2013 F-Class European Championship

Foxrock1976

2013 F Class Europeans.

A massive congratulations to the new 2013 European F-OPEN champion J. Melia from Fclass MPG and Fellow Irishman A. Dunne taking the overall silver medal.
Joe also took bronze at the 1000 on day one, gold at 900 on day two with Anthony taking the bronze at the same distance also on day two.

Also in F-tr, Irishman L. Fenlon took a Bronze at 800 with a 75.09 on day one with R. Hayes and M. Bannon also shooting 75.07 and a 75.05 respectively.
P. Hunt was 6 place overall on day one and followed that with gold at 900 on day two in very tricky conditions.

Two Irish Rifle builders were also represented it the Rutland competition on Sunday with the results in as follows;
Gold; Spain F-tr - 501.5V
Silver; Team Custom & Precision Rifles (IRL) -481.14V with E.Walsh, K.Hennessy, R.Hennessy, J.Treanor & R.Hayes.
Bronze; Team Dom's Custom Rifle (IRL) - 474.10V with M.Bannon, P.Hunt, D.Comerford, A.Casey & A.DeLacey.
Followed by a strong G.B. F-tr team in fourth place.

Attachment not found.photo3.JPG

photo1.JPG

photo2.JPG

adunne123

any one posting the 2013 results

MarkWolff

adunne123 wrote: »

any one posting the 2013 results

It's here;

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057076531


Full results here;
http://www.gbfclass.co.uk

I'm sure the full results will be up on the NRAI website shortly.

adunne123

Nice Pictures Lads and good shooting Proud day to be IRISH I heve to Say.
Yours in Sport:)

tomcat220t

Great to read threads like this .
Irish guns and shooters at the top of some of the worlds best shooting .
It doesnt get much better for long range shooting in Ireland .
Regards ,Tomcat.

adunne123

The 2013 European Championships Match report.

This is a summary report of the competition; a full in-depth article will appear in Target Shooter next month.

The 2013 European Championships had a little of everything to keep everyone happy; some very light winds to please the trigger pullers, some very strong winds to please the wind-readers and only a little rain to please everyone!

Storm St Jude had passed over by the time the matches got underway, and there was not much sign that it had hit Bisley - apart from one caravan, neatly cut in half by a fallen tree. In the wake of the storm there is often a period of calm and so it was on the first day of the Europeans. Friday was notable for having remarkably calm and steady wind. This enabled everyone to really see what their rifles were capable of in near to ideal conditions.
The result was predictable; some very high scores.

Match 1.
At 800yds, in F/TR, first place went to David Lacey with a simply superb 75.10, following very closely behind was Target Shooter scribe, Laurie Holland with 75.9 and in third was a recent convert to F/TR, trying his hand with a 308 for the first time; Liam Fenlon with 75.9 on a count-back.

In F/O, scores were even higher, in fact all top 3 places were won with the same 75.13, placings were decided by a count-back. Scotsman Robert Thomson, in only his first full season of F-class competition took first, followed by Ukranian Dmytro Hrmalyuk and then in third J Houwelingen.

It was great to see everyone get off to such a good start, it helps to steady the nerves and gives everyone confidence in their kit.

Match 2.
Moving back to 900yds, the wind was still very co-operative, providing steady conditions for all to enjoy, with just a tickle of variability to keep you on your toes.
The F/TR guys made good use of the opportunity and recorded some fine scores, in first was Ukranian O Nikolaev with a simply super 75.8. On a count-back in 2nd was the new GB F/TR Captain Russell Simmonds. Taking up 3rd place was Rainer Adler from Germany with 75.6.

In F/O, in the lead was Steven Poultney with an excellent 75.10 and with the same score in 2nd after a count-back was Walter Boni, taking up 3rd place was Tony Lush with even more Vs, but one less point, a stunning 74.12

Match 3.
After lunch, there was still not much sign of any great change in the weather, it was mild, dry and the wind was as before, reasonably steady with just enough variations to make it a contest.
In F/TR, the veteran BDMP shooter from Germany, Paul Eggemann prevailed by one V bull to take first with a super 71.6. Taking 2nd was the familiar figure of Steve Donaldson with 71.5 and just one V bull less was his 101 club colleague Adam Bagnall with 71.4.

In F/O, it was Robert Thomson yet again in first with 73.6 a truly remarkable achievement for somebody in their first season. In second it was the new GB F/Open Captain; David Lloyd with a good solid 73.4 and taking up third place was the genial Irishman Joe Melia with 72.5.

That concluded the first day of the Europeans and what a remarkable day it had been. The steady winds really favoured those shooters who had tuned their rifles to perfection. It enabled many less-experienced shooters to really get stuck in and see what their rifles and ammo were capable of. Many shooters relished the chance and there were big beaming smiles on many faces.

Saturday dawned beautifully bright, dry and sunny. It looked like we were in for a replay of Friday, but the forecast told a different story, the day would start mild and gentle but was predicted to end more like storm St Jude.

Match 4.
Back to 800yds for another test of sheer accuracy.
This time in F/TR first place went to the veteran Diggle shooter Ian Dixon, who was sporting another of his own creations, to achieve an astonishing 75.11 - a truly fantastic score. In second it was Liverpudlian Steve Donaldson again with a solid 75.5 and in third, the Ukrainian, O Nikolaev with a super 74.9.

F/O had to wait for detail 3 this time, and Gamekeeper Ian Boxall took a well- deserved first with a stunning 75.12 in second was one of our Italian competitors, Giovani Cassin with a good 75.11 and in third on a count-back, your scribe.

Match 5.
By now, the forecast was proving correct, the clouds were darkening and the wind was picking up noticeably, this was no longer going to be a trigger-pulling contest, now the wind-readers would test their skills and come to the fore.
In F/TR, first went to Irishman Pat Hunt with a creditable 70.4, taking second just 1 V-bull behind was Italian shooter, Guilio Arrigucci with 70.3 and in third, his fellow countryman Moreno Toti with a 69.5.

The F/Open guys got hit with the only rain of the whole European Championships, a fairly heavy, but mercifully short shower. It did not seem to affect Irishman Joe Melia, perhaps he is used to plenty of the wet stuff, he racked up an excellent 75.9. In second, also with 75.9, after a count-back came the popular Dutchman Marco Been. Third place went to another Irishman, showing they have no fear of the rain; Anthony Dunne with a good, solid 75.6.

Match 6.
After lunch the wind really lived up to the forecast, it began to "Blow a Hooley" as our Celtic cousins would say.
F/TR got the middle detail and it showed in the scores. Only one shooter broke 90, that was Ukrainian Yuri Kalmykov with a strong 90.3 in third was that familiar Liverpudlian again Steve Donaldson with 87.5 and in third David Rollafson with a good 87.3.

F/Open had the better slot - right after lunch, even they suffered though. The new GB Captain led from the front showing the way with a good 92.4. From Germany, taking 2nd was Rudolf Eckbauer on 91.7 and right behind in third was Ukrainian V Kovalsky with 91.6.

The mixed detail got the worst of the day - last on, they faced the full fury of the building storm, I didn't envy them at all it was horrendous and it killed off the chances and hopes of many shooters. Such is life, if it was easy we would not do it.

So that concluded the 2013 Individual European Championships, the scores were tallied by our resident statistician, Karen Robertson who slaved away all weekend in her new caravan, partly funded by the Association. When the sums were done, the winners were declared:

In F/TR the new 2013 European Champion was the highly experienced and highly skilled German BDMP guy; Paul Eggemann with a simply stunning score of 447.35. Paul was 10pts ahead of his nearest rival; from the Ukraine; Sergei Baranov took second with 437.22. In third place was another competitor from the Ukraine; Sergei Gorban with 436.26
All 3 top places were won by highly skilled continental shooters, it shows the breadth and depth of talent there is in the F/TR community, it is a very encouraging sign and augers well for more intense competition to come.

In F/Open, the 2013 European Champion was a very popular win by the senior Irishman Joe Melia with 457.39, Joe got a rousing cheer from all his fellow competitors, indicative of his good standing. In second, it was another medal for Ireland, this time the fiercely competitive Anthony Dunne used all his experience to rack up 453.38. In third place was the new GB Captain from Wales our own David Lloyd showing a good example to his troops with 452.33

The European Championships is also a National League match in its own right; points are up for grabs in this match which adds an extra dimension to the Europeans - something that might not be appreciated by those visitors who do not take part in all the National League matches. The presence of so many top-quality shooters from all over Europe can have quite an effect on the points to be earned, making it an exciting experience right up to the last shot.

In F/TR, there could realistically only be one winner; Paul Crosbie had done enough hard work earlier in the season to ensure victory was his by winning 3 league matches outright - a fantastic achievement and a true indication of Paul's skill and dedication. Paul was the well-deserved 2013 National League winner.

In F/Open, it was a two-horse race, only one man could concievably catch Gary Costello, that was Mark Daish, but it was conditional on him achieving near-maximum points. Sadly for Mark, that eluded him and happily for Gary, it ensured he prevailed as the 2013 League Champion.

We are grateful for the support of John Dean of Aim Fieldsports who kindly donated two of his shooting mats and two of his superb gun bags to the second and first place winners in each class.

The Teams matches.

The winds on Sunday had only abated slightly overnight, thereby giving the coaches a difficult task. Not only that, but the temperature had clearly dropped and made it even more of an ordeal. Thankfully though, it stayed dry.
For the first time, GB put in a Rutland 4-man team; this is a highly enjoyable match shot alongside the main 8-man National teams and attracts many more entries from countries and groups of friends alike.

There were only 3 F/O teams of 8 contesting the match, thereby ensuring nobody left empty-handed.
Top place went to Team GB with 1084.58.
Second place was taken by Italy with 1035.46 and in third was BDMP Germany with 1021.32

In F/TR, there were 5 full 8-man teams, showing how healthy is the support for F/TR.
First place went to Team GB with 1007.32
Second place was taken by Italy with 987.31 and in third was Ukraine with 978.26

In the Rutland Competition, there were a total of 10 teams entered which was very encouraging indeed, the 4-man format appeals to many competitors.
In F/O, team GB was steered to victory by seasoned Captain, Peter Hobson with a super 524.19
Second place was taken by France Open 1 with 522.17 and in third was Europe Open with 497.22
In F/TR, first place was won by our Spanish friends, Spain FTR raced to victory with a superb 501.15.
Second place was taken by Ireland's Custom & Precision Rifles with 481.14 and in third was yet another Irish team, this time Dom's Custom Rifles with 474.10

That concluded the teams match and what a day it had been. The hard-working coaches really earned their keep that day, it had been a good day for a wide mixture of teams, representing many parts of Europe; Italy, France, Germany, Ukraine and Ireland. Most of all it was a great day for GB, taking 3 of the 4 titles available to them.

The 2013 European Championships will be the last of its kind - the last to take place in October/November and the last to brave the early winter storms. But don't worry, the matches will return, bigger and better in September next year, including a brand new Target Shooting Arena featuring vendors from UK and Europe.

We are thankful for all the assistance provided by our range officers, our statistician, and given the cold, windy weather the hard-working ladies who kept us going with tea and coffee.
Most of all, we are obliged to the match organiser; Mik Maksimovic and Tina for all their good work, they ensured the success of the 2013 European Championships, we are deeply indebted to the pair of them.
That concludes the 2013 season, we look forward to seeing you all again next Spring to start the fun all over again.

Des Parr. Chairman

applelodge

Nice to see the Irish Individual shooters and Rutland Teams getting a good write up in 6mm br.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2013/11/across-the-atlantic-european-f-class-championships-at-bisley/

MarkWolff

applelodge wrote: »

Nice to see the Irish Individual shooters and Rutland Teams getting a good write up in 6mm br.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2013/11/across-the-atlantic-european-f-class-championships-at-bisley/

Isn't it great to see Irish shooting getting such positive exposure on the international stage.

Sikamick

A nice dedication to Joe and the lads for-their achievements.

http://vcrai.com/phpBB/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2020

Well worth a read. Thanks to the Irish Shooters digest. You will need to enlarge the articles to get the full jist of the story.


Sikamick