Imperial Meeting 2015, Day 5 - Seize the Opportunity

After a pleasant evening at the Canadian Team reception at Canada House, I was rather looking forward to a bit of a lie in as the result of a leisurely 11:45am start in The Times competition at 300x. Or, rather, I was looking forward to the lie in until another shooter who had been on the receiving end of a crap day gleefully informed me that it was going to blow a hoolie starting from 14:00 in the afternoon. Not what you want to hear when you have a 16:30 Corporation.

Either way, I had a great shoot in The Times even if I didn't have a particularly good score (49.9) at least partially because I'd never really managed to track down what my wind zero should be on the borrowed rifle. Still a nine vee bull finish after an inner first to count was quite pleasing. Less so was the minor train wreck I enjoyed at 600x. I dropped two of my last three shots to an increasingly tricky wind. True, the two gentlemen I was shooting with did pause for about three minutes to have a prolonged conflab about whose turn it was and who had last fired, during which time the wind did as it damn well pleased. This isn't really the point, however, as it is up to you (or me, in this case) to keep up with the wind, make the correction and fire the shot. I was rather disappointed with the 48.4 which followed.

Having dropped three points on the day already, I was not really looking forward to the Corporation. Two sighters and ten shots to count fired at the longest distance of 1000 yards, The Corporation of the City of London competition has been the nemesis of many a Grand Aggregate score. I resolved simply fire good rapid shots, make the best wind calls I was able and avoid shooting on gusts. Having a good marker, a good firing point and only a single companion on the target, I was clearly being handed an opportunity by providence to make up for the tricky winds, which were running about 10 - 14.5 left with significant drop offs. I shot well, shot sensibly fast and avoided missing the black for a very pleasing 48.8 to leave myself 5 down for the day.

Happy with having only dropped to 6th on the board, I got an early night. St. George's I tomorrow, and a chance to put in a good score and maintain position.