The Isle of Man Rifle Association’s Individual Championship have come to a close, with Ben Kelly finishing top of the leaderboard.
His steady form across the season earned him a final aggregate of 1474 from his best 15 scores, giving him an average of 97.83 and the edge over the rest of the field in what was a reasonably low-key campaign overall.
In a tightly fought contest, John Wood followed in second with 97.44.
Ladies Championship
Gemma Kermode claimed third place overall and top spot in the Ladies’ Championship, finishing with a superb average of 97.00.
Kermode led a strong cohort of women shooters, including Jean Quaye (96.83) and Donna Gardner (96.11), who rounded out the top three in the ladies’ championship.
In the Junior Championship, rising star Freddie Sime delivered a solid season, with an aggregate of 1118 from his best 12 matches, averaging 91.75, to take the title.
He was closely followed by Brayden Kelly on 90.08, with Josh Saunders finishing third on 87.19.
Rise & Fall
Kelly admitted he felt the pressure in the latter stages of the championship: “The rise and fall in performance keeps the drama of the Individual Championship running strong throughout the season.
“I was certainly pushed closer than I’d have liked with just a couple of matches to go.”
While this year’s overall standard was steady rather than spectacular, the championship still provided closely fought contests — a testament to the competitive spirit and camaraderie within the IOMRA community.
Manx Shooters
It also served as a valuable platform for developing shooters to gain match experience.
With room for improvement across the board, this season’s results will no doubt motivate competitors to raise their game in the summer competitions ahead.
Shooters who achieved the maximum possible score of 100 during the season include:
Paul Clague (twice), Donna Gardner (twice), Ben Kelly, John Wood, Richard Arthur, Harry Creevy, Gemma Kermode, and Tom Pirson.
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