Thursday 14th July 2022 saw The Humphry Match Rifle competition between Oxford University Rifle Club and Cambridge University Rifle Association rise from the Ashes, the only remnant of the match rifle Imperial to survive the Bisley fires.
Shooting started in the morning at 1000 yards with early signs of the difficult wind conditions which would persist and grow over the course of the day. CURA’s Fergus Flanagan was the man to beat with 73.9, and by the end of the hour Cambridge had claimed an early lead of seven points.
A column of smoke rising from the edge of Stickledown delayed the start of shooting at 1100, as the teams watched a succession of NRA officials heading down with brave faces and water bowsers to battle another resurgence of fire. Well-practiced after a week of firefighting, they quickly had the situation under control, and shooting resumed. The extra flag-watching time was no doubt welcome for the coaches, who had their own battle to wage against the wind, with brackets of six minutes going through zero — a challenge for both teams. By the time lunch arrived CURA had put in a steady set of performances to increase their lead by a further ten points, setting a firm challenge for OURC to take up in the afternoon.
The wind at 1200 yards after lunch was even fiercer than in the morning and shooting was marked by long periods of waiting between shots. Only one shooter managed to stay above 70 on the entire range, and Cambridge and Oxford both saw scores in the low sixties. In the end, though, it was CURA who came through triumphant, winning The Humphry 2022 with a score of 828 and 67 Vs to OURC’s 794.51.
Congratulations to the Cambridge shooters, including top scorer Alex Harrison, and their coaches Ashley Abrahams, Nick Brasier, and Si Whitby, and thanks to all who helped make sure this historic match could continue despite the fires.