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the shooting season draws to a close, last week saw the final matches for the
Webley Shield. Clifford were at home to Wilmcote with both teams having eight
shooters. Wilmcote had a handicap of ten points which gave Clifford a cushion of
comfort but in the event they did not need it. Paul Clingan shot well with six
consecutive bulls but his last pellet failed to ring the bell and he had to
settle for 34 for the seventh time in league and Webley matches. Veteran shooter
John Maycock shot four bulls then two fours and finally a bull for 33 points.
Andrew Clingan shot 32 and both Andrea Norris and Graham East shot 31.
Clifford’s shooters lifted their game and all seven of their counting scores
were 31 or more points. Ian Perkins and David Sibley both shot 33. Trevor Morris
and Tony Waters shot 32 and the others got 31. After disregarding the lowest
score from both sides the score was Clifford 223 Wilmcote 218 a clear win but
there were the ten handicap points to be added to give Clifford a final score of
233 points and with no defeats in this competition they retained the Webley
Shield for the third consecutive season.Avenue A had six shooters for their match against Avon SC who also had six. Bill Fleming has recently acquired a leather and canvas specialist shooting jacket which he has worn on three occasions. The first time he shot 33, then 34 and the he shot his first career possible. Afterwards he was heard to say “It was the jacket wot did it”. Colin Fulford and Richard Groom, wearing similar jackets both shot 33. Mark Ellis shot 32 and Carl and Alison McMillan both shot 30. Jamie Clarke was first to shoot for Avenue and was disappointed when he started with two fours but he got four bulls and ended with 32. Peter Mole shot fours and bulls for 30 and Marc Anderton slipped a three and scored 29. Steve Everett, Dee Green and Jo Everett all had loose shots for 28s and 27 points. Both teams had an A N Other score of 28 and with the handicap from Avon, Avenue finished on 225 points and Avon on 221.
Binton B had eight shooters for their match against the other Binton based team. They also had twenty points in hand, Binton A’s handicap. Chris Green and Steve Hodges had the best scores for the home team with 32 and Joe and Angie Powell both shot 30s. Chris Reed shooting for Binton A started with a four then put in six bulls for 34 missing out on getting a second consecutive possible. Will Cemis started well with three bulls but had to settle for 33 points. Andy Smith and Alan Dyer both shot 32. The final score line after scratching the lowest of Binton B’s eight scores and adding on the handicap was Binton B 230 to Binton A’s 222 points.
Avenue B struggled to get a team for their away match at MEB relying on Irene Parsons who is recovering from a recent operation as their fifth team member. Haydn Taplin who has maintained a steady improvement to his accuracy this season had the highest shot 32 and Jackie Mills who shot 30 were the only two shooters for Avenue that kept out of the threes. The remaining team members had low scores. With two A N Other scores based on MEBs performance and a handicap of nine points they finished on 204 points. MEB had seven shooters with Paul Onions getting their highest shot of 33. Dave Beasley shot 32 and Kath Williams and Paul Workman both got 30 points. MEB finished on 207 points to win the match.
The last shooting match this season will take place tonight when Binton A will take on Avon SC for the Thompson Cup at Wilmcote Social Club.