Fauxdegla Shooting Ground to Host British Olympians in Shotgun Final

An elite combination of British and Olympian shotgun shooters will be competing for the championship title in Wrexham later this year, as British Shooting has announced the Fauxdegla Shooting Ground, will play host to the grand final this autumn.

Nestled into the side of the Welsh moors, the North Wales shooting ground makes an exciting new addition to the 2017 domestic shotgun competition calendar, with the inaugural event on the 6th to 8th October being the first of its kind in the UK.

The focus of the event is to allow Britain’s shooting elite to compete against each other, and give everyone a chance to qualify.

The top 18 male and top 12 female Olympic Trap shooters in the UK, along with the top 12 male and top six female athletes from Olympic Skeet will compete over 125 targets and final, as well as the all new mixed discipline which will see both genders competing together.

There will also be the opportunity for disabled athletes to compete on the day in a Para-clay event.

Craig Davies, Media & Communications Manager at British Shooting said: “It’s not only the first time an event like this is taking place in North Wales, but it’s a first for the UK too.

“Being from Wrexham myself, I’m extremely proud that such a prestigious event is happening in my hometown. Having world-class athletes compete at an elite shooting venue, which will be streamed live to thousands of people online, will also give Wrexham a high profile within the International Target Shooting community.”

Mr Davies added: “As British Shooting starts its Olympic journey towards Tokyo 2020, we are always looking for new talent to take up our sport and it would be incredible if an event like this could inspire people from Wrexham to take up target shooting and potentially become future Olympians.”

Fauxdegla Shooting Ground was purchased in 2010 by its current owner, Mike Faux, and after seven years of hard work and heavy financial investment, the site has gone from strength to strength.

He said: “Fauxdegla is now a three-layout ground and after doing such a good job hosting the British Open Sporting Championship, as well as the World ABT Championships and the DTL Grand Masters, the ground has been awarded ‘Premium Plus’ status.

“This is the highest accolade you can get from the CPSA governing body (Clay Pigeon Shooting Association) and we’re very pleased with what we’ve achieved.”

Mr Faux continued: “Of course, we’re very proud to be hosting the first ever UK Grand Final and would encourage everyone to attend.

“It’ll be a chance to see all the named podium athletes, like Bronze and Silver Olympic medallists Ed Ling and Ian Peel, compete in one place at the same time. All the athletes will be competing across two different disciplines (Olympic Trap and Olympic Skeet), so it’s going to be an incredible atmosphere.

“It’ll give local tourism a boost too, as these events bring in lots of visitors from home and overseas and it’s a chance for the local community to attend free of charge and enjoy watching champions at their best.”

Entry for both spectators and athletes will be supplemented by British Shooting, making it completely free to either take part or watch the live action itself. The action will also be streamed live via Facebook.

British Shooting Chief Executive, Hamish McInnes, said: “It’s really important that we’ve been able to make this event free entry for the general public – and for those who can’t make it, I’m excited by the plans to livestream the event on social media with UniLad Sport.

“The Shotgun Grand Final is just the start of a journey to help raise standards in competitions in the UK and it’s great that we’ve been able to partner with our hosts at Fauxdegla shooting ground, which is one of the best shooting grounds in the UK”.

Photo credit – Garry Bowden/SIPPA