This year we welcomed a bumper crop of returnees; 12 seasoned OAs were joined by four Upper Sixth shooting as OAs for the first time. Of note were Derek Coles (OA 1965), whose father presented the School with the trophy and who has not shot in the competition previously, and James Crossley (OA 2011), Mr Russell’s first shooting captain.

The contest runs as a handicap competition with shooters aiming to score above their stated averages. A tough competition saw former Shooting Captains Charlie Jenkins (OA 2020) and Toby (OA 2024) shooting a 94 and 93 respectively, comfortably above their averages. However, a strong overall performance from the Lower Sixth, including James shooting a 97 and Ben shooting a 90, secured the School a victory, with a score of 400.512 to 400.143 once handicaps had been applied.

As in previous years, there was much mingling off the point, with shooters old and new sharing tea and tales in M10. After a competitive and sociable afternoon, we would like to thank the OAs as well as the catering staff for setting up food and drinks for what was another enjoyable and closely contested match.

By James, current Captain of Shooting