This year's Tournament took place at Mill Hill CPSC and the event organisers were no strangers to major competitions having hosted the same event five years previously and the FITASC Home Countries Invitational Tournament in 2010.
For the 45th occasion Teams from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland joined by Jersey and Guernsey all came together to compete against one another and this time they made the trip to the borders of Meath and Louth where after a practice session on the Thursday, Friday saw the first competition of the weekend with almost 140 shooters sampling 100 Sporting Targets over 12 stands.
Even though the forecast hurricane winds had not yet arrived, scores on Friday were still hard to come by although the predicted winning total was spot on as it turned out. Friday also saw the squad draw take place and the shooters from the various countries were put into the mix to finalise who would be shooting with who the following day.
Saturday saw the wind make its presence felt as the fallout from hurricane Katia moved ever eastwards but apart from the odd shower, most shooters were able to do without the added inconvenience of their wet gear in what were already humid conditions.
Whereas a normal Registered Sporting shoot would see targets set with the participants from the lower classes being kept in mind with regard to the level of difficulty, an event of this nature with the best shooters from each Association representing their respective countries sets an altogether different challenge and the bar must understandably be set to a higher level and if you aspire to be the best internationally then handsome is as handsome does!
With this in mind every one of the 15 stands were set by Maurice Cavanagh and his team to test the shooters with fine tuned nuances in angle, speed and perceived distance as well as a good mix of target types which could and did catch out the unwary or those who were not fully focussed.
But as one shooter was heard to say after he and a number of his compatriots had shot the Sunday course (for a second time) the weekend had been an eye opener for them and he now classed a lot of what he shot at home as glorified skeet (no disrespect to skeet we are sure) by comparison.
Come the half-way point on Saturday, Robert Cavangh and his busy crew of office helpers quickly tallied the scores and the standings were displayed both electronically on the big screen and in hard copy for all to see.
It soon became obvious that the wind was playing a part in the scores and a walk (or drive) around the course would verify this as consecutive targets could readily require two vastly different approaches as a gust of wind transformed their flight dramatically and while it did make it a lottery on occasion it was the same for everyone. Even the rabbits could be affected by the wind such was the ferocity at times!
Having had their lunch, the shooters again took to their allotted stands to complete their rounds only to be greeted by rain which thankfully quickly subsided and left one less challenge to contend with.
When the shooting was over the final results were compiled in double quick time (now attached as downloads) and the various award winners confirmed. Some results were not finalised however and so it was that eight shooters were called out onto the course once more as a 30 target shoot off was required to settle the runner up High Gun of the Match as well as some of the final placings on the England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland Teams.
An appreciative audience watched the proceedings from the hillside and the shooters gave it their all and it was apt that it was to be the last stand which saw a simultaneous pair of targets off the Mill Hill high tower that settled matters and each shooter was greeted by a round of applause as they finished their round.
It was then off to the Marriot Hotel in Ashbourne for the post-Tournament banquet and the presentation of awards where special mention was made of Sean McKenna in particular who was deserving of thanks because there can be few farmers who would allow unfettered access to their lands as Mill Hill CPSC have had over this weekend and indeed week in and week out throughout the shooting season.
While this portion of the evening was finished by 10.30pm with regard to the official functions, this was only the beginning of what was to be an additional 8 hour shift of “celebration” for some which we are reliably informed included a 4.30am impromptu rendition of River Dance among other entertainment…
The fact that all of the Teams were staying at the one hotel added to the atmosphere we believe and it certainly gave an additional international air to the occasion?
Sunday morning dawned stormy with some shooters struggling to come to terms with the conditions. This we might add was nothing to do with the weather which was just wet and windy!
Mill Hill had been a hive of activity late into Saturday night as a new 18 stand 120 target course had been set and the venue was ready for the off at 8.30am where during the day 160 shooters completed rounds of the course (not including those who ran the gauntlet a second time).
And so it was that this year’s ICTSC Sporting Home Countries International Tournament came to an end. We hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend and we would like to wish all our visiting shooters a safe journey home in the hope that the ferry crossings were not too bumpy!
Congratulations not alone to all those who received awards or won prizes over the weekend but to everyone who took part because when you put on that shooting vest bearing your Association’s crest not alone are you representing your country but you are a representative for all those shooters you have left at home and there can surely be no greater honour?
The ICPSA would like to equally thank and congratulate all of those involved with Mill Hill CPSC and the weekends Tournament because the logistical requirements and immense challenges to be overcome in order to facilitate the effective delivery of an event such as this cannot be underestimated or overstated.
We believe that these demands were not only met but surpassed and all of those concerned should take a bow! Well done one and all and we look forward now to Wales 2012…
