24 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
aces
PALS charity clay shoot
at Yattendon
R O W O N E
Fiona Bowring and Jen Rylands;
course designer John Cavendish;
Simon Quinton Smith; Toby Burgess;
Helen Haigh; Johnny Vincent; Deborah Jamel;
the Hon Edward IliffeANCIENT Land Rovers and gleaming sports cars
trundled into the Yattendon estate for a charity
clay shoot held in aid of PALS, a Berkshire-based
charity supporting children with physical
disabilities. This was the estate’s first such shoot
and owners Lord Iliffe, the Hon Edward Iliffe and
his wife, Teleri, cheered on the competitors.
Fortified by a breakfast of pheasant
sausages, 23 teams took on a challenging course
designed by John Cavendish. Stand 5, the gnat
stand, proved one of the most testing. “The
plane’s just as fast as any gamebird,” explained
Stuart Carruthers, who had brought a team, “so
you have to be a least three to four metres ahead
of it to stand a chance of connecting.” This went
slightly awry when some sharp shooters on the
teal stand round the corner ambushed the gnat
and sent it spiralling earthwards.
Even the crack Game Girls found the teal a
handful. Made up of Lizzie Thornton-Allan, Rox
Marmion (who’s so keen she was married on a
shoot), Helen Haigh and Caron Williams (who
won best dressed girl), they “shoot all over the
country and often now more than our husbands- it’s such fun”, according to Haigh.
Highest score on the gnats was The Lovelies,
captained by Jack Lovell and his three sharp-
shooting sons: Charlie, Ted and Harry. Lovell has
hosted the PALS charity shoot four times, most
recently in 2012 when Peter Wilson took part.
Guns and supporters enjoyed a three-course
lunch in a tithe barn, transformed for the occasion
by organising committee Francesca Bankes,
Penny Burgess, Teleri Illiffe and Paul Shepheard
with a host of local volunteers. Speeches,
including one from 13-year old PALS member
Ottilie Bankes, were followed by the auction,
which included a week on a private island in the
Philippines. The day raised almost £60,000 for
the charity and a great number of smiles.
By Margaret Forbes
LUCY YOUNG