Isle of Man Clay Pigeon Shooting Club’s annual Pro Sporting Grand Prix was held on Tynwald Day at Meary Veg, Santon.
A field of 15 competitors attempted 100 tricky targets across four stands in ideal conditions.
The first round was shot from the club’s dedicated novices facility and featured 25 targets which were anything but easy.
A class shooters Paul Mihailovits and Rob Corlett were joined by B class marksman Stan Cross on 22 points, with Liam Kirkpatrick also representing B class on 20.
Hot on their heels with 19 were A class shooter Dave Corlett and C class competitor Sue Doyle who put in a solid performance in the opening round.
Mihailovits slipped to sixth place after the second round with 18 targets dispatched, while Michael Cross (A class) improved on his opening 17 with a much more robust 23, followed by his dad Stan Cross on 20 with Mark Sweetman, Corlett and Ben Stembridge all on 19.
After round three Cross Jr was still on top with a 25 straight, followed by Mihailovits on 24 while Kirkpatrick and Mark Barnett shared third position on 19.
Female shooters Doyle and Jeannie Robertson continued to battle it out with 11 and 15 respectively, and it was Robertson’s turn to pull out all the stops with an incredible fourth and final round, sharing the 21-point marker with Corlett Sr, Stembridge and Peter Kelly.
Cross Sr and Barnett scored 22, while Cross Jr and Mihailovits were on 23, leaving Kirkpatrick victorious over the rabbits with a solid 24.
Overall, it was Cross Jr who claimed the high gun slot on 88 points from a possible 100, with Mihailovits only one target behind on 87 and Kirkpatrick in third on 84.
One point also separated the women, with Robertson claiming the prize with 59 ahead of Doyle’s 58 – truly a fight to the finish.
MARK BARNETT