Martin Brown
1945 - 2018

 

Martin Brown

Broon’s earliest introduction to the world of long range target shooting, was surely in the butts of Howmoor range at 1000 yards, pulling targets for his father, Alastair.

A little later, a fleeting appearance at Bisley, helping Alastair to erect his prototype long range target frame - subsequently adopted by the NRA. But in those days Martin’s competitive interest was Motor Sport. His legendary 2 litre Morris Minor with pre-selector gearbox must have been an awesome sight in action.

His shooting career only really took off when Alastair died and Martin inherited his father’s rifles - and shortly afterwards his place in the Scottish Eight too.

It wasn’t long before he was persuaded to take on responsibilities as our Honorary Secretary, providing wise counsel, keeping successive Scottish Captains on the straight and narrow, whilst always encouraging young or inexperienced newcomers to the Match Rifle discipline. As well as competing successfully on the ranges, he started production of bespoke ammunition of notable accuracy and reliability, as a service to those unable, or reluctant to assemble their own. A tedious and time-consuming activity, but one which contributed very significantly to the advance of Scotland’s Elcho prowess.

In the wider world of shooting at Bisley and beyond, the hospitality, welcome and enthusiastic debate which could always be expected at Ranfurly produced an ever- expanding circle of friends of many nationalities. Further expanded through travels with Scottish teams to North America and the Australia. Never failing to fly the flag or wear the kilt in confident expectation of upgrade to business class.

A man of many parts, with interests extending far beyond rifle shooting. Certainly not least, as the father of an Olympic gold medallist, in the ‘roaring game’ of curling. And latterly as physical difficulties made shooting too uncomfortable, there was still the boat to sail and a final, successful, return to the motor sports arena.

A great character, his passing greatly saddens many fellow rifle shooters in many places. We have lost a good friend.

Allan Campbell-Smith

End of 2018 Season Circular

 

Dear Club Member

I start this end of season circular with the sad news of the death of Martin Brown, better known as Banger Broon, on 27th October. A lifelong supporter of the Club, a former Hon Secretary and longtime friend to many members as well as an extremely active shot.

2019 looks to be an extremely busy shooting year, so please get the dates in your diary and stock up with ammunition now while it is available. The really key date is 6/7 July at Blair which is Scotland v Australia. There will be individual competitions on the Saturday and a team match on the Sunday. The Australians are here because 2019 is when the Woomera Match is shot at Bisley. There are 9 Scots in the UK Woomera team compared with 12 English and Scots are Captain (Tim Kidner) and Adjutant (Ron Scaglione). Congratulations to them and the other 7 Scots selected.

Just to really confuse the unwary the Imperial programme has been brought forward a day, so the first Saturday is actually on the Friday, with the Any Rifle on the Thursday and the Lex Lyons on the Wednesday. The observant will note that doesn’t allow much time between shooting at Blair on Sunday and being on camp on Tuesday evening to HME and then shoot the Lex at 8.00 the next morning. Significant efforts were made to move the Lex Lyons to the Thursday and shoot it alongside the Any Rifle, but they were in the end frustrated.

The programme (subject to the usual vagaries of the Range Office as appropriate) is as follows:

Wallace Day No 1 Bisley Sat 27 April
Scotland Training Day Bisley 10 May
Combined Clubs Spring Meeting 11 and 12 May
Blair Spring Meeting 24, 25 and 26 May (practice on the Friday pm)
Wallace Day No 2 Blair 16 June
Wallace Day No 3 Bisley 22 June
Scotland v Australia, Blair, 6 and 7 July
Lex Lyons Bisley Wed 10 July
Hopton Bisley 12 to 15 July
Elcho 16 July
Woomera 17 July
Blair Autumn Meeting 31 August and 1 Sept
Cambridge Cup 19 to 21 September
Bisley Autumn Meeting 28 – 29 September

There will be three sponsored Wallace Days again in 2019, but instead of three days at Bisley, there will be two at Bisley and one at Blair. Once again Hugh Butcher will be putting you through your paces. We propose to use the Wallace days at Bisley and the day before the Spring Meeting to hone Elcho team skills. There will be an opportunity to practice at Blair in April at a date to be confirmed in a joint shoot with WARC, and also on the Friday afternoon before the Blair Spring Meeting.

Rosemary Meldrum’s history of the Club is about to be published. Those of us who have seen the pre-publication copy were greatly impressed. Christmas shopping this year will be simple. Advance orders to Silke please.

Starting next year, Shooter Certification Cards will be issued by the NRA and not the clubs, although the clubs supply the list of cards to the NRA. If you haven’t answered the Hon Secretary’s email on the subject and are relying on a club generated card, you may be disappointed.

Congratulations to Silke Lohmann on being elected as Chairman of the Membership Committee of the NRA and thus becoming an NRA Trustee. I am sure she will bring her usual drive and enthusiasm to the job. I know we shall all be in her debt.

As the season draws to an end I should like to thank the Officers and Council members of the Club for their input over a year of positive progress for Scottish Match Rifle shooting and I look forward to those glittering prizes on offer next year. I don’t know what the MR equivalent of a Macnab is but a win at Blair over Australia, bringing home the Elcho and a Scottish led Woomera victory can’t be far off it.

Yrs, Mark

Mark Crichton Maitland
Captain and President, National Rifle Club of Scotland

Bisley autumn match report

The last match of the season at Bisley, with a record attendance of 60, saw a lovely sunny Saturday and a very autumnal Sunday. Wind for much of the match was gentle and deceptively benign until the final 1200 yard shoot when a fishtailing 6 minute bracket with added mirage thrown in caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The North London Rifle Club Championship was run concurrently with the English 8 and Irish Rifle Club Meeting.

Tim Kidner was the overnight leader, with two points clear, and all looked good for a Scottish sweep of the silverware until the last 1200 yard shoot, when a combination of some curious marking and outstanding shooting in the conditions (75.11) by Rob Lygoe, saw a reversal of fortunes. Rob instead swept the board although Tim won the Dram trophy for the highest score on Saturday. Fergus Flanagan, flushed with success after Cambridge where he lost to Cambridge Cup to Nick Tremlett on a tie shoot, was second overall and won the under 25s Cup and the Donegall Badge. Special mention to Ron Scaglione who fought his way up from 9th over night to finish fourth overall. Zoe Woodroffe and Keith Baxby can both be pleased with their form.

The prizegiving saw the Maitland Cup, shot for at the last Blair meeting, being finally awarded to the correct winner, Silke Lohmann.

yrs, Mark

Our shooting colleague Mike Ballie-Hamilton Buchanan becomes first Buchanan Chief since 1681

Mike’s nine years of service to the Club as Captain and President has been recognised for various major NRCofS team shoot successes (including four Elcho Team wins in a row!) plus an impressive five Hopton wins for himself.

Although officially The Buchanan the Clan Chief he will always be Mike to his fellow club members.

Full story

Bisley Meeting including Elcho Match

Report

M C M

NRC of S Spring Open Meeting

Jubilee Range Blair Atholl 26^th & 27^th May 2018

Full Results

Meeting Report

Temperatures in the mid 20s centigrade, blue skies, majestic scenery and not a midge in sight combined with shooting conditions at the longer ranges that bamboozled the great and the good, must be the abiding memories for the 20 MR and 2 F Class shooters who attended the Club’s spring meeting at Blair.

Saturday’s 987x was benign enough but 1114x began hint at difficulties to come with a wide wind bracket, but at least all from the same direction. Saturday at 1233x saw senior Elcho shooters languishing in the mid 80s. The resident djinns of Glen Tilt clearly become peevish in warm weather! Your captain, however, managed a score of 94.5 which was 5 points clear of the next highest.

After a convivial dinner at the Atholl Arms on Saturday night, Sunday morning saw competitors gather in hotter conditions yet for 2+15 at 1114x and 1233x. The spirits of the glen were particularly active at the longer range with a wind bracket from ¼ to 5 minutes at any one time. Your captain cross shot at 1233x, thus throwing away most of the advantage gained from Saturday. Sic transit gloria mundi!

Sunday afternoon saw the inaugural team shoot for the Tilt Trophy. Six teams of three, shot in rotation, coached and plotted. The top six shooters on Saturday were the team captains and team members were allocated by working from the top and bottom of the list. No sighters and 15 shots to count at the two longer distances, saw a close finish in which Derek Lowe, Keith Baxby and Sophie Wentges, beat Nick Tremlett, Michael Wentges and Jack Roberts by 405.29 to 405.21. Third were Ron Scaglione, Tim Kidner and Claire Halleran with 400.19.

Tim Kidner took away the Crawford Cup with an outstanding result of 419.29, four points ahead of Mike Buchanan (aka Mike Baillie-Hamilton). Derek Lowe won the Visitors Trophy and your captain won the Craigfillan Tyro Trophy.

Our thanks to Tim Kidner for running an exceptional meeting, and to our hosts, the West Atholl Rifle Club for the use of certainly the most beautiful and arguably the most difficult range in the world. The electronic targets worked perfectly, a tribute to the hard work WARC have put in to improving the butts.

M C M