Express & Star

Rifle hotshots are gunning for success

Rugeley Rifle Club enjoyed success at the 2024 British Airgun Championships held in Surrey at the National Shooting Centre.

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Run by the National Smallbore Rifle Association, athletes fired a 60-shot qualification match in the main open championship, with the top eight competitors qualifying for an olympic-format final.

Shooters also fired a second 60-shot match which was aggregated with their open championship qualifying score to give the class championship.

In the women’s 10 metre air rifle event, Megan Bamsey qualified in fourth before winning her first senior medal claiming bronze in the final. Bamsey achieved a new personal best of 616.4 which would be a minimum consideration score for the Commonwealth Games in a selection year.

Meanwhile, Olivia Beech qualified third in the junior women's 10 metre air rifle competition, and improved in the final to win a silver medal as Izzy Ward placed 13th.

Elsewhere, in the senior men’s 10 metre air pistol event, Paul Watkiss missed out on qualifying for the eight-man final but earned silver in the A-Class Aggregate category. And, in the junior women's 10 metre air pistol competition, Pippa Watterson placed 10th while in the junior women's Sporter Air Rifle event, Abbigael Beech placed 20th.