Game shooters dominate the podium at The Sunseeker Boodles Cup final

Wiltshire-based shooting instructor Huw Stephens narrowly missed out on the top prize after he was crowned High Gun at yesterday’s nail-biting final of The Sunseeker Boodles Cup held at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School (RBSS). Huw achieved an impressive score of 22×25, but the top prize of either a yacht charter courtesy of Sunseeker London or a piece of jewellery from Boodles, each worth £80,000, required a score of at least 23×25. He did however take home £5,000 courtesy of RBSS – the largest ever cash prize in a British clay shooting competition. Huw shot 19×25 in the qualifiers which lead him to a shoot-off with three other competitors for a place in the final, in which he again shot 22×25. Director of Barbury Shooting School Huw commented: “I felt pretty confident going into the final. I have practiced the sequence many times and I always score in the twenties, but obviously the pressure of the final makes a big difference to performance. The third clay I missed was an easy driven bird, which I should have hit. Obviously, I am disappointed not to have claimed the top prize but I am delighted to have won £5,000.” Fellow game shot Simon Ward won a money-can’t-buy Ultimate Shoot Dinner for eight people hosted by wine writer Will Lyons worth £10,000 courtesy of Berry Bros. & Rudd after he won a shoot-off between the entrants scoring the highest out of 100 birds each week during the qualifiers. The Hampshire-based freelance shooting instructor commented: “The Tower is an exceptional challenge, and the sequence was very cleverly designed. Most of the top shots in the country were at the final and it was a pleasure to watch so many people shoot well. I’m delighted with my prize, it’ll be a real treat.” The Royal Berkshire Shooting School’s Managing Director Dylan Williams commented: “It’s wonderful that so many of our top shots got involved with this groundbreaking competition and I’m delighted that two game shooters took two of the top prizes. Thank you to Sunseeker London, Boodles and Berry Bros. & Rudd for supporting this competition right from the outset.” Sunseeker London’s Managing Director David Lewis added: “Huge congratulations to Huw, what a thrilling final. Sunseeker London has been delighted to take part in this extraordinary challenge and would like to thank Dylan and his team for such a splendid four months of competition and events. Shooting is a growing sport and one that we will continue to support.” Boodles’ Director James Amos added: “A huge congratulations to Huw on his fantastic achievement in the final although we were sorry not to see him go home with the top prize. Shooting is the most British and exciting of sports and Boodles is delighted to have been involved in this prestigious challenge. With huge thanks to Dylan and his team at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School.”