The beer and the ultimate mixed grill went down well but I’m not sure of the Premier Inn’s business model of closing down at 10 pm but hey let’s all go to bed and fall asleep with the TV on while everything in the room is still drying out. I really do need to carry a spare set in the back of the car rather than trying to weave my way through something that looks like an explosion in Oxfam!
No time for breakfast because for the first time in 5yrs we are booked into the AM session, feels odd but I really did fancy getting home a bit earlier to rescue a bit of time out of the bank holiday.
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Everything was now dry but the sky looked like the same Pantone Grey again. I did a bit of plinking just to check the gun had survived yesterday, I was taking between nothing and 40mm at 53yds, pretty standard for Wales and Oak that.
I wasn’t in a really up for it mood and then heavens opened and really sunk any enthusiasm I had left.
Luckily that soon turned into sunshine and a bucket full of wind but that’s field target shooting in Wales for you. I’ve shot Oaktree before and it can be difficult to read at times but there was no doubt about that today, you just needed to watch for the switch.
Lane 18 right at the bottom of the course with Woody and Jamie, both cracking shooters and great company, I elected to go last because I wanted to read the first few targets because let’s face it I need all the help I can get.
Turns out it wasn’t much help at all, Woody missed them both and Jamie just got the second one, I figured Woody hadn’t given enough on the first one so I gave it buckets and that wasn’t enough either! The next target as at 30 degrees to the last one and I thought it would be taking even more, I was correct.
I got my head down and apart from one really wild miss on the helicopter target, it dropped 60mm low and to left, no idea why and it was only 45yds. I did my best to cancel it out and just focus on the next targets and that was the plan for the day. It was working and without looking at my card I knew I was doing OK. Woody was having a nightmare start again, he struggled a bit at Tawd.
“my pellets are going exactly where I’m pointing them, the problem is I’m pointing them in the wrong place” – Woody
While I can’t ever claim to be at the same level as Woody, I can identify with the feeling of frustration he was feeling, I could probably write a book on it and although it means everyone is human, it’s a shite feeling watching the game slipping away.
As we worked our way up the hill the wind was getting a bit stronger and even the close targets got my full attention after missing a 37yd target yesterday. The course itself was a good mix and very technical, every target had to be treated like a 55yder. There was no room for a casual approach today.
I was still doing well as we worked our way to the field section and this dear reader is where I fell apart last year. All I had to do was hold it together, use all my time and watch the wind like a hawk.
The first two went but surprisingly took different edges, it’s a good feeling when you get it right and can seemingly do no wrong, I’d nailed the field and only had the final stretch to do. If I had a God I would have been praying at this point, there was still a couple of kneelers, a lane with 2 reducers and the finishing lane of standers. Everything was going, this was going great and I still hadn’t looked at my card, we got to the last lane and I really wanted both. The Bull was close but downhill, I often drop out of the bottom, so I added clicks, it dropped. All I needed now was this 42yder in a blowing gale, I was buzzing, gave it a kill and BOOOOOOOM. I gave myself a massive cheer, I deserved it! OK, so there was a bit of luck involved but sod it, I’d just hit 41 at Oaktree.
I was buzzing, for the first time, I’d won my grade and got into the top ten for the whole Grand Prix, how mega is that? What was also really nice was all the lads I respect saying congrats and shaking my hand, great feeling, thank you.
Check out my review of Tondu.
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