I am honoured to have been appointed Captain of England for the National Match to be held during the Imperial Meeting in July 2020. I shall also be captaining England in the Lawrence match against Scotland in June and the English XX team in the short range of the RAFTRC match in May. I am pleased to announce that Nigel Ball has agreed to act as my adjutant.
Most English XX members will be aware that the English XX selection criteria requires that of the 20 shooters in the team, five of the English National team should not have shot the match more than once before and a further five never before. The reserves should never have shot or reserved before. This means that there is plenty of opportunity for those who are developing as shooters to take part in this prestigious match.
If you aspire to shoot or coach for England in the National match and have never done so, or have done so only once before, please do let me know via the email address below. This will ensure that you are on our ‘radar’. And if you want an opportunity to impress, please do volunteer yourself to take part in the RAFTRC match for the English XX on Sunday 17th May. Or enter the Scottish Open at the legendary Blair Atholl (5-7 June) and make yourself available for selection for the Lawrence Match v Scotland! Don’t worry if you can’t make those matches – we shall be keeping an eye on scores and groups through the season, including during the English XX prize Meeting over the Whitsun bank holiday and the Inter counties weekend. We shall also be following closely the progress of the Lions training squad and I intend to attend their April training weekend. Of course we shall pay particularly close attention to shooting and coaching performance during the first half of the Imperial Meeting.
If anyone, whether an established or an aspiring GB and England shooter or coach, wishes to take part in the RAFTRC match on Sunday 17th May, please do email me as soon as possible. The match will be in the afternoon with a practice session in the morning. I aim to select the team by the end of April at the latest.
If you are intending to travel to Blair Atholl for the Scottish Open it would be useful if you could let me know beforehand. If you want more information about the weekend or for entry forms, look at the Scottish Target Shooting or West Atholl RC websites.
Please also remember that to shoot for England, you need to be a paid up member of the English XX Club and, to take part in the National Match, you must also have entered the Club Championship. You can find membership applications and standing order forms on the English XX website. During the Imperial Meeting, you can enter the English XX Club Championship in the City RC before the start of the Grand Aggregate.
I look forward to hearing from you
Jane Messer
Email: national@englishtwenty.org.uk