Bradfield College won the Ashburton Shield at the Schools Meeting on 14 July 2022, shooting against 14 other schools. This Shield was last won by Bradfield in 1985 and this year’s Shooting VIII were fantastic on the day. All coached from within the team, they were steady at all 3 ranges in tricky conditions! The end result was a very happy team and a very proud coach, Steve Bates.

To commemorate Old Bradfieldian Simon Dixon (C 58-61) who shot during his time at Bradfield and was a very keen supporter of both the College and the OB Shooting team, Ashburton Day 2022 saw the inaugural presentation of the Simon Dixon Memorial Tankard. Simon was a great friend, coach and mentor of all Bradfield College shots and is sorely missed. Maya from J house with a 95&5v’s was presented with the Tankard by Simon’s wife and son, Chris and Will Dixon at the North London Rifle Club. Maya had the highest score of any cadet on the day.

The Ashburton presentations were made in the Marquee at Bisley. Steve Bates said “It was fantastic to see our cadets receive their trophies and the applause from those watching was amazing.” The standing ovation the team received from all teams at the end was also a very moving moment they will savour.

Old Bradfieldians Christina Cuming (M 15-20) and Annabel Morriss (J 16-21) were tremendously supportive to the Bradfield coaching team and worked closely with all the students at the event contributing to the fantastic outcome.

The last time Bradfield won the Ashburton Shield in the Public Schools Rifle Championships was in 1985. At that time, the Daily Telegraph reported the result and noted the win “with not a single magpie on their scoreboard.” The Reading Chronicle also commented that the College had won the competition “for the second time in five years and set a new record for the match”. They had also won 5 years earlier in 1980.

Bradfieldians involved in the 1985 win included; Richard Pleass (C 80-85 - Captain), Tom Mallinson (A 82-87), Christopher van Koetsveld (D 81-86), Rupert Breitmeyer (E 82-87), Mark Milhofer (C 81-86), Nicholas Cotton (A 82-86), Michael Carver (C 81-85), Andrew Walwyn (B 82-87), Warren Detsiny (G 83-87), Patrick Woodrow (H 84-89), Chris Griffin (C 83-88) and Duncan Butler (C 82-87) were the Cadet Four and Reserve was Andrew Cunningham (G 81-86). The master in charge of Shooting and CCF at that time was Nigel Suffield-Jones.

A board still exists in the CCF Armoury with the Shooting VIII team names listed and the page from the Bradfield Chronicle from Autumn 1985 is attached below in the Photo Gallery.

If there is anyone with any anecdotes or memories about taking part, we would love to hear from you.

Andrew Walwyn remembers: "I can remember there was a more regular army "Captain" attached to the CCF back then called Jake (sorry cant remember his surname). It was the combo of NSJ and Jake as the coaches, with very different styles of coaching that made it work.

The school was associated with a Rifle Club at Bisley and the biggest perk of being part of the shooting team was retiring to the club afterwards every week for a few pints (pricing was subsidised which was a joy for a schoolboy) to debrief the day's performance. That day we had a few extra!"

Nicholas Cotton commented: "What wonderful news and congratulations to the team.  I had no idea that we held that 'record' for so long!"

He also shared pictures of the Ashburton Shield medal from that day, and other successes in the Rutland, Kinder and a medal for marksmanship so "not a bad days haul" he said! Pictures of the medals in the Gallery below.

Looking back further to the 1980 win, the team included the following Bradfieldians;  Andrew Reed (B 75-80 - Captain), Guy Van Koetsveld (D 77-82 - Vice Captain), Martin Edwards (B 76-81), Nicholas Ives (F 76-81), Simon Stewart-Fry (C 77-82), Charles Fowler (A 77-82), Geoffrey Couldrey (B 78-83), Nicholas Parnell (H 78-82) and Ninth Man Frederick Clifford (B 77-82)

Again there is a photograph below of the team and the summary news from the Bradfield Chronicle at the time. Nigel Suffield-Jones remembers; "Andrew Reed was an outstanding captain. He shot first in the team, making the top score, and then coached the rest of the team to victory. Four days later, in the Main Meeting, he won The Daily Telegraph at 500 yards in the Main Meeting, shooting against the best in the world, and after a tie shoot. He then went to Canada with The Athelings, of which he was appointed Captain."

Martin Edwards remembers in 1980 using the Enfield No4 rifles from the WW2 era and the excitement and tension at the time realising that they had a chance of winning the Shield. He said "I do recall feeling very happy for Nigel (S-J), as he put so much of himself into Bradfield shooting, along with Jake Buchanan and Heygate Goddard, and obviously Al Reed's scores were truly remarkable on the day. I can even recall the prize-giving, and the procession out to the green outside the Artists Rifle clubhouse where the picture was taken."

Simon Fry said "I do remember the shield hanging in the dining hall. It looked very much at home there!!"

The Bradfield Chronicle of Autumn 1970 records the 1970 win. It reported 'looking back over the year one can clearly see the steady build up of results that led to the victory in the Ashburton.' In that year 'it is difficult to single out individuals in the Ashburton result as it was very much a team effort to which everybody contributed equally in one way or another. Especiallly noteworthy was Cornish's 'possible' at 200 yards and Fuglesang's 32 at 500 yards in 7 minutes (the average per firer is 11 minutes), but the most exciting shoot belonged to Pound, who in 10 minutes scored 34 out of 35, knowing that, as last to fire, all depended on him.'

Nigel Suffield-Jones also remembers; "The last few minutes of our shoot were dramatic, as we were very short of time. He had fired quickly for an apparently excellent score, and left the firing point. However, scrutiny of the register showed that he still had one shot to fire. He put his shooting kit on again, went back to the firing point and settled down. A bull’s-eye would give us victory, and anything less would hand the Shield to Clifton. With seconds left until time was up, he fired – and the rest is history."

Back in 1948 the Bradfield Chronicle notes, the pages from GC Woodbridge' Ashburton score books for the years 1891, 1893 and 1894 were donated to the College Archive. In 1893 Bradfield won the Shield. in 1894 Woodbridge's 62 was the highest individual score made. Bradfield was then second with 421 points to Rugby's 422. The Bradfield Chronicle notes. 'These score sheets have been kept with a neatness and accuracy that modern marksmen may well envy and, we hope, immitate.'