Pigeon with promise
Shooting Times & Country|August 19, 2020
A summer’s afternoon on the stubbles offers testing sport and the chance of hitting a magical milestone
SIMON GARNHAM
Pigeon with promise

The tally counter doesn’t lie: 49 birds shot by 2.30pm. Hours of daylight ahead of us. Birds coming in strongly.

Both shooting well. Surely we’re on for a ton, I thought, as George folded another pigeon over the decoys to get us to 50. The half-century was up. Just do the same again.

One hundred is something of a magic number. Her Majesty doesn’t send telegrams to 94-year-olds. MCC members don’t stand and applaud the batsman who is on 97. Pope Gregory XIII didn’t put together his calendar in the hope of clustering years together into batches of 99. It has to be 100.

I have a confession to make: I’ve never made one. Not in my cricketing days, when I could both run and bend at the same time, nor over decoys. The Don (Sir Donald Bradman) and I both have something in common. He averaged 99.94 at the end of his test career. I too have not made it to a century. Obviously there the similarity ends; he was a titan of the game and greatly blessed with skill.

But this summer, all that seemed to be changing. I’ve had a series of good outings over standing wheat and laid barley. I’m hitting clays and recording some decent scores. My first outing in August might just be the one, I thought.

Blistering

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 19, 2020 من Shooting Times & Country.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 19, 2020 من Shooting Times & Country.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY مشاهدة الكل
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023