Another weekend and I am off again travelling some 350 miles north to York, this time with a passenger, Barry, who I dropped off at Harrogate on the Friday.
I then spent the Saturday wondering around York and visiting various places before returning back to my digs.
Sunday morning and about a 35 minutes from my digs was the York FTC ground. Its in some Forestry Commission land and has been in nearly the same area for some 20 years just moved as required. The ground is made up of pine trees with a large central area for a car parking. After arrival and booking in I grabbed a tea and then wondered around the course as it had been my first time ever here.
The quick look round showed they had used horizontal angles on virtually every lane with the occasional lane having a target up a tree or two for that change.
So to the course itself, it started near the car park entrance road with lanes in small groups in a section. So the first 5 lanes started with a long target to start with at about 50yds with another slightly shorter one at about 46yds. The next was a pair of 30yds ish standers (the only 2 standers I got) this was followed by long and shorter targets which sometime had over 90 degrees angles between them.
Then you got to the next group if lanes from 6-10 had some much closer targets as you neared the edge of the wood. However here you got a bit of wind from the fields on two sides and could catch you out with the unexpected directions. All the time in these first 10 lanes you had been shooting in the same general direction. However, over the next 3 lanes you swung around a corner until the targets were how in the opposite direction to the first lanes. Here also you started to get more distance in the lanes with the lane average heading towards 45-50 yds compared to what was nearer 40 yds before hand.
By the time you reached lane 17 you then had a 90 degree change of direction with the finals set of lanes having a number of targets spread quite widely in angles and placed to catch what ever wind was present. Lane 25 having a 50yd target well up a tree.
So what were the scores, well for me after a good start the wheels sort of fell off between lanes 12 and 22 wth me dropping 12 in these alone. I ended up with a 33, knowing in myself that I had pulled 4 of those misses myself. Barry finished on a 40 with him having a mare first 6 lanes.
Looks like I need to get myself sorted ready for the next round in Dorset in 2 weeks.
I thought York was a great venue without the need for silly distances on the targets. There was a clear in the morning session which most definitely had no wind to contend with. The afternoon had a small amount of wind but you really couldn't tell how much to give the targets, or even what direction it was coming from, hence no clearances then.
Practice makes perfect andy ??? HOLLY