This Is Jersey

By Chris Lake

NOT only did Jersey lose the prestigious Kolapore team event at Bisley yesterday morning, a competition they have won twice before, but to their dismay they finished in fourth place with 1170 points - one point behind Guernsey.

We’re all very disappointed,’ said Daniel Richardson, one of two reserves to the eight-man team, ‘particularly as we’d begun so well.

At 300 yards with 395 ex-400 and 50 v-bulls we were only two points behind Great Britain and very much in it.

‘Then at 500 yards we lost some bad shots which either crept over the top or went underneath .

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we scored 393 ex-400 with 47 v-bulls compared to Great Britain’s 400 ex-400 - which is only the fourth time in Kolapore history that a perfect score has been made at 500 yards.

‘We were still ahead of both Guernsey and Canada at this stage but, at 600 yards, the wheels really came off.

It’s a distance we’ve been extremely good at this season, and although the wind was moving, it was readable.

So we ended up with our worst shoot of the competition with 382 ex-400 and 35 v-bulls.

‘At the end of the day this was a really disappointing result for us, but there’s no point dwelling on it and we have to look ahead to the remaining competitions today and tomorrow.’ Today is finals day in the individual events, although Jersey will almost certainly return from Bisley with no individual trophies, though they did win the Overseas Trophy - for the fifth successive year - on Thursday, beating Canada and Guernsey.

As for the Kolapore, it was obvious from Richardson’s tone of voice that defeat was one thing; coming fourth, behind Guernsey, was very much another.

Results: 1 Great Britain (1192 pts), 2 Canada (1179), 3 Guernsey (1171), 4 Jersey (1170).

Also competing were Germany, Malaysia and Kenya.

Jersey scores: Graham Harris and Richard Benest (148 with 18 v-bulls each); John Norman (147, 14 v-bulls); Cliff Mallett (146, 20); Colin Mallett (145, 16); Ian Jones and David Le Quesne (145, 15), Mary Norman (144, 16).

Article posted on 22nd July, 2006 - 12.00am