Setting off for the doubleheader in Wales at 8 am was a real treat, those extra hours in bed are most welcome after a week of man-flu of the worst kind. Phil was buzzing for it and we both felt that a good solid 35 was within our grasp.
The weather was looking good down the M1 before it all started to go Pantone Grey on the M42, a quick stop for a double sausage and hash brown chaser before the final run into Cardiff and by that time it was pissing it down and visibility was down to a couple of yards, this isn’t the weather we ordered!
We landed at a rather muddy and moist Tondu at 11:20 am, the Welsh flag was blowing like mad and everyone looked like they’d been at sea for 2 weeks. It’s not a good sign when someone walks past with a bum bag that looks like a running tap. I didn’t bother taking any pictures because I fear getting my camera wet and I had a paying job with it on Thursday, shame I also forgot my brolly, waterproofs and change of clothes at home!
A quick chat with Andy and then Conor walked in and rung out his coat, trousers and socks, he really is ginger all over! Once I’d wiped my eyes of that terrible vision, I exchanged it for one that was targets 5 and 6 on the top of the hill. Heading down and into it, they were going down and this had to be the toughest part of the course. It was going really well, my eye was in and Ian Stoddart is a good shooting partner, so all good, nice start Martin.
Not sure what happened in the short walk across the road to the pond of doom side but the wheel must have got lost somewhere, I couldn’t hit a cows arse with a banjo. I double dinked a couple of lanes, got the hard ones but missed the bread and butter stuff, this was so frustrating. The Pellet Gods clearly hate me plus we’d also lost Dave Robbo, I was hoping he’d put some good markers on the targets to follow but nothing I did was right and before I knew it had slipped out of my hands again.
I’ve never seen mist roll in across a pond and then change direction before, mist usually means the air is still as well, not in Wales it doesn’t. It didn’t really help any as I OXO’d all the way up the pond, I could not put two shots together at all. From A grade to C grade in 1 shoot, I’d like to say I have no idea how Andy only missed 4 but I do know the answer because I’d only missed 3 on the hardest part of the course.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement but I cheered myself up with a couple of pints and ultimate grill, unlike my pellets, that hit the spot. Oh well there’s always tomorrow.
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