Two Cheshire shooters achieved some amazing successes at the Welsh Open Championship last weekend (23rd& 24thJune).
Crewe Rife club shooter Abby Warren qualified in 3rdplace in the 50M prone competition, putting up a very credible 622.3, and only being beaten by Ken Parr (European & World Cup Medallist) and Dave Phelps (current 50M prone Commonwealth Champion).
Not only was Abby’s 622.3 a new Personal Best for her, it was also a new British Women’s Junior record
Abby started shooting with her local Scout group about 5 years ago and quickly progressed through the Scout National squad, and qualified for the GB Talent squad in 2017, following an excellent shoot at the 2017 Welsh Championships. Abby is also the current Junior GB Champion, finishing in 3rdplace overall at the British Championships (only being beaten by two very experienced shooters – Lina Jones & Hannah Pugsley)
However, this was not the only success for the Warren family in Tondu. Abby’s brother Tom, clearly not wishing to be overshadowed by his younger sibling also qualified for the final of the 50M Prone, having already claimed the Junior Champion in the 3 x 40 competition putting him in 3rdplace overall.
These two exceptional juniors have only been shooting for a few years, but already have their sights set (no pun intended) on greater achievements and are both looking towards Commonwealth and Olympic competition in the future.
This level of achievement does not come easy and requires an inordinate amount of effort on behalf of the athletes themselves, and unrivalled support from their parents and family.
Their Mother (Gaynor) tells me that it costs a minimum of £5000 per year for each of them to fund their Sport of Target shooting. Currently Tom is working part time as well as studying for his A Levels to help buy the kit he needs. As the younger of the two Abby has always had Tom's hand me downs, but clearly now needs her own ‘made to measure’ suit.
Tom & Abby have created their own GoFundMe page here and would welcome any support you can give.
