A bumper Sporting Grand Prix weekend attracted a bumper entry at Ayre Clay Target Club.

Over two days of tough competition, participants shot Sport Trap, Super Sporting and English Sporting, all of which was fiercely contested.

Ultimately, it came down to two ‘big beasts’ of island shooting as Marty Kneen and Kevin Oates took the respective honours by a solitary point from each other.

That sparked a shoot-off for the overall prize which Oates claimed to bring the curtain down on a hotly contested weekend.

In tough weather conditions, Saturday’s competition saw 19 shooters battle it out over 50 Sport Trap and 50 Super Sporting targets of which Kneen hit 88 to pip Oates (87) for top spot with join third-placed men Alan Kinrade and Nigel Moffatt (84) hot on their heels.

The individual class winners were A Class - Jake Keeling 80/100; B class - Bob Corlett 83/100 and C class - Glynn Hooson-Owen 71.

Fast forward 24 hours and the weather was better but the targets no less challenging as 28 shooters pitted their wits against 100 English sporting targets.

In a role reversal from Saturday, Oates hit 85 to emerge victorious from Kneen (84) and Alan Brew (83).

Moffatt and Corlett (A and B class winners respectively) once more impressed with a final score of 81 to tie for fourth place alongside Jack Kneen and it was Kneen junior who won a subsequent shot-off to finish in fourth position.

Hooson-Owen (69) was again the leading marksman in C class.

The club would like to thank Neil Parsons who sponsored both competitions along with Isabella’s of Laxey who provided the catering.

A big shout-out also to all those who took time to set up both comps.

Another busy Sunday awaits at Blue Point (July 28) with the fourth round of the summer  DTL league, sponsored by Field and Range, from 10am. That will be followed by the fourth rounds of the Olympic Trap and Olympic Skeet leagues for which entries close at 1pm.