Hayfield clay pigeon club.

[dipper]

Anybody remember Hayfield club it was above the sportsman pub.They had 30 bird sporting shoot The 3rd Saturday in every month.They also had sleet.Most of the guns were English s/b/s .The prize on the sporting was a silver spoon.On one shoot 2 guys shot a round of sleet with 8 Bores the loser paid for the cartridges .It was one of the oldest clubs in the country.

[Gordon R]

I remember it - the most dangerous ground I have ever shot at.

[Westley]

7 minutes ago, Gordon R said:

I remember it - the most dangerous ground I have ever shot at.

So, it was the club and NOT the members that were old then     ?????

[dipper]

Yes the club.

[Gordon R]

I shot there in the 1980s, but didn't realise it was a long established club. First visited early 1980s and went back a few years later. For a long established club, they seemed to have little understanding of how to put on a decent layout or any concept of safety. Trappers were barely protected from the shooters on my last visit - never went back.

[dipper]

I shot there late 60s early70s .Didnt go very often. Wasn’t bad safety wise then .I knew someone who helped run it.Some very nice English guns there.Dont know if it’s still going.

[Gordon R]

I recall seeing a Vickers Armstrong sidelock side by side on one occasion - belonged to shoot owner from memory - superb..

[100milesaway]

I went there when I first started to shoot about 30 years ago.I recall it being quite a trek up hill.

My most memorable feature of the ground was something called a gentleman's rise,(this ment instead of calling for the bird, you nodded your head, someone behind you honked a horn or blew a whistle and off the clay went) Bizzare never seen it before or since. From Auntie.

 

[manthing]

18 hours ago, 100milesaway said:

 

My most memorable feature of the ground was something called a gentleman's rise,(this ment instead of calling for the bird, you nodded your head, someone behind you honked a horn or blew a whistle and off the clay went) 

 

Modern version of this is at Penkridge 

Occasionally one of the traps is a distance from the stand. Shooter shouts pull, mate hits an empty calor bottle so trapper can hear, clays come from behind, over a hedge the other side of a track.