[Music]
A tennis court is a tennis court - a rugby pitch a rugby pitch but for some sports the
design of the course makes all the difference - golf, motor racing and of course shooting
are all affected by the layout, the set-up, and make-up of the ground.
For the first time, 19-times world champion is designing a competitive shoot, the FITASC
British Grand Prix.
So what is he bringing to the party?
I want everybody to be able to walk onto every stand and think I can hit that target and
yet the subtle changes in speed angle, line of the target, takes targets off people.
So basically when they go onto a stand they think they can hit everything, yet they might
miss one or two.
George works closely with Promatic's Jamie Peackham.
George describes him as being like his golf caddy - working with him to get the best out
of each stand.
There's a lot of tinkering going on especially with a virgin ground.
Can you just move that out a touch.
Have to go out a touch so it goes through that gap rather than into the oak tree.
Is there any way we could tilt that?
Which way do you want to go?
That way.
The targets where ever you go are going to be similar in comers going away, but it is
the different settings.
And what I like is actually here.
Each stand you go to is a different setting.
So we are shooting over a cover crop here and then the trees and then you go over there
and there is a different aspect.
And then you have the platform pegged down through there.
Then George has done the rabbit stand so it is all rabbit targets.
They have been very friendly here and looked after me which is nice.
You are an old pro when it comes to this sort of thing, but you have got a novice here you
are working with, unfortunately, Mr Digweed.
How has he shaped up?
He has been very good actually.
He has shot enough targets.
He knows what he wants.
So he has been pretty easy going.
As long as he tells me what to do I just get on with it.
To give you an idea of what George is trying to achieve he takes us through the subtleties
of a target.
The target A is coming out from below your feet going straight across the field.
Now what we have done on here is we have put a bit of tilt on the trap so the shooter will
look at this target as a straight going away bird, but when they come to actually shoot
the target it is actually just tailing to the right a little bit and we are hoping to
catch an odd shooter or two out on the fact that they are going to shoot up the side of
it.
So it comes out straight at the tree and then drifts to the right.
Now, George is not only designing this competition but competing too.
Some might find this odd but, George is not into foul play and hasn't fired a single shot
here.
I really don't think there is a home advantage as such because a target is a target.
I might be able to work out slightly the subtleties of what it is doing, but I can probably over
read that and miss them because of that.
I am sure all will become apparent at the end of the weekend.
But I certainly wouldn't class a home advantage and with the standard of shooting in Britain
now, it is an open event for 50 people I would think.
Hicknaham Farm does have a game shoot but it's the first time a clay competition will
be hosted here, with help from Gamebore, CCI clays and Promatic.
So why would you put yourself through it especially when the ground is so wet?
It was last year at the world in Orvil, the.......we were all in the restaurant with ....Smith
was here and George and I said why don't we raise the profile of FITASC in the UK and
why don't we organise something at Hicknaham Farm and with the designer George Digweed
and we all spoke together and they said ok let's do it.
Are you regretting that now?
Yes!
No, we are going to deliver a fantastic venue.
The location is fantastic.
Nobody else has shot the targets.
It is on virgin ground, it is a one off and it is going to be fantastic.
Of course George can't just turn up stick out a few traps and open the doors - it all
has to be checked and verified.
Hugh Smith is the Chief Referee and with notepad at the ready he's making sure everything is
in order, but how much sway does he actually have?
There will probably be a bit of horse trading will go on so we will come to an agreement
because what I don't want to do is pull out the artist and throw his picture away.
This is what he wants.
Now I will be looking at it from a different prospective to see that it is shootable, like
I have said previously that the targets are visible, but they are good targets and safe
targets is one of the top priorities as well.
Huge describes FITSAC as the formula one of shooting sports -let us find out if that's
true - probaby best to ask the boss.
Ah it is a technical problem because when you are a sporting shooter, a FITASC sporting
shooter you must know all the technique.
You cannot stay with any hole in your technique.
When you shoot a fixed trajectory like a big drop, double drop of course you need to have
a talent, but it is a mechanical shoot.
With our shoot, with our discipline you must always use your intelligence before shooting
for every target.
You need to understand the target, the speed, the distance of the target, where it goes.
This is why we need to have very, very careful people with a lot of attention on the target.
And the champion for this game is of course George.
There is a desire to promote FITASC here - as Jean-Francoise says it is a discipline that
really pushes the competitors - And whether it's the novelty value of participating in
a Digweed designed shoot or the attraction of FITASC, a 260-plus field must show there's
a thirst for competitive shooting in this country.
[Music]