Shooting is a hit with Crieff Juniors FC

A junior football team based in Perthshire have tried their hand at clay pigeon shooting with the support of their latest sponsor, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).

BASC – the UK’s largest shooting organisation – hosted the Crieff Juniors 2008 squad at Gleneagles Shooting and Fishing School for an afternoon of clay shooting which culminated in the team being presented with their BASC branded waterproof jackets. The team will wear the jackets for home games, away games and training sessions.

The squad – most of which had never shot before – learned about all aspects of gun safety and handling a shotgun. They were then given the opportunity to try shooting some easy targets, before embarking on a mini-competition under the watchful eye of expert coaches. They also enjoyed an introductory presentation on the link between shooting and conservation, and the importance of shooting to Scotland’s rural economy.

Out of 32 targets, Lewis Blair – who was shooting a shotgun for the first time – was the top gun of the day having shot 25 clays. He was followed by Lochie Dodd with 23 hits and Archie Skinner with 22.

Archie, who is also a BASC young shot member and was instrumental in setting up the sponsorship arrangement, received the branded jackets from BASC’s public affairs manager in Scotland, Ross Ewing.

Archie said: “It is absolutely fantastic that we have been able to secure sponsorship from BASC, as well as a number of exciting shooting themed away days for my team mates and I.

“Shooting is such an enjoyable sport, and I think it is really important that other young people like me have the opportunity to experience it and take it up as a hobby.

“Everyone at Crieff Juniors is grateful to BASC and Gleneagles for facilitating such an enjoyable day for us. We are looking forward to the next one already!”

Ross said: “We are absolutely delighted to be sponsoring the Crieff Juniors 2008 squad, and facilitating what we hope will be an enduring relationship with shooting sports.

“The team shot very well indeed considering the vast majority were complete beginners. It is quite clear that football is not the only sport in which these boys have potential.

“We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Nick Raby and his team at Gleneagles for facilitating what was a fantastic introduction to shooting, and we look forward to further supporting the squad and developing their interest in shooting in the months ahead.”