Canadian National Field Target Association Championship
Hosted by the Port Colborne Field Target Club on July 18th & 19th, 2015
Match Report by Tim MacSweyn

Wow, what an amazing weekend! From start to finish, things just went just how they should. Of course we all had those targets we know we should have knocked down, but that’s field target. In only two of the five categories shot did the leader after Saturday go on to win on Sunday, so there was great competition. The weather started out iffy and turned out great, so even Mother Nature was on our side this time.

There were 23 shooters that took part this year and every one of them added to the good time. The WFTF Piston group was the largest this year and seems to be gaining popularity in our area. After Saturday on the red course, there were four shooters all within four points at the top of the leader board. Day two saw Joel take over with the performance of the match, scoring a 50/60 and winning the title of Canadian Champion in his division. Tom and George stayed close for most of the day, with Tom edging George out by a couple of points for second place. Yours truly had a rough second half on Sunday and dropped well back. Jeff had his gun apart on Saturday and Mike just started shooting his gun, so both did quite well.

Usually a fairly well attended class, there were only two shooters in WFTF PCP. Brian M. shot very well, particularly on Saturday and took the top spot. For Junaid’s very first match, I thought he did extremely well in a difficult class, much better than I did in my first match.

Open pcp always seems to draw at least a handful of shooters and this year was no exception. After the first day on the white course, Don had built a pretty good lead, something he was happy he had at the end of the second day, since that was very close to the margin he won by to claim first place. Dennis was very consistent, placing second and Dean took third. Tony M jumped right into a very tough class and performed well. Unfortunately, Magdy was unable to return on Sunday and did not finish.

Hunter pcp also had five competitors and some very close scores. Sean had a commanding lead after day one, making it look like a repeat was likely. I happened to catch Larry checking out the scores after the first day and the only part I heard was, “I’ll have to pull up my socks tomorrow.” He hiked those socks way up for sure and ended up edging Sean out by a few points to take the championship. Sean placed second followed closely by Chris, who seems to improve with every match. Jess and Sydney were within a point on day one, but Sydney was able to edge Jess out for the top lady award.

Hunter piston is another class that seems to be getting more popular, with five shooters competing this year. With some late entries, we were a little short on awards, but not short on competition. Eric had a great day on Sunday to score a come from behind win in his class. James put together two very good days to take second and Brian W took third. A walk on, Tony L did very well on both days and Marshall switched from pcp to piston just before the match, still performing quite well.

There were no tied scores, so we were able to eat lunch as soon as we were done on Sunday and then have the awards presentations. The prize draw was then held with a bit of a twist this year. Air Gun Source, as they always do, donated gifts to this draw. The difference was the fact that those drawn did not know what gift they were to receive; there was a sheet on the table with numbers one to ten and as names were drawn, people had the option of signing the next spot on the list or to choose a prize off the table. Basing their decisions on past experience, the list filled quite quickly. We went through the names about two and one half times, so everyone at least was able to pick two prizes. Considering the value of the prizes, many went home with quite a rebate on their match fee.

This year, the meal at the Reed House on Saturday and the one supplied by Subway on Sunday, were exceptionally good. I did not see anyone go away hungry.

I would like to thank the guys who set up lanes for the match and did such a great job creating two challenging and enjoyable courses. Special thanks to Dennis and Jeff who pulled my targets and packed them away in the barn as you saved me hours of work and it is greatly appreciated. Thanks to those who did their best to keep the clubhouse clean by sweeping the floor quite often. Tom did a great job on cleanup on Sunday after I left and that brought a smile to my face when I walked in there on Monday morning. Many, you know who you are, help in any way they can to set up the sight in range, carry things in, help set up anything that needs setting up and just generally can be counted on to chip in a help at every turn; thank you for giving that family feel to the whole weekend. A big thank you to Deb who has become an important part of this match with her presence on the course and the amazing pictures she is able to capture each year. Thanks to Angie who helps keep me on track and sane, but also takes care of all the registration on Saturday morning, picks up and organizes the meal for Sunday and runs the prize draw each year. She is a very important part of the weekend for me and I am sure for many others as well.

Sometimes overlooked is the beautiful venue we have had to host the National at for the past six or seven years. Time flies, doesn’t it! A big thank you goes out to the Port Colborne & District Conservation Club for the privilege of using this great facility.

Thanks to every individual who attended the event as competitor, supporter, fan, observer or whatever other title you may bestow on yourself. The people make the event and it was certainly evident that we had fine quality people in order to enjoy such a great weekend. I look forward to the rest of the season and do not forget to put July 15th through the 17th on your calendar for the 2016 CAFTA Nationals.