School Pistol Championships 2020-21

National Final Results

The 2020-21 Schools Pistol Championships came to an exciting end with the National Final in the last week of May.

Over 100 Finalists across all the regions in the UK shot their National Final competition targets remotely and submitted their scores and targets centrally, in their bid to become the 2020-21 National Champion.

Our Scottish athletes were fantastic with Tara Kane taking the Junior Individual Gold and Lockerbie Academy winning the Junior Team Gold.

Tom MacTaggart was the 4th ranked male in the Intermediate Individual event

Isobel Mactaggart just missed out on a medal and finished 4th overall and 4th ranked female in the Senior Individual event with Hamish McDonald closely behind as 5th overall and first in the male rankings.

Well done to all our Scottish entries for your determination and organisation to take part in the strangeness of the past year.

Continue reading for the full British Shooting report…..

JUNIOR

Wednesday saw the Junior Individual and Team Champions titles both going to the Scottish school, Lockerbie Academy. Tara Kane shot an outstanding 198/200 to take Individual Gold and she was joined by her teammates Jack Edgar and Iona Yule to take the Team title too.

Kirsty Boardman, former Scottish International pistol shooter, shooting coach and Geography teacher at Lockerbie Academy said: “Something just seems to have clicked with Tara! It’s so wonderful to have a group of really talented students here at Lockerbie. We make it so much fun!”

Individual

Champion: Tara Kane (Lockerbie Academy)
Silver: Jessica Lewis (Ryedale School)
Bronze: Isabella Caldwell (Withington Girls School)

Team

Champion: Lockerbie Academy (Tara Kane, Jack Edgar, Iona Yule)
Silver: Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (Ben Bucknall, Stanley Bucknall, Matthew Angel).
Bronze: Taunton Prep School (Zoe Trembath, Laura Trembath, Rufus Holden)

INTERMEDIATE

Thursday saw the Intermediate scores released and what a tight contest that turned out to be! All three medal winners shooting the same score, meant that the title was decided on countback.

But it was Henry Daubeney from Radley College who was crowned Intermediate Champion, narrowly ahead of ladies Jorja Slater-Morris (The Burton Borough School) and Abi Agami (John Kyrle High School).

The Intermediate Team Championship was another close battle for the top podium position. Just one point separated the eventual gold and silver, with the Welsh school of Taf Secondary School taking the title ahead of the team from Ellesmere College.

Individual

Champion: Henry Daubeney (Radley College)
Silver: Jorja Slater-Morris (The Burton Borough School)
Bronze: Abi Agami (John Kyrle High School)

Team

Champion: Dyffryn Taf Secondary School (Eleanor Fuller, Nia Philipps-Waring, Jasmine Philipps-Kindred)
Silver: Ellesmere College (Francine Gilmore, Beatrice Taylor, Josh Norris)
Bronze: Leweston School (Ginny Bruce, Honor Gallia, Nikita Miah)

SENIOR

The Senior results went live on Friday, the last day of the National Final. Again, it was a fantastically close tussle for the podium positions, but it was the Cornish athlete Charlotte Hicks who took the Individual title.

What an incredible return Charlotte has made to the Schools Pistol Championships, having had a few seasons out pursuing all her other sporting ventures with Pony Club, Modern Pentathlon to name a few.

“Charlotte has never stopped her shooting training,” says proud mum Kathy. “She trains either at the yard in the sand school, or at home at the back of the house, with next doors greenhouse behind the target! (This has encouraged accuracy from an early age!)

The placings 2nd – 6th were only separated by the difference in target scores. So on countback, the silver medal went to Annabel James (Withington Girls School, Fallowfield) and bronze to Scarlett Garner (West Coventry Academy, Coventry).

The team from Hartpury College are all in year 13, so made their final appearance in the Schools Pistol Champs one to remember taking Silver.

But it was he team from Ellesmere College, coached by Tom Rylands who made their step up into the Senior age group with style, taking Senior Team Championship. The team last season included Francine Gilmore and were the Intermediate Champions, but it was George Joynson who joined Ed Astbury and James Caldwell to take their first Senior Team title.

Individual