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2019 NRC of S Autumn Meeting at Blair Atholl

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Tim Kidner collected the top overall (Maxwell Cup), top Scot (Sandeman Trophy) and top 1,200x (Brodie Trophy).
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Julian Peck collecting the visitors prize (Brown Tankard)
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Norman Clark collecting the tyro prize (Maitland Cup)
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1114 yards Saturday afternoon. Tim Kidner in centre took most of the silverware.
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Competitors will fire at the paddle to check thier zero before moving on to the targets.
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How do you spell schadenfreude.
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Iain Thomson enjoying the RCO role.
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Ian Brown at 1114 yards
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If it was easy we wouldnt do it! A 1233 result.
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Mike Buchanan enjoying the conditions.
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Silke, Jack and Ron properly dressed for August.

Autumn meeting report

While the South of England basked in the high twenties with uninterrupted sun, in Glen Tilt the autumn meeting of the NRCoS saw everything except snow and at times it felt cold enough for that. It was August apparently, although the yellow warning for rain and strong winds extending to midday on Saturday made it feel otherwise. After an innocuous enough start, the third detail at 987 involved a stop when the targets disappeared in the rain, not the mist, just sheer volume of water and the same detail ended with the last shots taken while volunteers hung onto the gazebos to stop them blowing away while the rain blew into the firers faces, plots and everything else.

The rain eased at 1114 but brought with it the cold, layers, scarves, woolly hats, breath steaming in the air (3.00 pm on an August afternoon?) and an odd, fishtailing wind that seemed to enjoy playing practical jokes; get a slightly downwind 4.9, add a minute and suddenly it’s a magpie or an outer. The programme was changed to shoot twice at 1114 and defer all the 1233 yard shooting until Sunday. The Captain’s proposal to shoot 2 sighters and 35 to count fell on stony ground.

The over night leader board had Angus McLeod first from Tim Kidner, by a point and visitor Alex Cargill Thompson third.

Sunday dawned dry overcast but with light winds. Luckily no one had told the midges and they stayed away. The days activities were confined to the 1233 yard firing point and very testing it was too. What appeared to the innocent onlooker was a gentle right hand zephyr was actually left wind with some vicious twists. In the end Tim Kidner swept the board and the silverware from Mike Barlow and Mike Buchanan. Julian Peck was the highest ranked visitor and Norman Clark won the Maitland trophy for the highest scorer who has never shot in an Elcho match.

The meeting closed in sunshine and warmth. Rain, what rain? Our thanks as always to West Atholl Rifle Club for the use of their wonderful facilities and to Tim and Liz Kidner for a faultless meeting (apart from the weather).

Mark Crichton Maitland

2 September 2019