No surprise, another early start. However, this one was particularly slick and slightly poignant, as it was the last one in Kenya after some great acclimatisation and amazing time on their challenging range. Team vehicles were packed with the usual range kit and once again, the helpfulness of the Kenyan police to the fore as they transported and stored out other luggage for us for the day.
The team arrived on the range to a surprise, in the way of unexpectedly different conditions light, trickling winds drifting in slowly from a square, left-handed direction and posing few worries as the coaches surveyed the ranges. Would this be a step change in conditions that would eat into home advantage and give England a clear edge?
Short answer: No.
As the team match got underway, the milder early conditions started to stiffen up and the usual fickle fishtailing resumed. Some good shots were got away before this threatened to do any damage, but with only three 50s from 16 firers on two England teams at 300m, the usual challenge was back.
The team’s first outing at 500m made for some back-of-the-scorecard maths from those with a bit of ballistic knowledge, based on 300 & 600 settings. With a number of scores of 48 and upwards this appeared to work, with the coaches working ever harder and our shooters coping admirably with various waits and restarts where necessary, showing the value of the team’s training in advance of the tour. Overall team scores at 500m largely matched those at 300; no mean feat!
600m was, unsurprisingly, the toughest of all. The greater effect of the wind on bullets, and it’s greater changeability, made it hard for coaches to keep with the speed at which conditions changed, slowing pace considerably. No great surprise, even matching previous target scores was a sign of excellent teamwork and lower scores were unsurprising and understandable.
As well as wind-holds, regular dust-holds were also needed and at one point, a twister passed directly through England White, bringing high speed dust & grit with it.
With last shot fired, the results were:
England Red (1152.114)
Kenya Green (1093.68)
England White (1090.84)
Kenya Black (1064.56)
A good result: England victory in the most diplomatic way…
Prizegiving and lunch followed. Target Rifle shooting is taken seriously in Kenya, not just by tie participants but by the supportive uniformed services and even visiting government dignitaries (read: the Minister for Defence). Oh and not to mention by the fantastic and highly compère from the Kenyan forces who ensured that both entertainment and praise were in plentiful supply. Also in good supply were prizes. In addition to first and third place team medals, and overall distance winners Adam, Ed and Tom, numerous class prizes were won by a selection of members from the team, though Rosanne Furniss will no doubt be keen to show that she is somewhat more than merely “Next Best Lady” when she switches over to the GB pre-Palma team in South Africa! Accompanying prizegiving was a generous lunch consisting of an amazing selection of local dishes, ensuring the team left shortly afterwards (after the obligatory swapping of shirts and mementoes) as well-fed as they were well-rewarded.
After a quick repack of kit and extremely necessary showers, the team were invited to a final reception laid on by the Kenyan association themselves; a welcome and fun opportunity to catch up with, and say goodbye to, some new friends over a well-earned drink. With all kit stowed, the team then moved out late evening for the long drive to Nairobi airport and the early morning flight, for the third and final phase of the tour: The SABU Open Target Rifle championships at Bloemfontein.