So here are my thoughts of each of the rounds as I shot them.

GP1 – Millride

Millride, or Hellride if you speak to others, is located on a Fishing/Shooting complex not far from M42. I have never been there before but was hearing stories of loads of uphill shots and strong winds.

Being the only fool willing to travel from the Island I was on the 630am car ferry from East Cowes and then nearly 3 hours later I arrived in the vicinity. Going by the BFTA Website I was looking for something on the righthand side of the road. Thought I went passed it, so went back to where I thought it was but it was a farm lane. Met another shooter looking for the ground as well.

Drove back and forth then noticed a rather large sign saying Millride on the left, took a chance and drove down to find another sign saying Millride FTC. Ahh found it, so time to sign in.

With fishing lakes on the right, the airgun on the left and past the airguns and behind some large banks shotgun club.

With breakfast so long ago, it time for a midmorning break and the reputation of the onsite café needed to be tried out so off I head. A bacon and egg sandwich with a tea ordered. Tea in a proper china mug and about 10 minutes later the sandwich arrived. A nicely cooked, slightly runny egg with slightly crispy bacon sandwich was soon consumed with no egg residue on the shirt.

As is the way with GPs the proposed 12-30 start came and went, but with a few of the morning shooters coming off with 4,5, or 6 dropped shots it was going to be interesting. With the raffle and safety briefing done the afternoon session we all headed to our respective lanes. I was starting on lane 11, the first that ran along the top of a field. The 15 lanes on this hillside were mainly placed inside the wooded strip than run along the top of this hill. This made for interesting wind working out. For me, more than a few times what you thought the wind was going to do. The longer targets here could catch the wind coming up and over the brow of the hill or be deflected by the trees.

Along here I had some good lanes, some very bad lanes and some confusing lanes. For me hitting 9 targets in a row was good, knocking 5 out of 6 I was feeling just peachy. So out of thirty I was down 9, not to bad I was thinking. So, after a walk back along the hill and down to lane 1 chatting with a few other shooters on the way so I could also see how others were doing.

Lane 1 was on the edge of this wooded bit, and to be honest was where the wheels sort of fell off my wagon. Missed the first 5 targets, admitted the 5th was a 40 yard kneeler that I take standing. As we worked our way up the hill the wind was either there or blowing in either direction. The windicator going one way, pellets going the opposite was a continuing fight for the next 5 lanes. I dropped another 6 clearing only 1 lane, missing a sub 20yd stander.

Checked my score card before shooting the last lane, do not usually do that but noted I needed both last targets for a 30. I cleared the last lane for a what I thought was a satisfactory start to the GP season. More work required before round 2 in 2 weeks at Tawd Vale.