October 2026
Turbo Down Under:
Great Britain Veterans Rifle Team in Australia
Andy "Turbo" Barnes ('76–'83) is Secretary of the Bedfordians Rifle Club. After captaining the England Rifle Team to Kenya and South Africa in 2023, he was selected for the first Great Britain Veterans tour to Australia this October. This is his account of a successful tour that became something of a family affair.
Target rifle shooting is one of the very few sports where women and men of every age compete side by side, on equal terms and with no handicaps. For nearly 50 years the Bedfordians Rifle Club has helped pupils, Old Bedfordians and their families keep shooting beyond school, or return to it later in life. Since the MOD withdrew support for cadet fullbore shooting, that role matters more than ever. The club builds on the state-of-the-art .22 range run at the school by Peter Lumley-Wood. Thanks to the Bedford School Foundation Trust, it now has fullbore rifles and equipment to help leavers and OBs make the step up. We hope this story inspires the school and its pupils to take shooting even further. To find out more or get involved, email contact@bedfordiansrc.org.
A honeymoon with chaperones
Most newlyweds honeymoon somewhere quiet. My daughter Nia and her husband Tom Drysdale, married the weekend before we flew, spent theirs at Belmont Ranges in Brisbane with the Great Britain Australia team, the GB Under 25s, the GB Veterans (all aged 60+) and, worst of all, her father. Tom was shooting for the main GB team, Nia for the Welsh squad, and I was there with the Veterans. I promised to give them space. I kept that promise, apart from breakfast, the range, the bus and most evenings.
A first for the Veterans
This was the first-ever GB Veterans tour to Australia, and the first time the Southern Cross and John Fitzgerald Veterans matches had been shot. Both grew from the 2024 World Championships in South Africa, where the Chairs of the National Rifle Associations of GB and Australia agreed that veterans should compete internationally more often. The Southern Cross match, named after the constellation that lights the southern sky, now sits within the ICFRA (world governing body for fullbore rifle associations) Australia Match programme alongside the Open and Under 25 matches. The Australia Match is one of the three great overseas fixtures in target rifle shooting, with the Palma World Championship and America matches. Having started out on the reserve list, I was very proud to finally be on the plane to Brisbane, as very nearly the youngest member of the team aged 61!
Andy ‘Turbo’ Barnes (in red) shooting in the John Fitzgerald Veterans Match.
Learning to shoot all over again
First, an explanation of the scoring system for anyone not familiar with target shooting. The ‘bull’ is worth 5 points, the next ring (called an ‘inner’) 4 points etc. All the shoots in Australia were 10 shots. Therefore, the total “possible” score for 10 shots is 50 out of 50. To help differentiate ties, the bull has a centre circle half its diameter called the V-bull, still worth 5 points. If you are lucky enough to get all 10 shots in the V-bull, you’d get a score of 50.10. If you got 8 in the V-bull and 2 in the bull, then it would be 50.8, and so on.
The standard of shooting was world-class: there were a lot of “possibles” and the difference between being 1st or 150th often came down to one or two points and V-bulls. I'd love to say I hit the ground running. I didn't. At Bisley we shoot in threes, taking turns on a target. It’s slow and exacting. In Australia, it is all string shooting on the world-class Hexta electronic targets: you fire your whole score in one go, and the result flashes up on a screen seconds after the bullet lands. For the first couple of days, I felt like a man who learned to drive in a Morris Minor being handed the keys to a Formula One car. I scraped into the half team for the John Fitzgerald match.
Then something clicked. Once I'd worked out a strategy for string shooting, the scores climbed. On day two of the President's, I was the top GB Veteran with 49.7 at 900 and 50.6 at 1000, 13th on the day and 6th in the 1000-yard competition. In the 900-yard shoot of the King's Prize, I was on course for a 50.10, but my last shot just missed the V-bull for a 50.9. I took bronze. Chris Mitchell of the GB team also scored 50.9 but took gold, having converted a bull sighter at the start. One sighter, one colour of medal.
I finished 5th GB Veteran in the Grand Aggregate (81st overall) and 4th Veteran in the President's (49th place). Best of all, I shot my way into the Southern Cross team. Not bad for a reserve with a slow start.
Two wins and one point
The GB Veterans won both John Fitzgerald matches. In the half team, GB scored 390.30 to Australia's 389.27 and New Zealand's 387.35, with my 50.7 at 1000 yards helping us over the line. The full team match went our way too, 783.72 to 778.68. Two matches completed, one to go.
The Southern Cross, shot at 300, 600, 900 and 1000 yards, was a day of rain, wind and delays. When the range officer called a halt at 300 in a downpour, every Veteran checked whether his rifle was clear, then checked again, then asked the man next to him. We are Veterans after all, and sometimes we forget things! We led by five points going back to 1000 yards. Then came a cross fire: a perfectly good shot on someone else's target, and only a 4 at that. Australia won 1536.144 to our 1535.131. One point.
Nobody pointed fingers. Every shooter on both teams dropped points somewhere, and any one of us could have saved a couple. That's team shooting: you win together and lose together and support each other. Across the three matches we outscored Australia, which we have decided to call a moral victory.
A sport for everyone
Shooting is one of the few sports where women and men compete on equal terms, and women very often come out on top. Both my daughters shoot for Wales. Fellow Welsh shooter Chloe Evans, of the GB Australia team, won the NRAA Grand Aggregate outright against a field of more than 200. The GB Australia team was captained by Jane Messer, who has shot, coached and captained in all of the big five: the National, Mackinnon, Kolapore, Australia and Palma matches. And Wales, with Nia in the squad, won the Australia half team match.
It is a family sport, too. My Australian equivalent turned out to be Australian Veteran Scott Brindley, shooting alongside his daughter Emma. We compared notes on the particular joy of being outshot by our children … and funding it!
Paul Sykes’s ‘OnTarget.live’ System: an online app showing every shot, live, anywhere in the world!
Let's be honest: fullbore is not a spectator sport. The targets are up to 1000 yards away and you can't see a thing without a spotting scope. Fellow Bedfordian Paul Sykes has changed that. His OnTarget.live online system links to the Hexta targets at Belmont and shows every shot as it lands, to anyone with a phone, anywhere in the world.
It made for real drama. Our Southern Cross was decided by the last shooters at 1000 yards. Even more gripping was the GB Under 25 Australia match, which came down to the very last of 200 shots. A bull would have won it. It was an inner, about half an inch out, and GB lost by a single V-bull. The whole range was glued to their phones, watching it unfold shot by shot. That moment was made possible by Paul's system and his hard work.
More than a score
Tours like this are about more than shooting. Between matches there was fishing, sightseeing and snorkelling, and a team barbecue that went some way to soothing the one-point Southern Cross defeat. My favourite moment came after the Southern Cross, over a drink with the Australians. The famous Pommy-Aussie needle was nowhere to be seen (well, they had won!), only warmth and humour. The real winner that day was fullbore shooting itself: friendly rivalry between nations and friendships across the globe. Losing by one point is a good reason to come back, and a great excuse to raise a glass with the people who beat you.
The Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand Veterans rifle teams
I started shooting at Bedford School in 1979, and I am still learning, still competing and still travelling the world in a GB blazer. So, to every Bedford School pupil shooting .22 on the school range: the step up to fullbore is smaller than you think, and the club is here to help you take it. To the girls joining the school next year: come and try. You will compete with the boys on equal terms from day one, and quite probably beat them. One day you might find yourself on a range in Brisbane, representing England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland or Great Britain.
Finally, thank you to the Bedford School Foundation Trust, the school and in particular Peter and Amy Lumley-Wood, for the commitment they put into continuing the strong and successful shooting tradition at Bedford School. It is even more important since the MOD withdrew support for cadet fullbore shooting. Your support is going exactly where it should: into giving young people the chance to do what I have been lucky enough to do for 47 years.
September 2026
Andy Barnes selected for the Great Britain Veterans Rifle Team
We are pleased to announce that Andy 'Turbo' Barnes (76–83) has been selected to shoot in the Great Britain Veterans Rifle Team to Australia this October.
Shooting will take place at the Belmont Shooting Complex in Brisbane from 8th–18th October. Belmont hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games shooting events and continues to host major Australian and international fixtures, so this is no small stage. The centrepiece of the tour for the GB Veterans is the NRAA Southern Cross Veterans Team Match on 17th October, one of the most keenly contested fixtures on the veterans' international calendar. Also competing at the event are the Great Britain Australia Match team, the Great Britain Under 25 Team, and a touring Welsh team.
This selection follows a successful tour as Captain of the England Target Rifle team to Kenya and South Africa in 2023, a tour that also included Rupert Riley and Paul Sykes.
And Andy won't be the only Barnes connection in Brisbane. He'll be travelling out just two days after his eldest daughter Nia's wedding to "least favourite future son-in-law" Tom Drysdale — himself no stranger to the firing point, having been selected for the GB Australia team. Not to be outdone, Nia wasn't going to be left out of the family outing either, having earned her own place in the Welsh touring team. She insists, however, that this will not be counted as the honeymoon.
July 2026
New Rifles Debut at the Veterans and Astor
Our two new club rifles made their competitive debut at the National Rifle Association’s 157th Imperial Meeting, helping bring former School shooters back to Bisley, alongside some of our newest OBs.
A generous grant from the Bedford School Foundation Trust enabled the Bedfordians Rifle Club to commission two new 7.62mm target rifles and purchase two complete sets of equipment. The funding also provides secure storage at Bisley and subsidises a limited amount of shooting each year. For those without their own rifles and kit, this makes returning to the sport considerably more practical.
Schools Veterans
The Veterans match brings together teams of five former pupils representing their schools, shooting at 500 yards. A sociable evening fixture, it allows many to attend without taking a whole day off work.
On a warm evening, we welcomed back Ben Chowdhary, Tim Furbank and John Farmer-Wright, alongside recent leavers Finlay Mitchell and Oscar Jooste, and increasingly regular shooter James Lumley-Wood. It was encouraging to hear that some had been looking for a sport they could pick up again after having to step back from other sports due to injury or wear and tear.
Getting everyone kitted and fitted proved quite an undertaking! Julian Hilton-Johnson, Pete Lumley-Wood and Nick Hudleston found suitable jackets, adjusted rifles and sights, and helped returning shooters rediscover familiar positions. Eyesight presented some unexpected challenges too.
Phil Dawes spent so much time coaching that he never got to shoot himself. Captain Andy “Turbo” Barnes coached another target. With one absence and time running short, none of our three teams completed all five scores. Pete led individually with 47.3, followed by Ben Chowdhary with 46.3.
We learned plenty about preparation, but the main ‘aim’ was clear: those returning thoroughly enjoyed themselves and wanted to shoot again. Mission accomplished. Most stayed for dinner at the North London Rifle Club, where Andy announced the next morning’s Astor team, taken from the best shots of the Vets match.
Astor
A 7.30 am arrival brought us back to the firing point on another warm, clear morning. The Astor County Championship Final pits rifle clubs representing their counties against one another at 300, 500 and 600 yards.
Representing Bedfordshire clubs, our six firers were Paul Sykes (son of Andy Sykes), Nick Hudleston, Martin “Marti” Ebbetts, Pete and James Lumley-Wood, and Marti’s son Ben Ebbetts. We used two firing points, coached by Andy Barnes and Mirek Kirkillo-Stacewicz.
Oscar and Finlay, who had camped overnight, helped with equipment, scoring, rifle cleaning, photography and encouragement. Against strong opposition, we finished 14th of 16 teams with 579 points and 49 V-bulls.
Our thanks to Andy, Phil and Mirek, and everyone who organised, coached and supported both days, not least Fin and Oscar. Above all, thank you to the Bedford School Foundation Trust for helping us help OBs back to a highly inclusive competitive sport.
For OBs considering a return, BRC mid-week and weekend days offer time to fit equipment and refresh skills. Guest places are available by prior arrangement for former School Rifle Club shooters experienced with a single-point sling. Contact contact@bedfordiansrc.org.
NRA Imperial Meeting 2026 – Individual Competitions
The weather played a significant role in making the 157th Imperial Meeting quite challenging for the nine competing Bedfordians. As always, lying down for an hour at a time in thick leather jackets in the hot weather tested our fitness and stamina, but the heat added an additional dimension this year as it reportedly affected the accuracy of the issued ammunition in some rifles. So agility was required, ammunition had to be kept cool, and testing out alternative rifles (for those fortunate enough to own one) was the order of the day!
Despite these challenges, Bedfordians continued to make their presence felt in a slightly reduced field due to lower than usual visitor numbers, as Bisley prepares to host the World Championships in 2028. Paul Sykes was once again our top scorer, finishing 27th in the Grand Aggregate, 47th in the St Georges Final, and winning the Hobson and Aidan Reece Aggregates. Nia Barnes was selected to shoot for Wales in the National Match (four nations, short-range) and was reserve for the Mackinnon (four nations, long-range). Nyree Barnes was reserve for Wales for the National and the Mackinnon and represented the winning British Army team in the Inter-Services Short-Range Team Match. We had five Bedfordians qualify for the 2nd Stage of the Kings Prize and three for the 2nd Stage of the St Georges, Paul Sykes and Robin Hatcher going on to reach the final of the latter. Disappointingly, we had no-one to cheer on in the Kings Final after our annual get-together with friends and family at lunchtime on Final Saturday.
In club competitions Paul Sykes won the Nigel Penn Trophy (Weekend Aggregate Gun Score), Phil Dawes won the Dick Britton Stickledown Print (Grand Aggregate Handicap), and Nia Barnes won the “Tankardgate” Trophy (Top Young Shooter in Kings 1). The “coveted” Turbo Challenge Trophy for the highest score not to qualify for Kings 2 was won by Martin Ebbetts.
Whilst challenging on the shooting front, the meeting once again proved successful socially, many war stories were shared and memories past relived over some good food and a beer or two – these friendships, old and new, are what the club is all about!
May 2026
BRC Spring Weekend 2026
Building on last year, the Club Spring Weekend in May attracted a great turnout – 7 from the school, 2 recent school-leavers, and 9 club members. It was great to welcome Andy Sykes back to Bisley for the weekend, over from the USA whilst visiting his son Paul.
In the friendly mixed school and club team match on Saturday afternoon, Paul Sykes’s (GB and England) team was victorious over Andy Barnes’s (GB & England) team by a margin of 402.28v points to 392.26v. Lukas (School) won the Top School Scorer Tankard with a fantastic score of 49.6v / 50, the second top score in the match!
In the individual competitions held over the weekend, Paul Sykes (85.10v/85) won the Short-Range Gun Score competition and Nick Hart (88.03) the Handicap competition. The Long-Range gun score competition was also won by Paul Sykes (148.16v) and the handicap by Nick Hudleston (157.24). Paul Sykes won the gun score Weekend Aggregate (233.26v) and Nick Hudleston the handicap (241.08).
A big thank-you to Pete and Amy Lumley-Wood for rounding up such an enthusiastic school contingent, to the Bedford School Foundation Trust for helping make the weekend affordable for some of our younger members and to everyone for their contribution to such an enjoyable weekend.
New Club Shooting Handicap System
One of the questions we recently asked ourselves is how we can make some Bedfordians RC competitions open and fair for everyone when we have such a mixture of shooting abilities, from occasional shooters right up to GB representation? We have come up with what we think is a canny solution after exploring a variety of “handicap” based options. Whilst the priority has been to create a level playing field, a secondary consideration has been to ensure we don’t discourage everyone from shooting to their maximum potential.
Having established the NRA X/A/O/T classification system and, through trials, a recent “Team Swindle” Handicap mechanism to be too rudimentary, we have developed our own BRC Handicap System. Individual short and long-range handicaps are calculated based on the average of the 5 most recent recorded individual scores at each range (300–1000yds).
The new system has been successfully used throughout the 2026 season at both the club Spring Weekend and NRA Main Meeting for which we now have both “gun score” and “handicap” prize lists, and in some cases trophies.
For more information about the system and / or to register for a club handicap, please email contact@bedfordiansrc.org.
April 2026
OBs vs The School 0.22 match in the newly transformed School Miniature Rifle Range
Following a most enjoyable pre-match lunch at D’Parys, the Old Bedfordians returned to the School on Saturday 21 March 2026 for our annual 0.22 match vs The School. This was our first opportunity to compete in the newly refurbished range. Our anticipation of seeing the improvements was well-founded.
Pete and Amy Lumley-Wood, the Headmaster and the boys welcomed us to their new range, the Headmaster thanking OB Ian Gordon for his very generous donation that funded the refurbishment. Ian and Pete together are determined to make the school a centre of shooting excellence. They seemed to have succeeded.
The brightly lit, warm, soundproofed and well-fitted anteroom has a large IT display screen, and large glazed screens overlooking the firing point and range beyond. The firing point space next door retains its six lanes (more than most school miniature ranges) but is now well-lit and also has worksurfaces and further storage cabinets. And beyond this, down the range the walls are lined with easy clean panels. At the target end, the lighting is now much brighter and even across all six target frames. The whole building now has insulated ceilings and walls to control temperatures, noise and dust, which along with new radiators made the rear rooms very comfortable.
The sharp-eyed noticed high-mounted CCTV cameras pointing down at the targets. These were part of a remote target monitoring installation by Paul Scullion, the School's Director of Digital Learning, who talked us through the system.
While a commercially available digital scoring system was due for imminent installation, Paul and his students have developed an electro-mechanical 'Snap' target system which uses the same No. 32 cardboard snap targets we’ve used for decades. These bespoke units rotate the snap targets into view for 3 seconds, then retracting them for various randomised time periods during which firers must remain alert for their target to reappear.
Cleverer still, while in the down position, a tiny webcam takes an image of the target, allowing coaches, and supporters in the anteroom, to see each shot immediately after it's been fired on the large display screens in each room. The other high-mounted webcams aimed at the target frames also allowed everyone to watch as each team member progressed their other cards. Firers have their own monitors on the firing point; telescopes aren’t needed.
For the first time ever at Bedford School, target shooting has become a spectator sport! Teaching shooters and coaches alike is massively enhanced like never before. And as the technology is networked, there’s potential for parents far and wide to support their children's shooting competitions.
It was especially gratifying to be able to so easily explain the subtleties of our sport on the large screen to the Headmaster and visiting OB Office staff, who no longer have to crane necks and squint through telescopes.
Despite all the novelties, there was a competition to shoot, and plenty of excellent shooting to appreciate shot by shot. The OBs’ best eight scored 1,246 against the School’s 1,214, securing a win by 32 points. Ian Gordon awarded the Top Scoring OB trophy to James Lumley-Wood who achieved a perfect 160 out of 160, with James Hine and Julian Hilton-Johnson close behind on 159. Two Schoolboys also scored perfect 160s, with Oliver the winner on grouping countback, who received the Top Scoring Schoolboy trophy from Steve Lyon. Impressive performances and a reminder that the OBs cannot afford to take this fixture lightly.
As well as congratulating the boys and OBs for fine marksmanship, thanks go to Steve Lyon for wrangling the OB team, and to Pete & Amy L-W, Paul Scullion and the OB Office and HM for their hospitality, Congratulations to Pete, Paul and their teams and especially to Ian, who collectively have created a remarkable facility, a true ‘centre of excellence’, that will surely inspire many more into this exacting sport at Bedford, a sport for life where everyone can compete equally side by side regardless of age.
January 2026
2025 – A Year of Progress and Tremendous Success for the Bedfordians Rifle Club!
There is much to say about 2025, but top of the list of achievements is the superlative success of Paul Sykes as runner-up in His Majesty The King’s Prize at the Imperial Meeting held at Bisley in July. The competition is, put simply, the Holy Grail of target rifle shooting and Paul joins a very small list of marksmen to have been awarded the NRA Silver Badge for this unique event, the world’s oldest fullbore target rifle shooting competition. Many congratulations, Paul! Separate reports are dedicated to the Imperial Meeting and to Paul’s magnificent achievement.
The year also the saw the continued rise of our ‘second generation’ Bedfordians, the children of OB shooters, including Paul. Nia and Nyree Barnes, Andy’s daughters, made target rifle history in 2025 in being the first sisters ever to be selected for the NRA Team that toured the Channel Islands in May. The team beat Guernsey but were narrowly defeated by a very strong Jersey with a significant home advantage and knowledge of local conditions.
Nia and Nyree were both selected for the Wales National team and as reserves for the Wales Mackinnon team during the Imperial Meeting at Bisley in July 2025, a clear reflection of their outstanding and consistent marksmanship. Nyree competed in the Inter-Services Competition at both short and long range on behalf of the British Army, as part of the Army Reserves.
The season was also notable as one of encouraging reconnection between the Club and the School. Following the focus on small-bore shooting (.22”), there are now a number of School visits to Bisley each year thanks to the vision and efforts of Pete Lumley-Wood and other members of staff. Supported by Club members, an increasing number of School shooters are transferring their marksmanship skills to the outdoor, long range, higher-calibre (.308”/7.62mm)) fullbore.
There was more excellent news in 2025 with a major financial boost for the Club, thanks to the Bedford School Foundation. Their grant will allow the Club to purchase two rifles and associated kit for School and OB shooters who are trying out or considering returning to fullbore shooting. We are very grateful for the generous ongoing support of the Foundation.
OBs vs BSRC
The 2025 season kicked off in March with the annual .22” match against the School Club in the School indoor rifle range. It was hotly contested as always but, as has been the case for some years now, the OBs were defeated by the slimmest of margins (1,231-1,230). It was particularly satisfying to see recent leaver OBs turning out to boost the numbers from the ‘old guard’ and enjoy a very sociable lunch at the De Parys Hotel beforehand. Marc Smith and James Hine topped out for the OBs, with 159 and 158 ex 160 respectively.
We are already looking forward to the next .22” match in March 2026, which will be in the newly refurbished and modernized School range. The range should become an amazing asset for the School and significantly increase the appeal of School shooting. We can’t wait to see it!
Q Match
As the season gathered momentum in April, the major club match of the Spring, the ‘Q’ Match at Bisley was skippered by recent England Captain Andy Barnes and resulted in a well-deserved victory against seven other old school clubs over 300 and 600 yards. Our current GB squad member, Paul Sykes, was the top scorer with a 100.14v ex 100.20v. An excellent result for the Bedfordians.
Bedfordians Spring Weekend
The Club Spring Weekend in May followed, with a splendid turnout of six members of the School Club and 12 Bedfordians for a practice in the morning, an introduction to fullbore over lunch, and a friendly mixed match at 600 yards in the afternoon. Nick Hudleston ably skippered the winning team (‘No Bulls’) to victory but were chased all the way by Dan Lumley-Wood and his team (‘Here To Win’) resulting in a two-point margin. It was great to welcome back Will Young who celebrated his return to shooting with us by contributing one of the top scores to his team’s win, a commendable 48.2v ex 50.10v.
More individual shooting was to follow with a closely contested Club competition concurrent with the Army Target Shooting Club Target Rifle Open Meeting. Robin Hatcher took top slot in raw score but there was also a handicap competition taking into account target rifle class and Nick topped out with that. Nia Barnes won the Long Range Aggregate outright at both 900 and 1,000 yards with some excellent shooting in blustery conditions which tested everyone’s skills reading the changing wind.
The focus of the first half of the weekend was very much on fostering closer links with the School Club and early on Saturday evening Paul gave an insightful talk at the Artists Rifles Clubhouse on his recent experiences in the GB Rifle Team at the World Championships in South Africa. This was followed by dinner with the School in the Surrey Rifle Association Clubhouse.
Imperial Meeting & Other Events
The Imperial Meeting at Bisley in July was busy as always and dominated by the superlative success of Paul Sykes as runner up in His Majesty the King’s Prize – see separate reports.
Club members also turned out at Bisley in November to support School shooters as they ease into fullbore. Hopefully, the one-to-one coaching and general advice and support from highly experienced former GB and England shooters was of benefit to the School shooters, even if the late autumn weather refused to co-operate!
In addition, a number of Bedfordians have shot at least one day each month on the electronic targets on Century and Stickledown ranges at Bisley to practice, try out new kit, bed in new barrels, and enjoy lunch together at one of the many Bisley clubhouses.
Looking Forward in 2026
The scene is set for the Club to grow as we increasingly work with the School to bring School shooters back into target rifle shooting, with the Club Spring Weekend in May 2026 and further weekends for the School at Bisley planned for the spring and autumn.
We hope that recent leaver OBs will wish to translate their obvious acumen at smallbore rifle shooting into fullbore target rifle, especially now that rifles and kit are available via the Club.
OBs who have previously shot in the School Rifle Club or have since taken up target rifle shooting are heartily encouraged to join us, please get in touch through the website contact page.
August 2025
National Rifle Association Imperial Meeting 2025
The major calendar event in the national and international rifle shooting world is The Imperial Meeting held at Bisley over 10 days in July, and 2025 was the 156 th time it had taken place since 1860.
Attracting over 1,000 competitors from all of the world, it is always an opportunity for the Bedfordians Rifle Club to shine. Over the generations we have produced some standout performances, including the notable year of 1909 when an OB, PR Radice, won His Majesty the King’s Prize, the most coveted target rifle shooting prize in the world even to this day.
Fortunately, the Bedfordians Rifle Club honours didn’t stop 100 years ago! And 2025 was a very special year for the Club, with Paul Sykes placed 2 nd in HM The King’s Prize – a superlative performance that merits its own separate report.
Overall, the number of Bedfordian competitors was slightly lower than average this year but we put out a full team in the Schools Veterans match at 500 yards. Always a fun and highly sociable event, we were placed 34 th ex 45.
In the Astor competition the following day at 300, 500, and 600 yards, there was a commendable rallying display of marksmanship that saw the club team mid-tabled against some very strong county championship-winning club teams, packed with international-grade shooters.
Nia and Nyree Barnes were both selected for the Wales National team and as reserves for the Wales Mackinnon team, a clear reflection of their outstanding and consistent marksmanship.
Nyree competed in the Inter-Services Competition at both short and long range on behalf of the British Army, as part of the Army Reserves.
In addition to the King’s Prize, Paul also won The Palma Aggregate, the Overseas Team Fund Aggregate, the Ellington Aggregate, and the English XX Varley, underscoring his position as one of the leading marksmen of the moment.
Internal club competition was intense as 10 Bedfordians tussled over the Nigel Penn Trophy for the Weekend Aggregate, won easily by Paul Sykes and chased by Rupert Riley and Nia Barnes. The Stickledown Watercolour concurrent with the NRA Grand Aggregate was similarly scooped up by Paul Sykes, with Rupert Riley and Andy Barnes in 2 nd and 3 rd . The top Young Bedfordian in the 1 st stage of the King’s Prize was Ben Ebbetts.
As always, there was much cheer in the evenings, with tales of the day’s shooting told and retold, each time slightly less accurately as the evening progressed. Some things haven’t changed since 1909!
July 2025
Congratulations to Paul Sykes – Runner-Up in HM the King’s Prize 2025!
Many congratulations to Paul Sykes who topped off an outstanding season with 2 nd place in His Majesty the King’s Prize at Bisley on 26 th July 2025.
Held now on no less than 156 occasions since it was inaugurated by Queen Victoria in 1860, HM The King’s Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious prize in the sport globally, so Paul’s achievement is a really big deal.
For those who haven’t attended the Final of the King’s Prize, it’s quite a spectacle. As the world’s oldest fullbore target rifle shooting competition, there is considerable pomp and circumstance after the winner is announced and they are carried shoulder-high on a ceremonial chair from the range into the camp preceded by a military band to celebrate their victory. They also collect prize money of £250, originally a personal gift of the Sovereign and no doubt a tidy sum back in 1860!
The competition is held in three stages, narrowing down from a large field to the top 100 shooters for the final, and is shot at distances of 300 to 1000 yards. Paul scored 150.21 ex 150.30 in the 2 nd stage, so headed back to long range “clean”, having not dropped a shot out of the bullseye, and clearly in contention.
In the 3 rd and final stage Paul put in the top score at 900yds (75.8 ex 75.15) and all eyes were on him in the closing round at 1,000 yards. Much to everyone’s excitement and admiration, he retained his consistency and was winning right up to his very last shot. This final shot, his only ‘inner’ (scoring 4) in the entire competition, finished less than an inch to the left of the bullseye resulting in second place. Such fine margins between euphoria and deep disappointment are commonplace in rifle shooting but Paul came away with the much coveted NRA Silver Badge and was commendably phlegmatic, despite being so very close to the ultimate prize.
Paul, who is a Consultant Surgeon and the son of Bedfordian Andy Sykes, was cheered on by his wife, May, their baby son, Luca, as well as by his Clubmates and his many other Bisley friends.
There was even some speculation among us that there may have been an additional influence on Paul’s superlative individual performances as he successfully shot using the late Nigel Penn’s rifle in his long range competitions. Nigel did so much for our Club over many years and we like to think that he was there for Paul on such a momentous occasion.
Paul was also selected for the England Mackinnon Team match (900/1000 yards) during the Imperial Meeting where they were just beaten by a fine, resurgent Scotland performance. In addition, he won The Palma Aggregate, the Overseas Team Fund Aggregate, the Ellington Aggregate, and the English XX Varley, underscoring his position as one of the leading marksmen of the moment.
On a recent historical note, Paul joins another current Bedfordian, Lt Col Rupert Riley, who was runner-up for what was then HM The Queen’s Prize in 2011. Having two runners-up in the world’s most prestigious rifle shooting competition among your current shooters is quite an achievement for any club, and we are proud of them and their achievements.
Incidentally, Paul was married to May and they welcomed their first child all within the previous few months, so he certainly had a year to remember!
October 2024
Lt. Col. Rupert Riley (79-89) was recently selected to shoot in the victorious England Rifle team at the European Long Range Championships held at Bisley over the 12th and 13th October. The match is shot over distances of 900 and 1000 yards with 2 shoots at 900x and 3 at 1000x. On a cold October weekend, England had to overturn a 10 point deficit on day 2 to secure 1st place over Scotland, with Wales finishing 3rd, the Channel Islands 4th, and Ireland 5th.
Congratulations to England and Rupert for a fine victory. This comes after Rupert's recent tour to Kenya and the Republic of South Africa in 2023 with the England Rifle Team, that was also Captained by OB Andy Barnes (76-83).
August 2024
Congratulations to Nia and Nyree Barnes who have both been selected to shoot in the National Rifle Association team to tour the Channel Islands in May 2025. This is a key developmental opportunity for future Great Britain representation and is recognition for their excellent performances in this year’s Imperial Meeting, where they were both selected to shoot in the Welsh National Team.
Nyree was also selected for the Welsh McKinnon (long range) team and her sister, Nia, was a reserve for the match.
We wish this Bedfordians sister act the best of luck in Jersey and Guernsey next year!
For more details go to https://nra.org.uk/2025-nra-team-to-the-channel-islands/
July 2024
The Imperial Meeting is over for another year, with good representation from the Bedfordians, as always.
Paul Sykes had an outstanding Meeting, being placed 14th in the Conan Doyle, 15th in the Times and 19th in the Donegall, making it through to the King’s Final and finishing 23rd in the Grand Aggregate with a score of 764.94. Paul was placed 15th in the Palma Aggregate, 18th in the Friday Aggregate, 19th in the Saturday Aggregate, 24th in the Short Range Aggregate, and 25th in the Weekend Aggregate. He was also selected for the winning England Mackinnon team.
Nyree Barnes also performed extremely well, with the top score in the Army Inter-Services Short Range Team and the second highest score in the Army Inter-Services Long Range Team (overall tied top score on points for combined short/long range inter-services overall score, being beaten by 1 V-bull by Palma World Championship team member, Major Nick Healy). Nyree was selected to shoot in the Combined Armed Forces team against England on the final Friday. She also finished 26th in the Times and 31st in the Wimbledon with scores of 50.7.
Phil Dawes was placed 14th in the Alexandra with a score of 50.7 and Marty Ebbetts won the Stickledown with 49.8.
Congratulations to all!
July 2024
A creditable performance by the Bedfordians representing Bedfordshire in the Astor County Championship shot over 300, 500, and 600 yards, finishing 7th with a score of 617.75.
The Schools Veterans match at 500 yards brings together former pupils from many schools across the country and there is always a bit of a party atmosphere. It was great to have two Bedfordians teams representing the School and both the A and B teams were placed 13th with scores of 242.26 and 229.20 respectively.