Post on 23-Sep-2020
SCOTTISH
2014
Thursday 20 Feb Departure
Fly (EDI 06:35 / LON 10:55 to SFO, arr. 14:00)
Friday 21 Feb Coalinga Settle in; zeroing & practice; buy provisions
Saturday 22 Feb Coalinga California State Fullbore Championship (individual)
Sunday 23 Feb Coalinga California State Fullbore Championship (individual)
Monday 24 Feb R&R
Las Vegas / Grand Canyon
Tuesday 25 Feb R&R
Las Vegas / Grand Canyon
Wednesday 26 Feb R&R
Las Vegas / Grand Canyon (party B arrive LAX 14:55)
Thursday 27 Feb Coalinga Team Training alongside Brick-Martin Match @ 3,6,9,1000x
Friday 28 Feb Coalinga IVs @ 8, 9, 1000x (U25s, Vets, SRA vs. California etc.)
Saturday 01 Mar Coalinga California State Palma Championship (individual)
Sunday 02 Mar Coalinga California State Palma Championship (individual)
Monday 03 Mar R&R
Sequoia & King's Canyon NPs / skiing @ China Peak
Tuesday 04 Mar R&R
Yosemite National Park / skiing @ Badger Pass
Wednesday 05 Mar R&R
Yosemite NP & Gold Country / skiing @ Kirkwood
Thursday 06 Mar Sloughhouse Team Training alongside Folsom Club matches @ 3,6,9,1000x
Friday 07 Mar Sloughhouse VIIIs Scotland vs. USA & Canada @ 3,6,9,1000x (+ IVs)
Saturday 08 Mar Sloughhouse American/Canadian Match (individual)
Sunday 09 Mar Sloughhouse American/Canadian Match (individual)
Monday 10 Mar R&R
Napa & Sonoma / skiing @ Heavenly/Sierra-at-Tahoe
Tuesday 11 Mar R&R
San Francisco / skiing @ Heavenly/Sierra-at-Tahoe
Wednesday 12 Mar Sloughhouse Team training (or Plymouth wineries R&R)
Thursday 13 Mar Sloughhouse Folsom Club matches: 8, 9,1000x (individual)
Friday 14 Mar Sloughhouse VIIIs Scotland vs. USA & Canada @ 8,9,1000x (+ IVs)
Saturday 15 Mar Home
Fly home 17:15, arr. LHR 10:45, EDI 16:40 on 16 Mar
ACCOMMODATION
Shooting R&R - Harris Ranch, Coalinga - Hilton Grand Vacation Suites, Las Vegas 24505 W.Dorris Ave, CA 93210 +1(559)935-0717 - Wuksachi Lodge, Sequoia National Park - Cedar Lodge, El Portal (Yosemite) - Shenandoah Inn, Plymouth (for Sloughhouse) - Chablis Inn, Napa 17674 Village Drive, CA 95669 +1(209)245-4491 - Basecamp Hotel & Blue Jay Lodge, S.Lake Tahoe
TOUR ITINERARY
For more information about the tour: www.scotland2014usa.com
As Chairman of the Scottish Rifle Association I am very pleased to wish our Scotland
Shooting Team an enjoyable and successful tour to the United States of America in
February and March. This is not the first time we have sent an official Scotland team
to the USA - the first Scotland team to go was in 1876 for the inaugural Palma Match
at Creedmoor which was won by the USA. The next visit was 100 years later in 1976
when a Scotland team visited Washington State and Oregon and this year’s Scotland
team includes one member from that 1976 team. In Scotland we use the Blair Atholl
range in the Highlands for most of our international matches and in 2011 we were
pleased to welcome the USA F/TR team for a long range international match which
was shot on the 4th
of July. On that occasion the match was won by Scotland,
benefitting from local knowledge of the tricky wind conditions that prevail at Blair
Atholl.
I am sure the team will enjoy their visit to the USA and make new friends when
shooting at Coalinga and Sloughhouse and there is a very full programme of events
including international matches against the USA and Canada. The team will also have
the opportunity to see some of the iconic sights at Yosemite National Park and the
Grand Canyon, as well as a rare chance to go skiing while on a shooting tour.
I must thank Matt Charlton, Captain of the Scotland Team, for recommending the
team visit to the USA and for all the work he has done in organising the tour which I
am sure will be an enjoyable and memorable time for all the team.
Tim Kidner
Chairman, Scottish Rifle Association
SRA CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD
Follow the team at: www.scotland2014usa.com
USA Rifle Team
On behalf of the US Rifle Team it is with the greatest pleasure that we welcome the Scottish Rifle Team to the great State of California! The Scottish people played an important role in settling California beginning before the Gold Rush of 1849. Approximately 1.5 million Scots have immigrated to America — they have been settling here since the earliest Colonial days. The number of Americans who have some Scottish heritage is enormous. The surnames of Scots can be found throughout the United States on our maps and gazetteers. There are more than 100 place names that begin with "Mac" or "Mc" and you'll find eight Aberdeens, eight Edinburghs, seven Glasgows and eight places that bear the name Scotland. Competition will be will be fantastic with three team matches and a whole lot of individual matches including the California Fullbore Championships, California Palma Championships, the American-Canadian Rifle Matches, and the Zinsmaster Long Range Regional. We are planning on having a great time with you and hope that our hospitality and the riches of California’s scenery, fine restaurants and vineyards will bring you back soon. Very best regards, Dennis Flaharty, Captain US Rifle Team
Team Captain: Dennis Flaharty 4785 Bullard Drive Shingle Springs, CA 95682 Email: dflaharty@smi.tv
USA CAPTAIN’S WELCOME
WHO AM I? 1. Which team member has a titanium heart implant?
I am deeply honoured to have been asked by SRA Council to lead the Scottish team to the USA, and very
grateful to our friends in California for having invited us to join them in some convivial competition.
Thanks are due in particular to Dennis Flaharty and Jim O’Connell for all their help, to Bob Pitcairn of
Canada for his enthusiasm for some keen team competition, to Mick Barr for his advice (from the point
of view of a Brit shooting in California), to the SRA and our sponsors (see page 22) for their support, and
to the team - especially Adjutant Iain Thomson - for all their work so far.
There will be much that is “new” about this tour. We are greatly looking forward to shooting in a new
environment, on unfamiliar ranges, and to trying to master their particular challenges. We will also be
shooting at, for us, an unusual time of year, and hope that making such an early start to our season will
stand us in good stead in the summer, as well as allowing us to combine skiing with shooting for the first
time!
Among the sixteen team members that we are taking to California, who range from four “veterans” to
four Under 25s, there are no fewer than eight who have yet to represent Scotland at senior level. My
main hope for this tour is that it should help them develop their team shooting skills such that they can
win full caps and contribute to Scottish successes in the near future. I have no doubt that being tested
by such strong US and Canadian teams will be very beneficial to all of us.
We greatly look forward to the beauty of California, to renewing acquaintances and to making a lot of
new friends among the Californian, other American and Canadian competitors, all of whom will be very
welcome to join us on our own lovely range at Blair Atholl (below) when they next visit the UK.
Matthew Charlton
Captain, Scottish Rifle Team to the USA (California) 2014
SCOTLAND CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE
2. Which team member has a left big toe longer and fatter than the right one?
Captain
Vice Captain
Adjutant
Coach/Treasurer
Shooters
Matthew Charlton
Richard Scott
Iain Thomson
Hamish Hunter
Jamie Campbell
Stephanie Dick
Niall Duncan
Jonathan Ford
Sandy Gill
Claire Halleran
Will Hanley
Iain Hindshaw
Kenny MacDonald
Euan Maclean
James Shepherd
Henry Watson
Great Britain, Scotland & London
Scotland
Scotland & West of Scotland
Great Britain, Scotland & West of Scotland
Sussex
East of Scotland RC
West of Scotland
Scotland & Gloucestershire
Scotland & London
West of Scotland
Northants, Leics & Rutland
West of Scotland
Scotland
East of Scotland RC
Oxfordshire
Scotland & West of Scotland
The “California Match” claret jug and the Caledonian Quaich are to be presented by the Scottish Rifle Team for the
international VIIIs matches on this tour and to promote future international/VIIIs matches in California.
The Quaich (right), originally made of wood, is a traditional cup of friendship or welcome. It may be offered with a dram
of whisky (or lots of drams, in such a huge quaich) within and the recipient should, on accepting it, drink the contents and
(in the inimitable words of the late David Hossack) “turn it over and kiss it on its bottom!”
TEAM LIST
3. Which team member went through Checkpoint Charlie
in Berlin without a passport during the Cold War?
4. Which team member has played the bagpipes underwater?
This team follows in a long line of Scots, who have been coming to America for over 1000 years! The first Scots in North America are believed to have come with the Vikings: a Hebridean bard is said to have accompanied Bjarni Herjolfsson on his voyage around Greenland in 985 which sighted the mainland, and the sagas suggest that slaves Hake and Hekja, who scouted for Thorfinn Karlsefni's expedition in 1010, were the first to set foot on the American continent, gathering wheat and grapes from Vinland.
The earliest Scottish communities in America were formed by traders and planters, with many in Virginia, whose tobacco was exported to Glasgow in defiance of English trade restrictions (until the Act of Union in 1707). Soon after, Presbyterian Dissenters fled persecution to settle in South Carolina and New Jersey, where they retained their distinctive culture. Population growth and the commercialization of agriculture in Scotland led to mass emigration to America after the French and Indian War, in which Scottish Highland regiments had served as Indian fighters. More than 50,000 mostly west coast Scots settled in the Thirteen Colonies between 1763 and 1776, the majority in their own communities in the South, especially North Carolina.
The Scottish Enlightenment contributed enormously to the intellectual germination of the American Revolution. According to the historian Arthur Herman: “Americans built their world around the principles of Adam Smith and Thomas Reid, of individual interest governed by common sense and a limited need for government.” No fewer than nineteen of the fifty-six delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence came from Scotland or Ulster or, like the Scottish-tutored Thomas Jefferson, had ancestors there. Scottish Americans who made major contributions to the revolutionary war included Commodore John Paul Jones, the "Father of the American Navy", Generals Henry Knox and William Alexander, and George Washington’s friend General Hugh Mercer, who fought for Charles Edward Stuart at Culloden.
Most Scottish Americans, though, had commercial ties with the old country or clan allegiances and stayed true to the Crown. The Scottish Highland communities of upstate New York and the Cape Fear valley of North Carolina were centres of Loyalist resistance. A small force of Loyalist Highlanders fell at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776, and Scotch-Irish Patriots defeated Scottish American Loyalists in the Battle of King’s Mountain in 1780. A lot of Scottish American Loyalists emigrated to Canada after the war.
Among the most famous Scottish American soldier frontiersmen were Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, the founding father of Texas. Another Sam, Samuel Wilson whose parents sailed to America from Greenock, provided the army with beef and pork in barrels during the War of 1812. The barrels were prominently labeled "U.S." for the United States, but it was jokingly said that the letters stood for "Uncle Sam" – he was (officially) the original Uncle Sam. Scottish immigration peaked in the 19th century, when more than a million Scots left for the United States, taking advantage of regular Atlantic steam-age shipping, itself largely a Scottish creation.
Scottish immigrants have had a huge influence on American life:
- 23 US Presidents have claimed Scottish descent, including Monroe, Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant (President when the Scottish Rifle Team first shot in the USA!), McKinley, Wilson, Truman, Nixon and every President since Jimmy Carter!
- In US motor, air and space: Winton, Buick, the Loughead brothers (Lockheed), Douglas (maker of the DC-3), McDonnell which merged with Douglas to develop jet aircraft, missiles and spacecraft, including the Mercury and Gemini capsules. The first Americans in space (Shepard), in orbit (Glenn), to spacewalk untethered (McCandless) and to land on the moon (Armstrong and Aldrin) were all of Scottish descent. Armstrong paraded through Langholm in a kilt in 1972;
- In food: Scottish settlers introduced fried chicken into the Southern Colonies, Campbell started his soup business in 1869, Kellogg changed breakfast cereal from 1906, and Glen Bell and Arch West introduced Taco Bell and Doritos - Jonny Borland would be proud!
- Scottish inventions the telephone, television, pneumatic tyre, overhead valve engine, radar, penicillin, ATM, PIN and golf club have all been more commonly used in America than anywhere else; and
Even African American Gospel singing was introduced and encouraged by Scottish Gaelic speaking settlers from North Uist as early as 1740!
The number of Americans of Scottish descent today is estimated to be 20-25 million, dwarfing the 4.5 million ethnic Scottish in Scotland’s own census. And of course the US state with the largest “Scottish” population is California, with 519,955 – attracted, no doubt, to places such as Ben Lomond, Bonny Doon, Inverness and Irvine (there’s also a California - an old pit village - in Scotland!). California also has its own tartan (as featured on this brochure’s cover) and hosts USA’s biggest Highland Games at Pleasanton in August. There’s even a Scottish Games & Festival in the Sacramento Valley in April! Perhaps some of the local Scots will come out to watch us...
THE SCOTS IN AMERICA
5. Which team member once climbed Mount Kilimanjaro… by mistake?
MATTHEW CHARLTON (Captain)
Matthew started shooting at RGS Guildford when
he was 13 and still hopes to learn to do so
tolerably well. Wind coaching is his main strength
and was his role on previous GB, Scotland and
club tours to Canada, Australia, South Africa,
USA, New Zealand and the West Indies. This is
his 4th Scotland tour and his 3rd
trip with a rifle to
the USA, following the 2012 beard-growing trip
to Camp Perry and stops at Pinehurst and LA on
the way to Scotland's 2000 tour to Australia!
Matt has 39 “Big Five” appearances under his
belt, including 35 in the National and Mackinnon.
He is very proud of Scotland's 2010 and 2011
National wins - their first back to back victories
for 110 years - and would love to build on recent
performances to achieve something similar in the
Mackinnon. The California tour promises to
develop a number of shooters into strong
contenders for both matches this summer.
An Oxford graduate, Matt has an institutional
stockbroking background but aims to start using
some of his seven languages more fully in the
near future. He rows (competing until recently)
and enjoys cycling, skiing and snowboarding
when there’s time... which there will be on tour!
RICHARD SCOTT (Vice-Captain)
Richard was born in Yorkshire, brought up a
Lancastrian, and is now an adopted Scot living in
Perthshire. He took to target rifle later in life than
most, following interests ranging from pistols to
muzzleloaders. On the Altcar range in Lancashire
he was introduced to target rifle and he shot with
Altcar RC and the county team for many years.
On moving to Scotland eleven years ago for
“quality of life”, the only important criterion for
finding a property was accessibility to a local rifle
range. West Atholl’s range in Glen Tilt fitted the
bill. It has to be one of the most scenic ranges in
the world, although the shooting season is
somewhat restricted due to the Scottish climate
(albeit augmented during the shorter days with
some fur and feather). Richard is still not sure if
he will ever get to grips with the vagaries of the
Blair Atholl winds...
At home in Perthshire, Richard’s wife Susan
tolerates his sport, while his dogs sit patiently,
wondering why with all the shooting there is
nothing to retrieve. Instrumental in the
introduction of electronic targets to Blair Atholl,
Richard is also kept occupied by maintenance
during the winter months.
THE TEAM
6. Which team member has shot in North and South America,
Asia, Africa and Oceania but never continental Europe?
IAIN THOMSON (Adjutant)
Iain started shooting at Kelvinside Academy in
Glasgow when he was 12. A Glasgow University
Electronics and Electrical Engineering graduate,
he worked for Rolls-Royce for three years before
joining the Royal Navy as a submariner,
ultimately becoming the weapons engineer
looking after the Trident system in HMS
Victorious.
Iain was a member of the Scottish team to Canada
(British Columbia & Connaught) in 2005, and this
tour will be his third visit to California. The first
was by road – Boston to San Francisco and back
in 14 days, much to the surprise of the rental
company! The second visit was for his
honeymoon – that time travelling by air.
Iain is now retired and lives in Portsmouth with
his wife June. He fills his time organising Royal
Navy target shooting, walking his two
Labradoodles, travelling and drinking wine.
During the tour he hopes to drink some
Californian wine and visit parts of the state he
missed on his previous visits.
JAMIE CAMPBELL
Jamie first took to shooting on the farm in the
Scottish Borders where he was brought up. The
country estate, which his father managed,
provided the perfect backdrop to develop his
passion and, as soon as Jamie started at
Glenalmond College, he joined the school target
rifle team, leading to his first exploits at Bisley.
After leaving Glenalmond, Jamie went on to
Aberdeen University where he shot with and
eventually captained the university team as well
as the Scottish Universities team. After
graduation, Jamie’s career abroad meant he was
unable to continue with his shooting until he
settled back in the UK.
After a 14 year gap from shooting, Jamie found
himself living close to Bisley and propelled
himself back into the target shooting world by
joining the NLRC. He has not looked back since
and is delighted to have been included in this tour
to California after only three years back in the
fold. This will be his first tour with Scotland.
Jamie is a mechanical engineer by background
and, after pursuing an MBA, moved into the
world of corporate strategy and change
management. He currently lives in Sussex with
his wife and two black labradors.
THE TEAM
7. Which team member was once arrested by Serbian border guards (over a woman!)?
STEPHANIE DICK
Steph started shooting seven years ago at Dollar
Academy, starting with smallbore before
progressing to fullbore. Steph took to it quickly
and knew that it was going to be a sport she
enjoyed and wanted to continue. She was in the
UK Cadets squad in 2011 and then a member of
the GB U19 team in 2013 for a first touring
experience in South Africa - a big eye opener.
Steph is very excited to go on only her second
tour and to gain experience in a new country and
hopefully to improve her shooting to the point of
being selected for Scotland and the GB U25 team.
Outside shooting, Steph has a strong interest in
farming and cattle as well as being a keen hockey
player and horse rider.
THE TEAM
NIALL DUNCAN
Niall first began shooting in 2006 when he joined
the Oratory where he shot .22, cadet GP, cadet
target rifle and 12 gauge shotgun (with the
Oratory Clay Club). In his final year he shot with
the UK Cadet long range team and he has also
represented West of Scotland. He is also a
founding member of the Oratory Cardinals RC.
Niall loves the outdoors, participating in sailing,
rugby, hiking, climbing, abseiling, canoeing,
kayaking, skiing and snowboarding (which he
hopes to do at Lake Tahoe while on tour, having
done a season in Austria as a ski instructor).
Niall also plays the bagpipes, which he will be
taking to California with him (to Hamish’s and
Henry’s relief). Soon after the tour, Niall will be
looking to join the forces, specifically the Royal
Marines where he hopes to fit right in.
8. Which team member was once trapped in a bathroom by two lions?
JONATHAN FORD
Jonathan is 26 and started his shooting career
whilst at school in Cheltenham before going on to
set up the Birmingham University Rifle Shooting
Club during his time there. He has spent most of
his life in Gloucestershire, although he now
travels further afield in his job as a pilot.
Jon has shot for his county since the age of 16 and
for the GB Under 25 team on numerous
occasions. His first Scotland cap came in the
National in 2012, followed by further caps in the
National and the European Long Range. This will
be his first overseas tour representing Scotland.
Other than shooting and his passion for flying,
Jon is also a keen rugby player when time allows!
ALEXANDER GILL
Sandy is 31 and lives in London. He is a Captain
in the Army and, although Scottish, is serving
with The Royal Welsh (and has a GSOH).
Sandy has toured South Africa with the Army in
2005 and Australia with Scotland in 2010, but this
is his first target rifle shooting visit to the USA.
In another guise he is Captain of the British Army
Combat Shooting Team and has shot with the US
Army Marksmanship Unit as well as taking tours
to Canada in 2011 and 2012. He will take the
Army team to Australia later this year and is
trying to visit all continents courtesy of the Army
but feels he may struggle to justify shooting in
Antarctica (unlike the team Captain)!
Outside of shooting Sandy has been known to
hack his way around a golf course and play a very
ropey game of bridge and backgammon.
CLAIRE HALLERAN
Claire began shooting at Mary Erskine’s School
for Girls, where it seemed a fantastic thing to do,
being one of the few activities where the girls
could join with boys’ school Daniel Stewarts and
Melville College. At age 14, these things are
important.
The shooting and socialising continued until the
end of student life when, after graduating from
Glasgow School of Art, she disappeared for
several years to travel around the world. A few
years passed before there was a serious return to
shooting. Claire now shoots with the West of
Scotland and is looking forward to her first
Scotland tour and first trip to California.
When not shooting, Claire is a self-employed
freelance theatrical set and costume designer,
which mostly keeps her out of trouble, but there is
always time to squeeze in some snowboarding
and wine appreciation, for which California will
be perfect!
THE TEAM
9. Which team member had to get quickly to grips with
a .45 Desert Eagle the last time he shot overseas?
WILLIAM HANLEY
Will began shooting when at Wellingborough
School from 1998, progressing to full bore in
2000. He has represented Northants,
Leicestershire & Rutland (that’s all one team!)
since 2007 and toured the Channel Islands with
the NRA team in 2009. Last year he shot for the
record-breaking Surrey RA team in the Purples
Match and came second with Northants in the
KGV final (a competition for which he hopes not
to be eligible for much longer!).
Outside of shooting, Will’s main pursuits are in
politics and the restaurant industry. He helped
establish a new political think tank in 2012, which
has fortunately gone from strength to strength
thus far. His passion, however, lies in food; in the
past he has been a broadcaster and freelance
journalist on the subject, based in London, and he
intends to get back in the saddle as soon as
possible by undertaking an intensive diploma at
one of the UK's leading facilities.
This will be Will’s first national tour and his first
visit to the west coast of the USA. He is very
much looking forward to the high standard of
competition and, of course, the gastronomic
opportunities along the way.
HAMISH HUNTER
Hamish is a past Captain of Scotland and has also
served as Chairman of the Scottish Rifle
Association. He was born and still lives near
Glasgow and is an accountant, hence his position
as Team Treasurer which means he’s got all our
money.
Hamish started shooting in 1964 while at school
and has been on numerous trips, including GB
Target Rifle teams to Australia and New Zealand
and also the GB Match Rifle Team to Australia in
2004, as well as Scotland tours to Canada,
Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and
GB Goodwill Teams to the Falkland Islands,
Trinidad and Barbados. He has represented
Scotland for over 40 years in TR and over 25
years in MR.
Hamish’s individual results include 10 Queen’s
Final badges, including a second place in 1992, as
well as wins in both the Scottish Championship
and the Caledonian Shield. He has been
developing an interest in golf and hopes to play
more often... and hopefully improve!
THE TEAM
10. Which team member is a 2nd Dan judo black belt and won national medals at school?
THE TEAM
11. Which team member broke a brother’s nose…… with a rifle?
IAIN HINDSHAW
Iain began shooting at The Glasgow Academy and
competed in a variety of interschool smallbore and fullbore
competitions. Despite spending most of his time during
university days at the University of Strathclyde, he was an
active member of the Glasgow University Rifle Club thanks
to a degree in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
given jointly by the two universities. Iain held committee
positions, starting as club secretary before taking on the role
of fullbore captain and finally club President.
After leaving university, Iain moved to London to work.
Despite a demanding travel schedule, Iain does his best to
fit in skiing, mountaineering and occasionally some
shooting in his spare time!
KENNETH MACDONALD
Kenny is 65 and lives in Cairngorm National Park in the
Highlands of Scotland. Having retired from the coach
building business he owned, he spends much of his time
enjoying smallbore at the local Dulnain Bridge club and
fullbore at West Atholl RC in Blair Atholl, where his eye
is kept mostly on the wind flags! Kenny also enjoys
indoor and outdoor bowling.
Kenny started shooting at an early age and has gone on to
win a range of trophies. He has toured Australia, the
Channel Islands, Canada and Northern Ireland (six times)
and has shot twice in the National, as well as for the
Scottish smallbore team. He will return to the USA and
Canada later this year on his first Great Britain tour.
Kenny is married with three daughters, four
grand-daughters and one grandson.
EUAN MACLEAN
Euan first started shooting when he was 13, with the cadets
at Dollar Academy, showing some early promise. His only
touring experience was to Canada in 2011 with the
Athelings, which he loved; it showed him exactly how
much fun touring can be. He is very proud to be selected to
tour with Scotland and can’t wait to get his royal blue
touring blazer and to shoot against the Americans.
Scotland’s National wins inspired Euan to strive to be able
to contribute to future victories.
In life away from shooting, Euan studies Architecture in
Aberdeen and is currently in his 3rd year, hoping to move to
London next year for his placement. He also enjoys a
variety of sport, especially rugby and football, and loves to
watch football on Saturdays when his team are playing.
THE TEAM
12. Which team member once was a promising figure skating prospect?
JAMES SHEPHERD
James began shooting both smallbore and fullbore at
RGS Guildford at the age of 15, and continued to do so
whilst at university. This is his first ever tour and he is
greatly looking forward to gaining experience on the
different ranges in California (as well as getting in a
touch of decidedly average skiing).
James's previous team shooting appearances include the
Inter-Counties for Oxfordshire, the U25s National for
Scotland and the Chancellors, Humphry and BUCS for
Oxford University. He is very proud to have captained
Oxford to the BUCS team fullbore gold medal last
summer. He hopes the experience gained in California
and in the Channel Islands later in the year will help him
to develop the skills required to compete for a place in
one of the big Scottish team matches in the summer.
James studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at
Oxford and has recently started working as a Finance
Consultant at Deloitte.
HENRY WATSON
From ‘plinking’ at tin cans with a .22 air gun on the
seashore at the age of 10, through full bore rifle in his
mid-teens, with diversions into semi-automatic small
arms, 4.5 inch guns, and to a variety of missiles as a
Naval Warfare Officer in his 20s, 30s and 40s, Henry has
maintained an interest in accurate shooting throughout
his school (Glasgow Academy), university (St.
Andrews), and Armed Forces careers, and has
concentrated on target rifle shooting and coaching skills
now that he is a masseur and sports therapist in Guildford
(conveniently close to the splendid ranges at Bisley).
Henry has represented Scotland on an occasional basis
since 1968 and has very much enjoyed team tours to
Jersey, Australia (twice), and Canada. He is looking
forward to the California tour being even bigger and
better in all respects.
Very appreciative of the finer things in life, Henry has
prudently curbed his appetites for beer, fine wine and
good food since coronary artery by-pass surgery in 2007;
he now revels in the company of his friends, maintains
an interest in malt whisky and enjoys travel and a very
wide variety of music. Alas, his team colleagues seldom
acknowledge his noise-making efforts on the Great
Highland Bagpipe as being “music”.
13. Which team member once took a live tiger to
Switzerland in the back of a Range Rover?
Coalinga, unusually, began as a
mining town but survived. It
started with coal, but oil
provided over 100 years of
relative prosperity
There was a
minor oil rush in
1865 but limited
need for
petroleum at the
time meant it was
the coal
discoveries that
convinced the
Southern Pacific
Railroad to
extend its tracks
from Huron in
1891
There were three coaling
stations: “A”, “B” and
“C”. The name Coalinga
derives from “Coaling”
and Station “A” – the
railroad sign will have
read “COALING A”
Legendary bandit Joaquin
Murrieta was killed in 1853
at Arroyo de Catuna, near
Coalinga. Known as the
“Mexican Robin Hood”, he
could easily have been a
McGregor!
Since 1933,
Coalinga has
run a Horned
Toad Derby
In the early 1990s, because
of weather, GB fired a single
shot MR match (one shot by
each captain) against the
USA at Coalinga
Coalinga’s
motto is “The
Sunny Side of
the Valley”.
Let’s hope so!
Although the Portuguese
were in California by 1542,
Sacramento Valley wasn't
discovered until 1808
John Sutter, in exchange for
taking Mexican citizenship, was
granted the right to establish
"New Helvetia" (complete with
private army) in the Sacramento
Valley in 1839
After the Bear Flag Revolt, the Mexican-
American War ended with New Helvetia under
U.S. control. Sutter's empire crumbled when
gold was found: prospectors over-ran his land,
divvied it up and slaughtered his cattle
Plymouth was originally
named Pokerville, then
Puckerville and started a
mile downstream of its
present location
Plymouth is a top wine producing region of
the Sierra foothills but formerly revolved
around the Plymouth gold mine
Plymouth is
the official
home and
physical HQ of
the Band of
Miwok Indians.
Shenandoah
was the name of
Duval's starship
in Star Trek:
Enterprise
Sacramento Valley has a Caledonian
Club, a St. Andrew's Society, a
Scottish American Military Society
post, a Daughters of Scotia lodge and
a Clan Gunn Society branch!
In 1976, Alistair Munro's team
went to BC, Oregon & Washington
where shooting was on a golf-
green-like 300m range and at a
huge camp used for training and
flying soldiers to Vietnam
The unofficial 1979 team to
South Africa presented the
Scottish Sword
Hamish’s 1992 Scotland team beat
Great Britain in one match! Now there
are rules to stop that happening...
The 1992 team to New
Zealand wrote, and
performed, a Scottish
version of the Maori
"haka" for their hosts
A lady in Canada asked members of "the famous Scottish rifle
team" in 1995 if they could please repeat the previous night's
skinny dip in the river!
In 1998 in Germany, Scotland
earned the nickname
"Cross-Schottland"
David Hossack's 2000 team to Australia came 2nd in a
karaoke contest, danced an eightsome reel to "The
Teddy Bears' Picnic" and dropped one point at the last
range to win their big match by a single point
Bill Sharman's
2005 team
spent a week
on a coach in
BC and Alberta.
Happily much
of that was to
wineries!
The 2010 team to Australia
dressed up as Victorians for
a "Night in the Museum"
Scottish teams have also toured
Canada (1981), Kenya (1983),
South Africa (2009), Devon, the
Channel Islands & Northern
Ireland (many times!)
Scotland’s first tour to the USA
was to Creedmoor in 1876
INTERESTING...
COALINGA
SLOUGHHOUSE
The California State Tartan shown here and on the cover features
Pacific blue, meadow green, redwood, charcoal and gold seams
PREVIOUS SCOTLAND TOURS
14. Which team member once was a champion weightlifter?
Tel: 0845 123 5571
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Email: info@mckaylaw.co.uk
McKay Law Solicitors & Advocates is a niche practice specialising primarily in criminal law, human rights, regulatory work and public law. Within these areas of work we have particular expertise in dealing with cases involving covert policing, intelligence or terrorist related issues, witness protection and other Article 2 issues such as fatal shootings by the State and prosecuting child protection relat ed cases.
The practice has a unique list of prestigious public authorities and private clients including Police Forces and government depart ments, National Sports Regulatory Bodies, Premiership Football Players and other celebrities.
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The firm prides itself on giving each of its clients first class representation whether it’s a national newspaper or a private individual.
TOUR MAP
15. Which team member received his earliest speeding
ticket on his first trip to California?
Coalinga range
Sequoia &
Kings Canyon
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Yosemite
National Park
Heavenly
Kirkwood
Badger Pass
China Peak
Sloughhouse range
Napa Valley
San Francisco
SCOTS ARE BRITS TOO! (FOR NOW)
A recent missive from one international rifle team captain to his squad, referring to the opposition at a series of matches, mentioned “England (the Brits)”, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland. We’re not quite sure what the others had done to be classed implicitly as non-Brits, but equating “British” with “English” is a common mistake. The French, although they possess a word for “British”, barely use it, preferring “anglais” which makes their understanding of the distinction harder. The Spanish and Portuguese, likewise, use “ingles”. No such excuses for English speakers though! Having said that, we non-English Brits don't mind at all when any negative ex-colonial thoughts are directed at the English rather than the rest of us; but it can be a bit of a drag to have tourists (who are trying to be nice) come to Edinburgh or Cardiff and say "Gee I love it here in England" – akin to saying that San Francisco’s a lovely bit of Canadia!
Believe it or not, there are Englishmen who equate the two things. The English will (almost) always cheer for both their own home nation (England) and Great Britain in international competition – many because they are lovely people, and because it makes sense to do so, but some because they think England and GB are the same thing. The Scots and the Welsh (and Ulstermen when it's "Great Britain and Northern Ireland" at the Olympics) do too, but only for the former reason; and sometimes they don’t, just for fun (or if they’re secessionists or have simply had enough of being thought of as English when they’re not). Scottish Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, for example, famously joked when he was younger that he would root for “anyone that’s playing [against] England” and has never been able to live it down... until, that is, he won Gold and Silver in Great Britain colours at the 2012 Olympics, an event that did help greatly with the “Team GB” sporting identity.
Outsiders’ confusion is understandable though. After all, Brits do have a tendency to field joint and separate teams in various sports – often (like in shooting, rugby or other Commonwealth Games sports) in the same sport! Why is that? Well, largely it's an accident of history. You see, a great number of the world's sports were invented in Britain (in fact in England, let's face it), and the Brits were playing them long before others did because the English exported them across their land borders first. The first international matches tended mostly to be between England and Scotland
(e.g. association football in 1872, and the National Match at Bisley in 1864), before Ireland and Wales would join in (in 1865 and 1881 respectively in the National). Eventually other countries would tend to join in with something that was already established, and in those days people were polite enough not to seek to change the way things were. Additionally, of course, allowing the constituent states of the UK to compete separately meant more teams for the others to play against as well as an ego massage for the creators of the sports – let’s not forget that the British teams declined to enter the first three soccer World Cups because they thought (erroneously) that the Home Internationals were of a vastly superior standard… and Uruguay was far too far to travel for the first one! There were exceptions to the pattern described: the first “international” cricket match was, quite bizarrely, between the USA and Canada in 1844!
So sometimes you will shoot against us as Scots and sometimes as Brits! There are two members of this team, and four Scots in total, who will travel to Camp Perry and Connaught this summer as part of the Great Britain team, but we’re still Scots too! For now at least... there’s a Scottish independence vote later this year, so – improbable though it may be - perhaps those will be the last Scots to shoot for GB!
N.I
16. Which team member didn’t quite get round to providing
an interesting fact about himself?
17. Where in this brochure can you find someone whose birthplace, residence and shooting nationality cover all three of USA, Canada & Scotland ?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For photos, results and diary: www.scotland2014usa.com
A big thank you from the team goes to all of the following for their help and support:
SCOTLAND – WINNERS OF THE NATIONAL MATCH 2010 & 2011
If you live in Scotland, or if you or any of your parents or grandparents were born in Scotland,
and you would be interested in joining the Scotland squad, e-mail mjjcharlton@gmail.com
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