NRA Journal - Summer 2003 - National Rifle Association

READING YOUR PALMAT Rex writesThe GunroomBCRCBisleyDear SimonSitting here, waiting for the feeling to return after the surgeon’s attentions to my right knee (last year it was theleft one), I have been reflecting on the little engagement coming your way in July. It reminded me that twentytwo years ago, after a distinctly indifferent performance in the late Freddy Payne’s 1981 GB team to Canada, Iwas asked if I was available to join the following year’s team which would contest the Palma Trophy atOttawa. I guess that it was by being the bottom score in the winning Commonwealth Match team that thisprospect appeared at all.Thinking back, I probably did not then realise exactly what that enquiry implied. Had they really got rifleranges on Majorca? If there had been a Huntley around I might have thought that someone was taking thebiscuit. Be that as it may. As a youngish (thirty something), junior and relatively dispensable member of staffI floated the need for a four weeks period of time off (using all my holiday of course) to my Director of Adminwho, in turn, put it to the Director-General. I cannot remember exactly what the words of the reply were but,to the best of my fading recollection, they ran something along the lines of “What does he think this is – aholiday camp?”Perhaps the mistake was to have been a cog working in private industry and not self-employed, or in localgovernment, the civil service or possibly the military. Thus blew out my one and only chance. You see, rivalsfor places have all got rather good and got younger - and I have not. So this year will see the 27th World LongRange Rifle Team Championships for the Palma Trophy taking place here at Bisley with Great Britain arguablyfavourites on their home ground, and I will be spectating - unless, of course you suddenly have that flash ofinspiration that requires me to step in to save the day? No? I thought as much.Simon, I am sure that I do not have to relate the history of the match. You will know it all. There is acomprehensive record that will give you the fine detail from 1876 onwards, including the scores. It will alsotell you that this year’s teams of 16 will shoot twice on consecutive days at 800, 900 and 1,000 yards at NRA ofAmerica 6 foot decimal targets, 15 shots at each distance, giving a maximum possible score of 14,400 pointsper team (900 points per shooter). The nine (or possibly ten) countries competing this year are Australia,Canada, Channel Islands, Continental Palma Council, Germany, Great Britain, Kenya (probably), South Africa,United States and West Indies (hopefully). Oh, you knew that?But Simon, what it will not tell you is the winning team and perhaps this is where I can help. I suppose that iswhat crystal balls are for. Give them a bit of spit and polish and what do we see ahead?You have had your troop practising hard for some two years. Inevitably you have had to slim down the squadand some of them received their P45s last year and returned home disappointed. Never mind that one or twofeathers may have been ruffled along the way or egos dented; life at the top is like that. By the time this letteris fished out of the waste-paper basket of time you might well have surprised us all with your final selection.You have got an exceptional pool of hardened campaigners and talented youth at your disposal.I know it is the fashion these days for every football manager to credit the opposition with equal skills, butwhat will we find alongside you on the firing point?The South Africans will be coming as reigning champions, no doubt intent upon repairing the dent in theirreputation inflicted by England’s performance in the Millennium Match and a certain RAF officer’s singlehanded demolition of their domestic championships for the past three years running. They do seem to haveproduced a team that can act as a team, with the characteristic never say die attitude of their country.At the opposite corner of the circular world the Americans can produce shooters and occasionally novel tactics.But in recent years the grape-vine might say that politics and strategy on and off the point have let them down.I would not count on this still being an issue that will inhibit their shooting skills. They have formidableshooters and I get the feeling that they are talking themselves into a challenging performance. On the law ofaverages they are due to catch up with the front runners.Reverting to the Southern Hemisphere, the Australians are fearsome on their home ranges but, unlike theirwine makers, do not seem to travel so well. Was there just a hint in past years that their selection pool has beensuffering from anno domini? I gather that they picked their team some time ago, so some might have gone30