There were a few startled faces in our group of 13 Explorers as they got out of the cars as we arrived at Doveridge Clay Sports Club. The noise from the discharge of shotguns around the site was louder than many of us were expecting!

Doveridge Clay Sports Club is a top-class arena for clay shooting, set in 70 acres of countryside and offering a wide range of target shooting scenarios, across a number of different shooting disciplines. The scenery is varied, with forested areas, hillsides, open ground and even a pond (it is surprising to see ducks happily swimming around despite their surroundings and the noise!).

While many of our unit have already gained experience in air rifle shooting, this would be their first time firing a shotgun, with all of the noise, smoke and kick-back that entails. It would also be their first time shooting at targets that move, presenting a much harder challenge.

At the club house we were split into two groups, each with a qualified instructor from the club. Boxes of shotgun cartridges were handed out and we headed off to our first shoot. Who wants to go first? One at a time each Explorer took their place on the stand, a little nervously initially, but with the guidance from the instructor (“let it have it!”) the thrill of seeing the clay target explode into a thousand pieces soon had them smiling rather than frowning.

Inevitably, a little bit of competition soon set in, concentration levels went up a level as the leading shooters monitored their rivals, looking for ways to get ahead. The last shoot involved a target rolling along the floor at speed (the “rabbit”), closely followed by a high air target (the “pigeon”), and our winners were decided.

All too soon our supply of allocated cartridges ran empty, but we were all able to gather for the obligatory group photo, shotgun in hand. A great afternoon!