters were supportive, too, so that was brilliant.”
As for the Juniors, Will Page’s qualification score of 130/150 exceeded many of his elders, but it was his final score of 67/75 that placed him above his contemporaries.
“I shot my qualifying rounds on Friday,” said Will, “it was a bit windy, but that was all part of the challenge.
“I think the final was an interesting course. Each stand needed a bit of thought and I had to keep my concentration up all the way round. Everything was hittable, but there was still plenty to miss.
“The win was a great boost to my confidence and a big thank you must go to Hull Cartridge Company, Blaser and Mulliners for their continued support.”
“The juniors these days are shooting just as well as the seniors,” said Dan “and often outperforming them. I thought all the juniors shot incredibly across the event.”
“Our format is designed to give everyone the opportunity to climb the podium”
Onwards
With the winners having taken their places atop the podium, the Clay Shooting Classic is over for another year. But the shooting doesn’t end at Orston, where there are plenty of events to look forward to.
“We’ve got the 150-target, 19 stand Orston Masters on 16-17 July,” said Dan. “That will be a real test of endurance. There will be payouts down to fifth in every category and class, and a £1,000 prize for the overall High Gun.
“We’ve also got the British Schools and Young Shots Championship to look forward to in September as well as our usual registered events, so there’s plenty more action to come this year.”