In March I had the pleasure of travelling to South Africa to compete in the Target Rifle Long Range World Championships for the Great Britain Under 21 team.
The tour was 21 days long with 14 days of competition. The team gathered at Bisley in Surrey (the home of UK shooting) to complete the final pre-tour admin and kit packing, and to get on the transport to Heathrow. We had an 11 hour flight to Johannesburg which gave us our first glimpse of the South African landscape and the 30 degree increase in temperature.
The first few days of the trip were spent on a local game farm owned by one of the shooters in the South African rifle team. Whilst we were there, we got to see some of the animals native to the country, ranging from Springbok to Lions. We also had an opportunity to get up close with wildebeast, some of which were being captured to be sold to auction. On our last night on the farm a braai was prepared for the evening’s meal allowing us to try some of the local produce.
The next two weeks consisted of the main competitions taking place in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State province of South Africa. This involved 3 or 4 shoots each day at either 300, 500, 600, 700, 800 or 900 metres. The first 8 days made up the South African National Championships, which takes place annually. This ends with the final of the President’s match (South Africa’s equivalent of the Queen’s/King’s Prize in Great Britain, which readers may have heard of). There are qualification rounds for the final and I managed to secure my place which was a great achievement given the high-quality field of international shooters. The South African championships also comprised the under 21 individual World Championships in which I finished 10th, winning a top-ten medal.
At the end of the National Championships, our team had our World Championship match against the American Under 21 team. This was the main event for our team and the competition we had trained for over the last two years. I was selected as both a shooter and wind coach for the match. The match was shot at 300, 600, 800 and 900 metres. After 300 metres, the Americans had pulled out a narrow lead of 4 points which we managed to reduce to just a single point after 600 metres. These matches are often won and lost at the longer distances where changes in wind strength and direction have most effect on the flight of the bullet. Good shooting and coaching at 800 metres allowed us to beat the US team by a convincing 10 points, giving us a 9-point lead when we started the final shoots at 900 metres. More consistent shooting at the longest distance saw us extend our lead for a final winning margin of 12 points, a result we were thrilled with.
After the high of winning our World Championship match, we moved onto the Individual Long Range World Championships held every 4 years. Run over 4 days, this consisted of 3 shoots at each of 700, 800, and 900 metres. The wind conditions were very challenging, but I was happy with my performance given it was my first time competing in a competition packed with the best shooters in the World.
After the conclusion of the shooting, we had a few more days to relax and enjoy activities such as flying in microlights and offroad driving before travelling back to the UK on the 24 March.
The whole tour was a fantastic experience. I got a lot out of visiting South Africa, meeting fellow shooters from all over the World and competing at the highest level our sport has to offer.
Three Bradfield Society Awards are on offer each year to pupils in the leaving year and young alumni; Bradfield Society Travel Award, Bradfield Society Adventure Travel Award and Bradfield Society Charity Award.
If you are doing something worthwhile on your gap year or summer break before university or starting work do apply by submitting a 200-300 word summary of your plans to the Bradfield Society on bradfieldsociety@bradfieldcollege.org.uk
The application deadline for 2025 is Friday 9 May.
