THE FIRST ever Lady's Wood Challenge, a three month clay shooting test of skill and accuracy, has ended with a thrilling finale, with twenty qualifying top shooters being invited to the Chipping Sodbury-based Shooting School for a "Super Final" and the opportunity to compete for a first prize shooting experience worth £1,000.

Throughout the Challenge, which launched in April, competitors from afar afield as the Isle of Wight have been challenged through qualifying rounds to use their skill, patience and accuracy to shoot at a wide range of one hundred moving clay targets, simulating game, pigeons and wildfowl.

The final saw a morning of fine weather and impressive shooting, with the competitors facing an assault of challenging targets, not least from Lady's Wood's 120ft high tower.

Nick Portlock, from Berkeley,Gloucestershire, eventually clinched first place, after a flawless run took him to a score of 48 out of fifty, only missing two of his final ten clays from the infamous Lady’s Wood high tower.

Other winners included Phil Marks from Hampshire (second place) and Don Brunt from Somerset who beat rival Colin Waite from Berkshire in an agonisingly close shoot-off for third place Jenny Cartwright from the Isle of Wight was announced as Lady High Gun and local lad Spencer Jones (15) was named as Junior High Scorer.

Chris Hanks, manager and instructor at Lady's Wood said: "We have enjoyed superb support for our first ever Lady's Wood Challenge and inspired shooting throughout the qualifying rounds and, in particular, the final.

"Lady's Wood Shooting School is looking forward to planning even more exciting events as we move forward. We thank everyone who took part and very much look forward to welcoming them, and others, to the Challenge in future years”.