Strathallan School’s Sporting Clays Shooting Team secured a clean sweep of results at the British Schools Championships held at the Oxford Gun Company last week.
Led by Captain Alasdair T, the team, comprised of Alex M, Robbie W, Molly H, and Hunter S, claimed several top honours including Overall Team Winners.
Shooting against teams from leading English schools including Millfield, Wellington and Warwick, our Scottish pupils surpassed the runners-up by 22 clays to become overall Team Champions.
Alasdair T’s remarkable performance earned him the High Gun 1st prize, achieving a flawless 50 straight for the second consecutive year. Molly H shone as the top lady, achieving an impressive score of 48. Robbie W secured 2nd place in the High Gun with a score of 47, while Alex M claimed 3rd with a score of 46. Hunter S, the talented colt of the team, shot a competitive score of 42.
Reflecting on their success, Captain Alasdair expressed his pride in the team’s achievement, he said “With us narrowly losing out last year, it felt amazing when each and every member of the team performed so well that we won by a margin of 22 clays. It felt great to finally get the result we came down to achieve.”
Molly H, who took the top prize in the Ladies category, said, “We came down to Oxford with a goal and we smashed it, winning everything we possibly could have. It feels great to bring home ladies high gun for the second year, especially with the second highest score in the competition. It makes going all that way worth it.”
Hunter S, the youngest member of the team, added, “Being the youngest in the team I had huge pressure on me going down to Oxford, I ended up shooting a 42/50 which was not as well as I should have shot however, we still managed to take the overall win at the Oxford Gun company which was great as we narrowly missed out last year to Millfield. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
The team’s triumph continued at the County Clays competition held in Dunkeld at the weekend, where they secured further accolades, including A Team Champions and B Team Runners-up, and victories in various individual and team categories.
Sharing in the team’s success, Robbie said, “It’s my last year at Strathallan, and to be able to contribute to the team by shooting the best I’ve ever shot down south is a great feeling. Bringing such a big trophy up to Scotland and an individual second place shows the hard work put in is paying off. To then win back-to-back trophies, after shooting a clean 80/80 in the flush, shows the talent in our teams, as we collectively won 9 of the 11 possible trophies over the two competitions.”
Head of Clays at Strathallan Shooting Academy, Mr Paul Vallot commended the team’s hard work, “I am so proud and delighted for the A team who have returned from Oxford with a clean sweep of the trophies from the competitions they entered. Their success as individuals and as a team are just rewards for their hard work and ability. The icing on the cake to a fantastic year was the success at County Clays at the weekend where our teams again came home victorious, with the young guns also showing we have strength in depth, epitomised by Duncan G who scored 40/40.”
Strathallan shooters Alasdair and Molly have recently achieved places on the Commonwealth and Olympic Trap development squads.
Categories: Strathallan School
