Author: P Kelly

First Rounds of 2020 Sporting

SMP Partners Sporting League

The first round of the SMP Partners Sporting league was held at Meary Veg, Santon with 21 competitors taking part in dry but cold windy conditions.

The leader after the first stand was Marty Kneen on 6, with Dave Corlett, Dean Marchbank and Wayne Tomlinson in equal second place on 5, followed by Ben Richards, Dave Clague, Brian Faragher, Alan wade, Michael Cross, Paul Mihailovits and Giulio Fabrizio on 4. Marty Kneen was stil in the lead after stand two on 10, followed by Dave Corlett, Brian Faragher, Alan Wade, Michael Cross and Wayne Tomlinson on 9. We had joint leaders after stand tree with Marty Kneen and Stan Cross tying on 15, for first place with Ben Richards in third place on 13. It was status quo after stand four with Kneen and Cross on 20, followed by Richards on 18.

It was all change after stand five with Cross in the lead on 29, followed now by Richards on 26, with Kneen now third on 25. After stand six Cross and Kneen were now the joint leaders on 34, with Dave Corlett now third on 32, followed by Dave Clague on 31, with Ben Richards now fifth on 30, and making up the top six were juniors Arran Wade and Michael Cross on 29. After the seventh and last stand David Cowin was second in C class with 12 points, with Will Rand first on 23. In B class Michael Cross and Dean Marchbank were in equal second place on 30, but taking the honours in B class was Brian Faragher on 32. In A class Dave Corlett and Ben Richards tied for third place on 35, with Stan Cross taking second place on 38, but top of the class was Marty Kneen on 39.

Results

A Class

  1. M Kneen (39)
  2. S Cross (38)
  3. D Corlett (35)
    B Richards (35)

B Class

  1. B Faragher (32)
  2. M Cross (30)
    D Marchbank (30)

C Class

  • W Rand (23)
  • D Cowin (12)

Dave and Pam Corlett Pro Sporting League

In the afternoon the first round of the Dave and Pam Corlett Pro Sporting league was held with 17 competitors taking part again in dry but windy conditions.

The leader after the first set of 25 was Alan wade on 22, followed by Stan Cross and Marty Kneen on 21, with junior Michael Cross next on 20, we then had junior Arran Wade on 18, with Juan Cowley, Paul Mihailovits, Giulio Fabrizio, Dave Corlett and John Moore in equal sixth place on 17. After the second set of 25, Will rand was first in C class with 25 points, in B class John Moore was third on 32, with Giulio Fabrizio in second place on 34, with Michael Cross taking the honours in B class with 36 points. In A Class we had a three way tie for first place between Juan Cowley who had the best score of the second round with 21 points, Stan Cross and Alan wade on 38 points.

Results

A Class

  1. J Cowley (17, 21 = 38)
    S Cross (21, 17 = 38)
    A Wade (22, 16 = 38)

B Class

  1. M Cross (20, 16 = 36)
  2. G Fabrizio (17, 17 = 34)
  3. J Moore (17, 15 = 32)

C Class

  1. W Rand (16, 9 = 25)

Next week is the first round of the Colin Bowen Memorial English skeet league. Duty officers this week are J Moore & A Pearson

Winter All-Round Club Championship

The Winter all round club Championship was held at Meary Veg, Santon with 22 competitors taking part in very windy but dry conditions.

The first two disciplines DTL and Pro sporting were shot first and the leader at this stage was B class shooter George Davies on 130 points in second place on 128 was Paul Mihailovits with Stan Cross and Peter Kelly in equal third place on 125. In fifth place on 123 was junior Michael Cross with John Moore making up the top six on 122.

The last discipline English skeet was next which was shot in reverse order and with the wind getting even stronger good scores were hard to come by. In C class third place went to Joseph Lapa on 89 points, in second place on 131 was Will Rand but taking first place on 136 was Arthur Stepka. In equal sixth place overall and equal third place in A class were Dave Corlett and Juan Cowley who missed low house seven for a straight on 177, in fourth place overall and second in A was John Moore on 188, in third place overall and first in A class was Paul Mihailovits with 191 points. Second place overall was B class shooter Michael Cross on 192 but top of the pile and Winter club all round Champion, with his new gun, was B class shooter George Davies – well done George!

Results

A Class

  1. P Mihailovits (63, 65, 63 = 191)
  2. J Moore (66, 68, 54 = 188)
  3. D Corlett (60, 63, 54)
    J Cowley (72, 60, 45 = 177)

B Class

  1. G Davies (63, 67, 63 = 193)
  2. M Cross (69, 66, 57 = 192)
  3. J Corkill (63, 51, 57 = 171)

C Class

  1. A Stepka (54, 55, 27 = 136)
  2. W rand (48, 47, 36 = 131)
  3. J Lapa (30, 32, 27 = 89)

High Gun

  • G Davies 63 ES, 67 DTL, 63PS = 193

Next week is a come and try it day for anybody wanting to come and have a go at clay shooting the cost is £5 for 15 shots with all equipment coaching supplied, so come along and have a go, it is also a work party to get the range ready for the Summer season.

In Memoriam of George R Costain

It is with regret that we report that our Patron, George Costain, passed away on Wednesday 10th January. 

Whilst this is a moment for sad reflection it should also be a time to celebrate happy times spent in George’s company and all the things that George has done to help our Club thrive and create the wonderful facilities we enjoy today.

Old group photo showing the original MCPSA
From left to right: Eddie Corlett, Ron Casey, Billy Moore, Margaret Corlett, Ned Christian, George Costain, Edward Corlett, Roy Christian, ? Rimmington, Wilf Cannell, Col. Erington Brewis, Alan Raynor, John Moore, John Quilliam, Eddie Kelly, Peter Kelly, Jack Clague

George was one of our founding members, when the Douglas Gun Club and The Southern Game Preservation Society amalgamated in the early 1970’s.  As Chairman, President and Patron George was a driving force in the promotion and establishment of both our club and clay shooting on the Island.  George was the founding Chairman of the MCPSA and shot for the Island many times including at the first CSFED Games that the Isle of Man competed in and at Home Countries Skeet Internationals.  He was Shooting Manager for the Commonwealth Games Team in New Zealand in 1990 and the Commonwealth Shooting Federation Games in India in 1995.  

Many of us will have memories of game shooting with George both on and off the Island where his Manx ‘skeet’ made a three hour journey seem to pass in half an hour!  At the drinks and lunch breaks George would take photographs and often produce from his pocket, along with a bag of sweets, old photographs to remind all of previous happy days spent together.  George was an excellent game shot being an early member of the exclusive Bols Snippen Club for getting a left and right Woodcock and such feats as bringing down a duck that everyone else had thought out of range (shame it was white and carried a penalty of £25!).  

Initially our club shot at Broogh Fort, Santon and many will remember enjoying bacon baps in our port-a-cabin whilst outside the clays often disappeared into the cold mist!  When we lost the use of Broogh Fort George was instrumental in holding the club together and, after several years in the wilderness using temporary ranges, eventually charmed and persuaded politicians and civil servants to grant us a lease on Meary Veg.  George helped to get planning permission (becoming an expert on the Manx Chough and managing to get a cup of tea out of the planning appeal committee in the process!) and finally assisting with encouragement, shovel, saw, hammer, brush, pork pies and tea as our new home emerged.

George was small in stature but full of energy and a larger than life character in his own polite, understated, gentlemanly but mischievous way.  Clay, game and rifle shooting were just a small part of his life.  A skilled motorcyclist ‘Sparrow’ Costain won the 1954 Senior MGP in an epic race in atrocious weather – a report on the race is well worth a read. 

George was also an instrumental member of The Southern Motorcycle Club helping them to establish racing at the Billown Circuit in the 1950’s.  

There are many more stories to be told of George’s sporting achievements and his working life as a butcher and farmer.  Our sympathies go to George’s family, of whom he was so proud.  Like us we are sure that they have many happy proud memories and stories to tell of a Manx gentleman it has been a privilege for us all to have loved and call a friend.

Black and white image of a vintage motorcycle racer
George Costain in the Senior Manx Grand Prix of 1954 – © Island Photographics