PAUL Batten, from Okehampton Smallbore Club, is celebrating this week after not only winning the national Eley Air-Rifle Competition, but also being the highest rated air-rifle shooter in the country in the inter-county league and the second highest in the individual league — both leagues being shot throughout the whole of last winter season.
Paul achieved the highest average in the Inter-County League with 293.11 out of a possible 300, fractionally better than his individual average in the national league of 195.00 out of a possible 200 — only .20 behind the highest-placed shooter (G Clarke from Fareham).
On Sunday, Paul travelled to Aldersley in Cheshire to the National Airgun Range to take part in the final of the Eley Air-Rifle Competition. The event started several months ago with two postal stages, each entrant firing these on his home range.
In the first stage — from which about 50 per cent went through to the second stage — Paul scored 391 out of a possible 400, and in the second his score was 389.
This was enough to place him among the top eight to go on to the final at Aldersley, where each shooter had to fire a 60-shot course with a total possible score of 600.
Paul started steadily with 97 on his first ten shots., followed by an excellent 99.
His next string was 95, followed by two steady 97s, then he slipped slightly on his last ten shots to finish with 93, all the while not knowing what his opponents had scored as they all shot at the same time.
His consistent shooting over the first five cards had stood him in good stead, however, as when the results were published his total score of 578 ex 600 was ten points clear of the second-placed man, Dorset's Chris Tucker.
Paul was presented with a beautiful set of crystal wine-glasses by the sponsors, Eley.