Types of shooting at the club.
English Sporting
English Sporting, often abbreviated to ESP in fixture lists, is one of the most popular shooting disciplines in the UK. Shooters progress around a sequence of stands, shooting a number of pairs of targets at each stand. At Country Pursuits we normally have 5 stands with 5 pairs of clays shot on each, to give a 50 target competition. In competitions there will be a scorer operating the buttons for the traps, on practice days shooters go around in groups operating their own buttons. Solo shooters will be found a group to go round with. The first trap in a pair is indicated by red insulation tape on one of the buttons. If both buttons are bound together with red tape then the targets should be taken as a simultaneous pair.
The shooter can use both barrels in an attempt to hit a single clay. On a simultaneous pair the targets can be taken in either order. If a single shot breaks both clays, it counts as a pair hit.
The formal rulebook for English sporting can be found here on the CPSA website
Pool Shoots
A Pool shoot is a winner-takes-all competition that takes place on a single stand. The prize money is calculated as a fixed amount per entry and goes to the person who breaks most clays. Once the entry fee is paid, the shooter gets five pairs of targets (either on report or simultaneous). If they have hit 10 out of 10, they keep shooting until they miss one and the total number of targets hit before the first miss is recorded, otherwise their score out of the first 10 is recorded. The shooter with the highest score takes all the prize money.
Two Man Flush (2MF)
Apologies to the lady shooters - this should really be known as a two person flush, but isn't. Sorry. In a 2MF two shooters stand beside each other in adjacent cages. Once the shooters are ready, the buttoner then releases 30 clays with a predetermined sequence and timing, regardless of whether the shooters are ready in between shots. However there are never more than four clays in the air at once, and it is - theoretically - possible to shoot them all. To do so requires good communication and teamwork between the shooters. The prize fund is a fixed amount from each entry, and goes to the pair with the highest score on the day. Fast and slightly frantic, this is always a popular event.
Sportrap (STR)
Also known as "Compak" or "Compact" Sporting, Sportrap is a nationally recognised discipline that has been popular - and popularised - at Country Pursuits for many years. The club is home to several current and recent county and national champions in the discipline. It is shot every month at Country Pursuits as a 100-target CPSA registered shoot, and also as a 25-target practice shoot.
Sportrap is shot in layouts of 25 targets. Shooting is done in squads of up to five shooters who stand in adjacent cages and who shoot in turn. Each shooter in turn will be presented with a single target, which they can use both barrels to shoot if necessary. Once all five shooters have shot at the single target, shooting returns to the first shooter who is given an on-report pair; once again both barrels can be used on the first clay if desired. Shooting on-report pairs proceeds down the line of shooters until all have shoot, when shooting returns to the first shooter for simultaneous pairs; sim pairs can be shot in either order, and both barrels can be used on one clay if required. When everyone has shot the simultaneous pairs, each shooter will have seen five targets. All the shooters then move one cage to the right, apart from the shooter on the right who moves to the now vacant cage at the left hand end. This whole procedure then occurs 4 more times until all shooters have seen 25 targets.
What makes Sportrap fun and challenging is that the targets present vary from cage to cage! There are at least four, often five or more, traps launching targets at each layout. These traps are labelled A, B, C, ... from left to right, and in front of each cage is a display card showing which targets are due at that cage. Thus cage one might have A as the single target, B then C on report, and then D and E simultaneous. Cage two might then have B, C o/r D, A + E. And so on. Much of the skill in Sportrap lies in both recognising the variation in the targets do to the changing angle along the line of cages, and more importantly choosing which order to attempt to shoot the simultaneous pairs.
The technical rulebook for Sportrap can be found here on the CPSA website
