Some Pride but no Prejudice as the College rifle team triumphs over OFRC

By Steve ‘No Sense or Sensibility’ McDowell (G82-86) – OFRC captain.

Sometimes needs must.

With the OFRC facing the annual shooting match with the College decimated by bad luck and down on numbers, we had to think creatively on 16 November.

Nigel Burnip, the Chairmanator, was all packed up and ready to roll when, sadly, he received the news that his brother-in-law had died in Derbyshire and must travel there instead.

With Kim ‘K-Pop’ Heath also held back by family illness, likewise stalwart Jon ‘Red Leader’ Ford and James ‘Permanent Holiday’ Mehta luxuriating in tropical parts, we were beginning to look a bit thin on the ground.

Then the Hon Sec Jim Overbury badly breaks a finger on his trigger hand – a pretty critical injury to a rifleman.

Work commitments, and the fact that he is in the wilds of West Wales, keep Luke ‘the Spook’ Malcolm off the firing point. Likewise our ringers.

So, facing a well-practised and talented College team, the skipper had to think on his feet and issue a clarion cry for help.

John ‘The Don’ Halahan, answered the call – spearing up the A12 like the 7^th Cavalry to arrive in the nick of time. So too did Will ‘The Grill’ Clough – a veteran shooter and past college captain.

One piece of luck is the McDowell children were at home and both genuine OFs. Liv (P16-21) – now graduated and working for Adnams and Theo (G18-21) on a rare weekend away from the Royal Agricultural University at Cirencester.

They too, slightly reluctantly, given the earliness of the hour on a Sunday morning agreed to dust off their trigger fingers, despite not having fired a rifle since leaving school.

We had an idea, Halahan and I. If in doubt – change the rules.

Instead of the usual, single shot target rifle, with which only John and I were recently familiar, we’ll level the playing field a bit.

And since we both had .22 semi-auto Rugers with Telescoping sights and bipods for stability, we thought we’d bring them and do a bit of Gallery Rifle shooting.

So rather than ten carefully aimed shots in your own time – all ten scoring shots, two on each of five targets, had to be fired within 40 seconds.

This particular cat put a few pigeons up. But the college team, led by Kit Beaver, and, as ever, managed and coached diligently by Roy Witham, were up for the challenge.

It was a bit different but much fun was had. Rufus Cotterall, Callum Ventham and Freddie Williams all getting into the 90s for the college and John Halahan with a 93.

However, since we were so short-handed Roy Witham gallantly agreed to join the OF team for the day and, showing that a 25-year Army career is a handy background to have – he calmy slots a monster 98.

Thanks to him – the OFRC made a game of it, and averaging out the top six scores from the College, we lost by only 0.6 of a point. As Will Clough put it – a gentleman’s victory.

And finally – the Captain’s Challenge, a genuine cash prize of £10 to anyone who with three rounds at 25 yards can shoot off Jane Austen’s nose – or rather a photocopy of a £10 note.

It’s an interesting experience trying to photocopy a banknote – certainly more interesting than being made to study Jane Austen’s dreary scribblings anyway.

No doubt the impressive winner of the prize – Freddie Williams (who needed only two shots) – had an interesting time explaining this controversial viewpoint to his English teacher, who is also his mum.

Still, it could be argued it serves Katie Williams right for breeding three more top-rank OF shooters. With Harvey and Ollie now passed through the ranks, young Freddie is the future.

We look forward to it immensely.

See below detailed scores :