The 2018 Clay Shooting Classic has brand-new format that’s really got shooters talking and entries to the Classic are open, so what’s stopping you from signing up?
Entering is simple – you can just fill out the entry form on the next page and send it to Southdown Gun Club & Shooting School. The main event remains just £85, with Services shooters able to enter for a discounted rate of £49. Unlike in previous years, Services shooters can shoot on any day, not just the first one – and the price hasn’t gone up either. Pool shoot prices will be announced closer to the event.
Fill out the entry form out here or email reception@sportingtargets.co.uk. The shooting ground will also accept entries over the phone on 01903 877555.
How it works
We’re revamping the squadding system for the 2018 Classic, aiming to make it a level playing field for all shooters. This year, every competitor will start on the same stand and progress in the same order.
There are several advantages to shooting in this manner. First off, no one will be given a psychological advantage by being allowed to start on an ‘easier’ stand. Plus, with everyone shooting in the same order, the course can be designed with this in mind – building up the difficulty as the stands go along for the most fulfilling Classic experience. And with shooters tackling certain stands at the same time of day, stand locations can be optimised to reduce the effects of the sun. Oh, and it means less walking between stands too!
The first squads of six will head out at 9am each day, with the last ‘first course’ squad at 12.10pm. As always, competitors will shoot two 75-bird courses sequentially, with a break in between.
You can specify what day and time you’d like to shoot on the form overleaf. It’s ‘first come first served’, and we have to admit that people have already spotted that entries have opened and are filling up the popular days and times. So get your entry in quickly if you want to reserve a particular slot.
Southdown Gun Club & Shooting School is hosting Clay Shooting Classic 2018
The new format
Don’t forget, we’ve revamped the format and prize structure, introducing a finals day for the first time in the history of the Classic. The top 12 scorers in each class and category will return on Sunday for the final. So, unlike in previous years, no one will know the winner until the very last shot is fired. There’ll be finals across all the classes and categories, with payouts going down to eighth (i.e. every finalist) across the board. That’s more prizes and more ways to win.
A finals day means all the attention is on the winners, as the rest of the shooting dies down around the ground and the crowds gather to watch the best of the best in action.
It also means no uncertainty about whether you have to return to the ground to collect a prize – you’ll know at the end of the day you shot whether or not you need to come back for the final. The result will be a Classic with an atmosphere like never before.
Breaking new ground
We’re used to seeing parts of the Classic shot over virgin ground, but Southdown is really excelling itself this year and going beyond this. Both the layouts in this year’s Classic will start on part of the Lane and extend into land not normally used for shooting – meaning there are never-before-seen stands and target presentations in store on both halves of the Classic course. It’s time to throw the form book out of the window – this year’s Classic is going to challenge, bewilder and delight entrants in equal measure.
Don’t forget – you can enter now by calling 01903 877555 or filling in the form.
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