In the 1st of our previews of Isle of Wight teams targeting gold in the 2023 Guernsey Island Games, Island Echo introduces the shooting team…
The Isle of Wight is taking a team of 7 to Guernsey, who will be competing for a total of 10 medals in 4 disciplines.
The Isle of Wight competes in the following shooting competitions…
English Sporting Clays (ESP):
This has become the most popular form of clay shooting and is now shot all over the world. Clay targets of different sizes and colours are presented to the shooter in ways that provides a shooting environment that offers different layouts and a constant challenge.
The shooting course is laid out in stands or stations. On each stand clays are thrown in pairs, either simultaneously, on report or following and generally in three to five pairs per stand. A course consists of numerous stands, usually totalling 100 targets.
Sportrap (STR):
The target is shot from 5 stands, spaced a few feet apart, in a line similar to trap disciplines, but with shooting cages like English Sporting. 5 traps are placed on the layout, which throw ESP-style targets, and are labelled A to E. Each stand has a menu telling the shooter what targets they will be shooting at.
1st, each shooter shoots a single target, then each gets an on-report pair, and finally each gets a simultaneous pair. Once the final pair is shot, each shooter moves 1 stand right (stand 5 moves to 1) and the sequence is repeated.
English Skeet (ESK):
In this event, there are 2 traps, situated in a high house to the left and a low house to the right, about 40 metres apart, which throw the targets across the layout.
There are 7 stands, which the shooter completes from left to right. A sequence is used, where the targets are thrown either as singles, or as pairs, where the high and low target are thrown simultaneously.
Olympic Skeet (OSK):
This is – as the name suggests – the version of Skeet shot at the Olympics.
Targets must be shot gun down, meaning the gun stock is not mounted on the shooter’s shoulder before shooting until the target is thrown. The targets are thrown from the same high and low towers as ESK, but are much faster.
There is also a random delay after the shooter calls ‘Pull!’ of up to three seconds before the clay is thrown.
Meet the Isle of Wight Shooting Team…
English Skeet and Olympic Skeet (Individual): Glen Fitch
Mens’ English Sporting and Sportrap (Team and Individual): Dan Bishop, Mark Downer, Lee Pitman
Womens English Sporting and Sportrap (Team and Individual): Jennie Cartwright, Katie Bishop, Sarah Franklin
This will be Glenn, Katie and Sarah’s first time at an Island Games.
Mark Downer – his achievements include County Championship titles along with gold and silver medals at the 2011 and 2015 Island Games respectively
Lee Pitman – his 4th Island Games, qualifying for the first in Rhodes 2007; then IOW 2011 winning sporting team gold and individual bronze; followed by Jersey 2015, winning sportrap team silver and sporting team silver.
Dan Bishop – has represented the Isle of Wight in the Island games on three occasions, Guernsey 2003 (bronze medal), IOW 2011(2 gold medals) and Jersey 2015 (3 silver medals). Currently ranked 1st by average on the Island for registered sporting and sport-trap disciplines.
Jennie Cartwright – currently the top-ranked woman on the Isle of Wight and – in 2022 – represented England in the World Championships in Texas, coming back with a silver medal. Attended the Island Games in Jersey 2015, winning Sporting Team Gold, Sportrap Team Gold and Sportrap Individual Silver.
Jennie told Island Echo:
“We are fielding a great team for the Games and hope to repeat our successes of 2015. The team have been practising hard and are ready for the challenge of what will no doubt be a tough competition.
“Thanks must go to ICR Touch for the Team kit and Vessels Value for our shooting kit, their support is much appreciated as well as all the other sponsors who have assisted the IOW Team.”
Good on them and best of luck all
in totally agree best of luck everybody.