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Snap Shoot Competition was held at Wilmcote Sports and Social Club on Monday 18
October. This competition requires shooters to be not only accurate but also
quick. Shooters qualify for the final round only if they can manage a score of
22 or more from five pellets shot within one minute. It turned out to be a
competition between just seven shooters from MEB and Binton A. With such lack of
support it must be a question of time before the competition is dropped. The
seven shooters between them had 30 attempts to shoot the required 22pts to
qualify. Will Cemis, the current holder of the cup, was allowed by fellow
shooters to use a chair to support his injured leg during the competition and
chose to use the name "Will Chairmis" for the night, was the first to qualify.
He was followed by Fred Williams and Andy Smith both of whom reached the
required standard on their second attempt. Simon Dale made four attempts scoring
21 on three occassions but that extra point escaped him and he retired from the
completion. Gary Hooper also had four attempts before he gave up and Michelle
Dale, the only lady shooter tried twice before she too gave up. Paul Clingan who
has won the competition four times in the last 10 years was not shooting well at
all having six attempts and failing to qualify but as his old rifle fell apart
he used Fred Williams' Steyr rifle in his last attempt to qualify and shot an
amazing five bulls to be the last man to qualify with 25pts.In the final shoot out, "Will Chairmis" did not manage to fire all his pellets within the time allowed; Fred Williams shot four fours and a bull
for 21pts; Andy Smith shot three fours and two bulls for 22pts and Paul Clingan shot two fours and three bulls for 23pts to take the cup.
The Pairs Competition was also held at Wilmcote on 21 October. In the quarter final matches, Bill Gately and Steve Hodges lost out to Karl and Alison McMillan. Then Richard and Jackie Mills were eliminated by Kath Williams and Jan Beattie. Gordon Spencer and Ray Hodgkins could not overcome a mini possible (25.2) from Andy Morris and Brian Adshead's 22.1pts. Simon and Michelle Dale had a close match against Paul Clingan and Fred Williams but they snatched the last place in the semi finals with a score of 46.3 compared with 46.2.
In the first of the semi final matches, Karl and Alison McMillan came up against MEB team mates Kath Williams and Jan Beattie. With seven pellets the McMillan's kept out of the threes and ended on 60.1pts. Their opponents managed three clean bulls and a final loose three but came out with the higher score of 60.3 for a place in the final. The second match was close and unusual in that Simon and Michelle Dale both shot 31.1pts to give them a final score of 62.2 and Andy Morris and Brian Adshead both shot 31.2 to give them a total of 62.4 pts and their place in the final which was shot on the more generous left hand target.
Kath Williams and Jan Beattie managed five bulls between them, four of them clean but they also put in a loose three each and ended on 59.4pts. Andy Morris shot five bulls, three of them clean and fours for 33.3pts and Brian Adshead shot a string of fours and one "dirty" bull for 29pts. With 62.3pts they scooped the trophy.