Ben’s feeling top of the junior clay pigeon world

 
These performances pre-qualified Ben for the 2015 World Championships and he showed that he was again in good form as he helped England to team silver in Florida - and then flew out for a week for the World Championships in Cape Town.
 
He couldn't spend any longer out there because he is currently on a work placement in Southampton but he not only shot clays aplenty but managed to climb Table Mountain.
"It literally meant a lot of rock hopping but I enjoyed the chance to relax before the two practice days, where the English junior team all tied on 92 clays and we were in the top three of the seniors.

 
The second day was a little harder but I felt in the groove and on the first actual day of competition I competed in the morning and was genuinely surprised to discover that when all the scores were in I was top of the pile in the senior and junior sections!

 

Feeling the pressure at the top

 
"Afterwards I went for a drive with dad and we agreed that clay pigeon shooting wasn't on the agenda - and in the evening I went with some of the South African juniors to watch Wales play rugby, which was again a

 great way to take my mind off being at the head of the best clay pigeon shooters in the whole world!
 
Ask Ben about whether he managed a good night's sleep and he would readily admit that it wasn't the best he has ever had, with intermittent dreams involving shooting clays from difficult positions!
 
Then it was finally time for him to start his second 100 clays.
"When I heard my name called and I walked to the first stand I almost felt faint I was so nervous - and the targets definitely seemed harder to hit - but I stuck at it.
 
"There were big crowds watching and I gradually found something like my rhythm but I still thought I had messed up until the results were announced and I found that I had beaten my team-mate Taylor Hedgecock by two shots!
 

Anthem sung – and then back home to celebrate

 

"The presentation of medals was pretty special although 'God Save the Queen' can't be sung like
 

 'Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau'" admits Ben with a chuckle!
 
So then it was back home with two gold medals tucked safely in his bag and they now take pride of place, hanging in his window in college as a memento of a remarkable achievement.
 
Rugby, cross country running, cricket and gig rowing are amongst the other sports that Ben takes part in but his clay pigeon skills are such that he was offered a place in both Welsh and English junior squads because his mother Kath is Welsh and his father Tom comes from across the border!
 

Early start

 
Ben was just 13 when he first held a gun under the watchful eye of Tom, who emphasised the importance of safety in shooting of any kind before Ben was allowed to take aim at his first clays.

 
Ben soon began to enter junior competitions at venues as far afield as Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Brighton and Leicester, where he was first introduced to well-known coach Ben Hustlethwaite, who agreed to take Ben junior under his wing, providing he was chauffeured by Tom for twice-monthly sessions during the spring and summer.
 
It was a big step forward for our Ben because in the next two years Ben Hustlethwaite revolutionised his shooting by taking him back to the basics and making sure that everything was done properly.
 
At first Ben would have been delighted with a score in the region of 60+ but such has been his improvement that during the Home Internationals at the Mid Wales Shooting Ground, near Newtown, involving Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, he shot a score of 84 and earned Ben the title of ‘Top Gun’ in the under 21 section.
 

Future aspirations

 
Ask Ben about future aspirations and he would say that he is already looking at the Olympic disciplines of shooting.
"One of the big differences is that the clays are all fired from the same place and there is a demand on mental stamina, rather than on adaptability in the case of random trajectories in the English Sporting category in which I now shoot."
 
But whatever Ben decides to do there is one thing for certain - and that is he will take part with the same mix of competitive spirit and sportsmanlike behaviour that is very much part of his nature - and we are sure we will hear a great deal more about this talented young clay pigeon shooter in the years to come!