A similarly early start to yesterday, albeit with breakfast on the more conventional restaurant location. On arrival at the range we were once again greeted by ours hosts, who had already started the process of rigging the range, posting target squaddings, and arranging issuing points for the all-critical match ammunition.
On that note, a quick aside. It was the transportation of ammunition from the UK to Kenya that delayed our departure, but to get the ammo out here was vital. Sourcing match-grade ammunition in Kenya is hard work and the Kenyan team often have to train with quite old commercial, or standard military grade, ammo. The 4600(!) rounds that we brought with us were vital to making the event a success and supporting the Kenyan team in their progress within the sport. This is no mean feat, and no cheap one either, so we should make mention of the financial support of sponsors, including Holts Auctioneers, who make this possible.
It’s fair to say that we did a pretty good job at making the stuff, and firing it, too! Shooting started not long after 0830 and what at home would have been regarded as the “easy first detail” saw winds already shifting around from the off. By the time the 300m match was finished, an aggressive wind swinging happily through a 2-minute, zero-crossing bracket was in full force. The effect of this was a range of scores much more spread than would be expected back home and the only 50 of both the match and the day was delivered by Adam Leech, scraping a 50.3 with his last shot grazing the bull line to the left.
600m was more of the same, just increasingly aggressive and inevitably bigger numbers required anyway due to the doubled distance. The score bracket widened and mid-40s were typical to good. One or two broke this mould and delivered a strong performance, most notably Tom Rylands, scoring 49 with an impressive 6 Vs to win the distance.
A stop for early lunch and long range started at 800m. The previous day’s conditions were matched and then exceeded, the fishtailing wind from behind continuing to flick aggressively through zero. Looking downrange, opposing flags worked their way along the entire distance, showing the wind snaking its way towards the targets. No surprise, the breadth of scores continued to widen, on the upper end of this being Ed Compton with 47.4.
If that score at 800m doesn’t impress you then 900m should! In even more extreme conditions that engendered the principle of focusing on your absolute best for each shot, Tom Rylands came back to the fore and matched Ed’s 47.4 to win the final distance of the day.
All of that certainly gave the management team something to think about when selecting teams for the following day’s team match against Kenya. The short answer to this is in the pictures below, and was announced that evening. A restrained team dinner out followed, including the latest surprise planned by one of our entertainment coordinators, Lucinda Taylor, in the form of a video message montage from the friends and family of every team member, wishing them well and good luck the for the following day’s match.