WWW.SHOOTINGGAZETTE.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2019 65Again, seeing people ofany ageplaying tennis, in
allof itsforms,at theparkorsportscentreforthefirst
timeoffthebackof a bigtournamentgivesmea huge
boost.AsI’mfondof tellinganyonewho’lllisten,time
outsideparticipatingin sportis nevertime wasted,no
matterwhattheresultor theformatit’splayedin,even
if thepuriststhinkshorterforms of said sport cheapen
itin somewayoranother.
Now, unfortunately driven game shootingisn’t as
instantlyaccessibleas cricketor tennisin thatyoucan’t
spontaneouslygooutsideandplayuntilthestreetlights
come on.That said, anyone in anydoubt about the
attempts to get new blood into the sport need only
look to the hard work game shootsand the likes of
BASCandshootinggroundsnationwideareputtingin
toattract peopleof all ages and backgrounds towards
theirdoorsteps.
As we’veshownin thesepagesmanytimesbefore,
clayshooting,andincreasinglysimulatedgameshooting
arebeingusedas means ofentry.Progressionsuchas
thisis nottoeveryone’staste,I know,and it is often
saidcomingin ‘viatheclayroute’meansthatlearning
aboutetiquetteandquarryidentificationis bypassed.
However, while the traditional routes of entering
gameshootingareless travellednowadays,surelythat
doesn’tmeanthatgameshootingshouldn’tstilldemand
thehighstandardsonandoffthepeg?Aswithcricket
andtennis,twosportssteepedin heritage,if shooting’s
traditionsandtheneedto maintainthehigheststandards
scarea fewpeople,thenso beit. Surelyit is betterthat
the newcomerwants to belong toour sportbecause
thereis so muchmoreto it thanjustpullingthetrigger,
eventhoughat thevery, very start that’s arguably what
ithasto beabout.
As youngsters and other newcomers get more
involvedin anysporttheycometo understandthatit’s
notallaboutthatlastgasprun,thatwinningforehand
smash,thetrophiesandthefireworks.Justlikeit isn’t
all aboutthat50-yardscreamerburstingfromthewoods
aboveyou.It’saboutteamwork,settingone’sstandards
high and expectingthesamefrom team mates you’ll
takeyourself tobreaking point for because they’d do
the same for you.I
’m writing these words the day after England’s
historic winat theCricketWorldCup.What a
fantastic advert thatmatch and that tournament
wereforthesport.ThoughI’mnotanavidcricketfan
myself,I couldn’thelpbutbegrippedbythetensefinale
andI imaginedcertaincolleagues,notablyphotographer
ChrisWarrenandmyformereditorWillHetherington,
screamingat theTV as the runs were scored during the
‘superover’.
As someone who is involved in grassroots sport,
it gave me a great sense of satisfaction to hear the
commentsone ofthe punditsmade duringthe post-
match summary about the true winner from this
unforgettable summer spectacle: cricket itself. You
won’tbereadingthisuntilat leastthemiddleof August,
butfingerscrossed(andweatherpermitting),in thedays
and weeks following England’s win, tens of thousands
It isn’t all about that50-yard screamer bursting
from the woods... it’s about
teamwork and standards.
New bloodWhy it’s important to let those new to game shooting
find their own way. By Martin Puddifer.Absolute beginnersofchildrenfromTauntonto Chester-le-Streetheaded
to thelocalparkin theschoolholidayswitha bat,ball
andstumpsin hand,pesteredtheirparentsto takethem
to watchtheirheroesorpleadedto letthemjoinlocal
clubstoimprovetheirskillsandlearnmoreaboutthe
sport– andallthisafteronematchor onetournament.
Wimbledonwas,of course,alsotakingplacearound
thesametimeas thecricket. WheneverI go jogging
throughmy markettown home in Nottinghamshire
during the Championships, I always see youngsters
withtheirfriendsorparentstryingtoemulateRoger,
Serena,Andy,NovakorSimonaonthecourtsat the
localpark.I sometimesslowdowna tadif a frantic rally
is in progress and I’m not the only one.