Despite it being a wet Sunday morning at the Dolphin Clay Target Centre on the Longton Marshes, the spirits of members and guests of the West Lancashire Masonic Clay Pigeon Shooting Society (WLMCPSS) were not at all dampened.
The shooting ground is situated on farm land which was reclaimed from the adjacent salt marshes. It was originally started by the local Wildfowling club in the 1950’s with permission from the farmer who farmed the land. The sporting layout is changed for every shoot, which helps keep people interested in coming back week after week and has gravel paths to all the stands.
After a much-welcomed coffee and cake in the cabin, members and guests bought their raffle tickets and booked in with Lawrence and Sue Alston to take part in the shoot. They then formed themselves into small groups to commence their clay-bird shoot around the various traps.
Immediately following the shooting, score cards were submitted to Lawrence and Sue, who processed the results, ably supported by WLMCPSS Secretary Chris Tittley. Society veteran Bob Smith, with the lowest score of 16, secured a prize of a Christmas turkey and went on a few minutes later to win a bottle of whisky in the raffle draw.
Chris Tittley said that they were grateful to everyone who attended the Christmas shoot and especially those members and friends who assisted in the organisational aspects beforehand and on the day, such as booking-in, scoring and publicity.
Chris went on to say that the WLMCPSS is grateful to staff of the Dolphin Clay Target Centre for their generosity and support of the society’s events. The raffle, including donations, raised a pleasing sum of £85 and Chris thanked all those in attendance who brought a prize or contributed. It is much appreciated
Report by John Topping.