Tercentenary Shoot Report
The weather was kind and spirits were high as Fan Makers, their Master and Clerk, and guests arrived at The Essex Shooting School to take part in the Tercentenary Shoot on Wednesday 9th September.
Back row (l to r) Paul Payne, Vic George, Iain Hunt, Keith Patterson, Prof John Salter, Peter Dove, Karoline George, John Naylor, Patrick Mellors
Front row (l to r) Michael O’Shea, Terry Lee, Andrew Hughes, Shirley Payne, Robin Pick, John Hughes
The day’s programme involved the twelve competitors being split into three groups each spending an hour competing in turn at the clay shooting, air rifle and fishing elements. Experienced staff from the Essex Shooting School were on hand to guide and offer instruction. As a finale, all competitors would take part in a 25 clay shoot at five different stands. The winner of this finale would receive the Tercentenary Shoot’s premier award, a Waterford Crystal bowl engraved with the Company coat of arms.
Well-fuelled with bacon rolls, coffee and tea the competitors and spectators were escorted to the clay shooting, air rifle shooting and fishing venues.
Robin Pick on the clay ground
Terry Lee beside the shooting school lake.
The Master takes aim.
Winner: Clay Shoot
The Master, Professor John Salter, presents winning clay shot, John Naylor (above), with a Waterford Crystal bowl engraved with the Company coat of arms
The hour’s clay shooting involved members of each group being presented with fifty targets at six different stands. Having ‘got one’s eye in’ with such challenges as the leaping teal, high pheasant and bouncing bunny all three groups subsequently came to together to compete in the 25 clay finale.
The standard of shooting was high with the eventual winner, John Naylor, hitting twenty of his targets in an impressive show of marksmanship. In joint second place were Peter Dove and Andrew Hughes, each with nineteen clays hit.
The competition ended, most appropriately, with the Master being invited to step forward to attempt to hit a final clay of the day. Was it good fortune or possibly expert instruction, or is the Master quite simply a natural shot? To the applause of those gathered, the Master ‘dusted’ the clay at the first attempt – a fitting end to a very successful day-out.
Winner: Air Rifle Shoot
The Master presents the winning air rifle shot, Patrick Mellors (right), with a pair of Waterford Crystal tumblers, engraved with the Company coat of arms
Up in the spinney and in challenging breezy conditions, Patrick Mellors recorded a maximum ten out of ten score in the air rifle shoot. Winging the bird or beast not being sufficient to score points, the key was to strike the small white disc at the heart of the target to knock it to the ground and record a ‘kill’ – not easy!
Winner: Fishing
The Master presents the winning fisherman, Peter Dove (left), with a bottle of House of Commons label Scotch whisky
With a rod that would not have looked out of place on the Spey, Peter Dove caught the longest fish of the day, a ‘whopping’ 26 cm rainbow trout.
Irritatingly, the fish were generally showing little interest in rising to the fly; however, this inactivity allowed competitors and spectators an opportunity to admire not just Terry Lee’s textbook casting technique but also his impressive headwear.
With the hard work done, the competitors and spectators retired to the shooting lodge to enjoy a well earned lunch of cold salmon followed by a particularly tasty home-made trifle dessert.
John Naylor - Clay Shoot Winner
During lunch the Master presented awards to the winners of each of the shooting and fishing competitions and John Hughes took the opportunity to thank Michael Alldis for hosting an enormously enjoyable and relaxing day of country sports at The Essex Shooting School, Susan Hart for providing a delicious lunch, the shooting school staff for their good humour and patience, the Master and his Clerk, Keith Patterson, for gracing us with their presence and finally, the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers Livery Committee for very generously financing the purchase and engraving of the Waterford Crystal awards for the clay and air rifle shooting events.