If one needed proof that sport can be continued deep into pensionable age then Charles Rone is certainly a shining example because he has recently competed in target shooting at Bisley, regarded as the home of firearm competitions, and won a gold medal at the age of 80!

"I was totally surprised," admitted Charles," because I have been competing in a whole range of different shooting competitions for the best part of 40 years and although I have felt in good form in practice sessions at Haverfordwest Target Shooting Club there were 65 competitors in my class of all ages and from all over the UK.

"It seems there is a bit of life in the old dog yet," Charles told us with a typical chuckle!
"Everyone was able to use a 22 rifle for a maximum of eight entries during a very long day at ten targets each time, with only the best total to count, so the demands on concentration were very high indeed.

Challenging new class

"It is a fairly new class aimed to make contestants more aware of the tactical expertise that would be needed for practice against a sniper and the target consisted of a castellated model of houses with 10 windows, with heads popping out at random and with only three seconds to take aim and fire.

"Since the targets were 50 metres away the competition demands quick reactions, a very steady hand (even though a bench rest may be used to take some of the weight away) and a very good eye, despite having telescopic sights installed on the .22 rifle.

"Each square that represents a window in the house is only tiny from that distance, with the head as a target being just two inches tall and 1.5 inches wide - and has to be hit in a small circle within that head to earn five points.

Knew he had done well

"In my best round I had eight full hits and I knew that was a pretty good score, so now all I have to do is wait for my gold medal to arrive from the committee at Bisley!”

The results inevitably took a long while to establish and verify - and it was only when Charles and his side-kick John Munt, were preparing to make the long journey home that John noticed Charles name was top of the list at that time.

It was only when he checked on the internet at home that Charles discovered that he was indeed a champion at Bisley after so many years of participation! 

Started out by accident

It was almost 40 years ago that Charles took up target shooting almost by accident. Prior to that he was a very keen participant in flying large-scale radio-controlled aeroplanes with 50cc engines at Templeton Aerodrome, mainly for leisure but occasionally in competitions organised by the Haverfordwest Model Flying Club, who use the former airbase for its regular meetings.

"I found it very relaxing but after painstakingly building a new model with an eight feet wing span it was anything but a serene me when it crashed and I decided enough was enough, at least for a while.

"It was at this time that another club member, who was involved in target shooting at Haverfordwest, invited me to give it a try and so I decided it was time for a change in my leisure time and went along to the Target Shooting Club, which met at the old hall in Haverfordwest town centre where the multi-storey car park now stands.

Warmly welcomed at target shooting club

"I was immediately made to feel very welcome and since then I have spent on average at least a couple of sessions a week practising there with the likes of John Munt, not always with the same firearm because I enjoy using .22 rifles and pistols, full bore air rifles and the old-fashioned 'black powder' pistols which have to be ‘primed' with wadding, loaded with powder and a single shot so it takes time between shots.

"We started out with star shooters like Gareth Irving, who competed at the highest levels and organised loads of local shoots which we joined in with, and there were inter-club competitions until the awful happenings at Dunblane brought such bad publicity to guns that everything inevitably went on the back burner for a long time.

Teaching respect – and travelling world-wide

"We make sure that guns of any sort are never left at our headquarters and we encourage younger members because our sport aims to teach self-discipline, safety and respect for others at all times.

"For newcomers the equipment is provided at first and there is a group of us who are happy to take on a newcomer apiece to teach them about safety alongside the obvious techniques of being a good target shooter.

"Our travels have taken us to compete all over places like France, Granada in Spain, Switzerland and the USA, and wherever we have gone there has been a great camaraderie amongst all the competitors.

Shooting from very long distances at Sennybridge

"For me another interesting experience has been joining other members of the '50 Calibre Club' which shoots .308 rifles , with long distances of between 400 and 1,000 metres at small targets that have a maximum score of 10 points.

The targets are affixed to full-scale models of advancing soldiers and our venue for the event is always Sennybridge, where we are allowed to use the special facilities offered on the local army camp in the town.

And finally . . .

But the best moments of all for Charles have been reserved for the Bisley shoots, which take place four times a year and are regarded all over the world as the home of target shooting.

"There are always large crowds of competitors, their families and friends and the atmosphere is wonderful so that you can't help making new friends," Charles told us, "and I hope that I will be able to continue being involved for as long as possible."

His hopes are shared by the likes of John Munt, a Welsh international of long standing, who told us,
"Charles is a great ambassador for the Haverfordwest Target Shooting Club because he always gives 100% but with a smile on his face and a willingness to help others. Long may he continue to grace our club because he is a real asset in all he does. 

Our club motto is ‘No competition too hard, no distance too far,’ and Charles is living proof of that mission statement!”

We could pay Charles Rone no higher compliment and can only repeat our congratulations on being a winner at Bisley - at 80 years young!