Category Archives: Sport & Fitness

Sports Memorabilia Company Teams Up With FA And England Squad.

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SPORTS MEMORABILIA COMPANY FORMS UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FA AND ENGLAND SQUAD

Sportsrabilia has collaborated with the England football team to produce a unique and exclusive collection of memorabilia to offer fans the chance to buy a piece of football history.

Under the new deal between Sportsrabillia and The FA, limited edition pieces signed by stars such as Steven Gerrard, Ashley Young and John Terry will be available prior to Christmas 2011. There will be further collections released in the build up to and during the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine and the forthcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The product range will feature high-impact imagery, player biographies, landmark achievements, actual sections of match balls and full squad pieces and will carry the signatures and authentication of the England team.

The England Collection will be available to buy from www.sportsrabilia.com and will be competitively priced starting at £150. A selection of individual items will also be made available for auction at charity events around the UK, helping raise money for worthwhile causes.

The exclusive range will be authenticated and protected to levels previously unseen in the UK. Each piece will include a hologram, FA stamp and a certificate of authenticity signed by a member of The FA and a representative of Sportsrabilia present at the signing session. These lengths have been taken to both protect the players and The FA but most importantly the Sportsrabilia customers.

Commenting on the partnership, FA spokesperson Nicky Stanton said: “The Sportsrabilia range will give England fans a chance to buy a piece of football history and feel closer to the England team. They can also be assured that they are purchasing a fully licensed and authenticated product.’’

Danny Schindler, Chief Executive Officer of Sportsrabilia added: “We are delighted and proud to be working with the FA and the England squad. This partnership will create a unique range of items that will be ideal for collectors and make the perfect gift for football fans across the country in the run-up to Christmas.”

Rugby World Cup Fans Face Hotel Hike.

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RUGBY WORLD CUP FANS FACE AVERAGE HOTEL PRICE HIKES OF 29%

Impact of major sporting events on room rates revealed in Hotels.com new HPI

British rugby fans travelling to the World Cup in New Zealand are facing steep average price increases of 29% for hotel rooms, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI).

The booking demand for the six-week tournament in the first six months of the year contributed to the sharp rise with the average room rates in the host cities of Wellington up 29% to £73 per night and Auckland up 11% to £68 per night. The overall rate in New Zealand itself also rose 14% to £70.

As well as big rugby showpieces, the Hotels.com report reveals how Formula One Grand Prix racing can affect prices and occupancy rates in venue cities with the sport being one of the factors behind a 22% jump in Melbourne to £96 and a 5% rise in Barcelona to£102.

Sports fans also helped to boost the price of a room in London by 3% to £113 with the city at full occupancy for the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

The latest HPI also charts how prices can fall dramatically after a major sports event such as the football World Cup in South Africa. The country saw its average room rate tumble by 17% in the first six months of the year to £105 with host cities Cape Town down 20% to £100 and Johannesburg down 13% to £111.

The statistics could provide a pointer to what could happen in London before, during and after the 2012 Olympics with some industry insiders already predicting rates could jump as high as 50%.

Alison Couper of Hotels.com, said: “Prestige sporting events are key drivers of hotel prices and can lead to double-digit percentage increases as many rugby fans have found.

“What is happening in New Zealand and what happened in South Africa could provide a foretaste for what might occur in London next year. It is expected that several thousand additional hotel rooms will be available in the city in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. However, despite the extra capacity, we would urge people thinking of coming to London next summer to book their accommodation as soon as they can as the demand and prices could soar the closer we get to the event.

“London is always popular with both domestic and foreign travellers but the Games are set to take that popularity to a new level.”

The impact of other non-sporting, one-off events on hotel prices could also be seen in the report. Dublin witnessed a 7% increase in the average cost of a room to £73 with the visits of the Queen and Barack Obama in May enhancing the city’s profile and appeal. Dusseldorf also saw an increase by 17% to £100 after the German city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May.

The Hotels.com HPI tracks the real prices paid per hotel room (rather than advertised rates) for 125,000 properties around the world. The latest HPI looks at prices in the first half of 2011 compared tothose in the first half of 2010.

The Stig, a Black Cab…and Chris Evans

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The Stig, a Black Cab…and Chris Evans

• Top Gear Live’s tame racing driver in 400bhp London ExCeL blat

The Stig gave television and radio presenter, Chris Evans, a truly memorable ride yesterday morning when he took to the wheel of a Black Cab for a quick tour of ExCeL London, the capital’s venue for the all-new Top Gear Live 2011 (November 24-27th). The show also visits the NEC in Birmingham between 11 – 13 November.

Petrolhead, Evans, jumped in the back of a rather unique 400bhp version of the iconic London taxi to announce his appearance at this year’s show where he will take part in a special live rendition of Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

Negotiating service ramps, the underground car park, power-sliding through the show halls and across the central boulevard, The Stig gave his passenger a whirlwind tour of the 100,000 square metre venue.

Billed as ‘The Ultimate Top Gear Experience’, visitors can expect all the on-screen, supercharged excitement of the TV show rolled into one event, with the famous presenting trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May previously seen in the TopGearLive action arena now spilling out into the rest of the event.

At the centre of the new format is the new Top Gear indoor track featuring highlights from the TV show including Stig Power Laps and ‘Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car’ as well as the Top Gear Stunt Team, mouth-watering head-to-heads and supercar parades.

BBC Radio 2 breakfast DJ and One Show presenter, Chris Evans will appear on 24th November at London ExCel. Further celebrity names will be announced in the coming weeks.

Visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or facebook.com/topgearliveuk to see how Chris and The Stig got on.

Tickets start at just £49. For more information about the show or to book tickets visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or call 0871 230 5588.

Muay Thai International Match of England v Thailand

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On Saturday 22nd October 2011 six incredible fights will take place in Oxford with the final two bouts being an International Match of England v Thailand
The fight is organised by Oxford Martial Arts Academy (OMAA) which is the UK’s leading martial arts academy with over 6,500 square foot of dedicated matted area, over 60 martial arts classes per week, the only Olympic size Boxing ring in Oxford and the only 28ft Cage in the UK!
Muay Thai is one of the oldest and most exciting Martial Arts known for being a favourite in Jean Claude Van Damme Films such as Kickboxer and popularised through games such as Street-fighter and Tekken.  Muay Thai is full contact with no protective head gear or clothing is worn and fighters can use punches, kicks, knees and even their elbows to win bouts.
The final two fights are both for England v Thailand but spilt into Adult & Junior categories. The England Junior representative Daniel Mc Gowan is just 15 years old and the youngest person ever in history to have a Thai National flow over to contend him.
This is the first time such a high level fight has been brought to Oxfordshire with the founders of OMAA, Vahram Papazyan & Tihomir Lalic spending over £25,000 on producing the evening.
“We started out with a little room just for us to train in – now we’re hosting International fights! These fighters are ones to watch out for” said Vahram, a keen wrestler and sportsman.
The family friendly evening will host six fights, starting with British fighters battling it out for Southern Area fights, moving onto to European Titles from Denmark, Sweden, England & Ireland with the Ultimate World Title Fight of Thailand v England – which is split into Adult and Junior bouts.
Tihomir Lalic, co-founder of OMAA said “Since we first set up OMAA in 2000 this has been our dream, to hold such an exciting and exclusive event – we plan to combine the very best service, food and drink with the most exciting live entertainment ever to be seen in Oxford!”
The event will be held at the picturesque Regal on Cowley Road, Oxford. Doors open at 4.30pm, with the fight card commencing 5.30pm.
Tickets are limited and selling fast.
Ticket Prices:
£25.00 Standard Ticket
£35.00 Stage Ticket
£75.00 VIP – including Champagne, Dinner & Event Programme.
Box Office:
Oxford Martial Arts Academy
21 Templar’s Square, Oxford, OX4 3XQ
Tel: 01865 774 998

Interview: Iwan Thomas MBE

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As an athlete, Iwan Thomas MBE has been there, done it, and got the medals to prove it, including a gold from the 1997 World Championships. When it comes to track and field, he knows his onions, which is why he’s landed a plum job as commentator for Channel 4’s coverage of the World Athletics Championships from Daegu in South Korea. Here, we take the opportunity to pick his brain regarding Britain’s best medal hopefuls, as well as Usain Bolt, Oscar Pistorius and much more.

The World Championships are almost upon us. Are you excited?
I am, actually. It’ll be a bit strange going to a World Championships and not being a competitor, being on the other side of the fence, but I’m really looking forward to the experience. I’m a bit worried about the food – you see people on Twitter [Iwan tweets as @Iwanrunner], showing pictures of people eating live octopus and things like that. It’ll be interesting. Maybe I’ll lose some weight over the two weeks. But I’m really looking forward to it.

Who do you see as Great Britain’s outstanding medal prospects this time around?
You’ve obviously got Jessica Ennis and Phillips Idowu – they’re both reigning World Champions and will be trying to defend their titles. Then you’ve got other athletes who have had a massive breakthrough in the last couple of years, like Dai Greene, and also Jenny Meadows in the 800m, she’s running really well this year. I’d never say anyone was a banker, because athletics is a pretty strange sport, but you’d be looking at those guys to get medals. You’ve also got people like Chris Tomlinson and Greg Rutherford, both in the long jump. At the recent Diamond League meeting at Crystal Palace, they came second and third, and Chris has got a British record this year, so he’s in tremendous form. I think in major championships it’s all about the underdogs coming through and doing well, so you never know. As a whole, the British team is in a pretty good place.

You’ve got athletes like Christine Ohuruogu, who’s always been a big event runner, but she’s not had a good year this year, has she?
No. She’s had a few injuries. I’d be very surprised if she became World Champion again. Don’t forget she’s a world champion and Olympic champion, though, so you can never count her out. She’s a performer. But if you look at current form, she’s had these injuries, and she’s struggling this year. It’d be fantastic to see her run well, and it would also be really good for the women’s 4×400 relay squad as well- they’re all doing well at the moment. You’ve got Christine, the likes of Jenny Meadows who can come down to 4×400, and you’ve got Perri Shakes-Drayton, who’s another emerging talent this year in the 400m hurdles. She’s someone to look out for, she’s an outside chance for a medal as well.

Talking of athletes who have really broken through in the last couple of years, Mo Farah must be up there as well.
Oh yeah, 100%. I don’t want to put the kiss of death on him, but Mo is in the best form of his life. He’s beautiful to watch, he’s not scared of the big athletes, he’s beaten everybody. It’ll be interesting to see whether he tries to do the double [run both 5000m and 10,000m] but without a doubt, Mo is someone I can’t wait to watch. Without putting the medal round his neck and putting pressure on him, I’d be very surprised if he didn’t become world champion.

What sort of shape do you think British athletics is in as a whole at the moment?
I think it’s pretty good. Three or four years ago it was going through a bit of a transitional phase – a lot of good athletes had retired, a lot of guaranteed medallists – the likes of Jonathan Edwards, Steve Backley, Colin Jackson, Denise Lewis and so on. Everybody retired, and it left a bit of a hole. But over the last two or three years, we’ve got the new stars coming through. It’s exciting times, it really is.

Away from team GB, who are you looking forward to watching?
Obviously any athlete in the 100m final. That’s the blue riband event, I can’t wait to watch that. It’s going to be interesting to see Usain Bolt, because although he’s not been beaten this year, he’s not running as convincingly as he has in the past. He’s going to be under a little bit of pressure. I think he’s going to win the 200m, but the 100m is by no means a foregone conclusion. If his countryman, Asafa Powell, can get himself together -he’s had a few injuries – who knows? I don’t think Usain Bolt will be in a position to celebrate ten metres before the line this time, he’ll be pushed all the way.

What else are you looking forward to?
I always enjoy my old event, the 400m. It’s close to my heart. To be honest, I’m just a massive athletics fan, so all the events. I’m looking forward to watching Goldie Sayers in the javelin as well – she’s had a good year this year. I’m so excited about the whole thing. I think a lot of events will be really close. As a neutral, that has to make for a really exciting spectacle.

You mentioned the 400m. One of the stories of the championships is going to be Oscar Pistorius, isn’t it? What do you think about his presence there? [Pistorius is a double amputee who runs on special carbon fibre artificial limbs]
I think it’s great for the sport, and great for Paralympic sport. I know there’s a lot of controversy behind it. I’m probably a little bit biased, because I’m friends with Oscar and I’ve trained with him, but he’s worked very hard to get where he has done, and I think you’ve got to take your hat off to him. Long may it continue. The bottom line is he’s been cleared to run by the governing body, so let him run. It’ll put a few people’s noses out of joint, because he’s going to beat a lot of able-bodied athletes, but I think it’s fantastic for him and the sport.

How far do you think he can go in the competition?
A good lane draw is vital. If he’s drawn in lane 1 and it’s raining, it’s not good for him – he doesn’t like running in rain. But if he gets a good lane, then I think he could definitely make the semi-finals, and when you make the semis of a world championships, anything can happen on the day. He’ll have to run near his best to get through the heats, but I think he’ll do that.

Channel 4 is covering the event for the first time this year. What can we expect from their coverage?
I hope we do the sport justice. You’ll have a lot of people who are used to having watched it on the BBC for years, but I think we’ll do it slightly different. I think we could make it very modern, and appeal to the masses. There will be different audiences watching it – you’ve got your die-hard athletics fans who know everything, and also hopefully newcomers to the sport who won’t understand all the technicalities behind the events,. So it’s our job to try and portray that without being patronising. I think, hopefully, we’ll do a good job, and people will come away and enjoy the coverage.

Are you looking forward to working with Michael Johnson?
Definitely. I can’t wait to work with Michael. I had a long career against him, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him as an athlete. I also respect him as a pundit as well. I think he’s very good at his job, he tells it how it is, and I’m looking forward to sitting next to him on a sofa and hopefully forming a nice little double act together.

How have you taken to life in front of the camera? Are you enjoying it?
Yeah, I am actually. I think my career was cut short with bad injuries, and I never got back to running fast after the injuries, and don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be ten years younger and still competing, but if I can’t do that, the next best thing is trying to help others enjoy the sport that I love so much. I really enjoy TV work.

You’re still the British 400m record holder. Do you want to keep that, or would you like to see it broken, because that would mean the next great 400m runner was coming through?
If I’m honest, a bit of both. As a lover of the sport, I’m really surprised it’s still standing. You’d think with technology, and better understanding of nutrition and training, it would go. As a lover of the sport, I‘d definitely like to see my British record go. But it also indicates to me how good our generation was. In 1998 Roger Black came forth in our British trials, running 44.6. Someone running 44.6 would be number one in the world this year.

Was that one of the secrets of your success, that you, Roger, Jamie Baulch and so on were all pushing each other on?
Absolutely, 100 per cent. Domestic rivalry is crucial. If I hadn’t had to run 44.3 to be Britain’s best, perhaps I would have only run 44.8. I still would have trained as hard, but subconsciously I think you need to be pushed on. We’ve always had great 400m runners. Half of me is very proud to have the British record, but if I’m honest, I’d like to see it go.

Lastly, you alluded to this at the beginning, but how will you feel being out there trackside when the 400m final is going on?
I miss it every day. Whenever I’m out there and there’s a 400m race about to start, I get the jitters and want to start doing my stretches. I think to myself, “You know what? I could still do that.” But I can’t, I don’t train and I’m old. I miss the sport every day. You can guarantee, when the 400m is on, I’ll be on the edge of my seat, jumping around like a loon, because I’ll wish that I was still out there.

Athletics: IAAF World Championships 2011 starts Saturday 27 August. Iwan Thomas is part of Channel 4’s team of experts who will be bringing you extensive coverage from Deagu, with expert opinions, in depth interviews and live commentary of the entire Championships.

For the latest Athletics: IAAF World Championships 2011 News – http://athletics.channel4.com/index.html

By Benjie Goodhart

Thanks to Channel 4’s coverage of the IAAF World Championships 2011.

You Are Cordially Invited To Shoot Grouse

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Is it one of the most sought-after invitations in the shooting calendar? The crème de la crème of shotgun shooting? Yes, it probably is – whether on the Glorious Twelfth itself or later in the season.

Is it the moorlands in August? The never-ending variety of shots to be made for a successful day? The challenge and the exhilaration of a left and right grouse? It is all of these and more.

Shooting grouse is different on many levels.

Altitude for one. You may well be around 1500 feet above sea level on a remote moor, a world away from the everyday concrete, tarmac and glass that surrounds so much of our lives. The red grouse, delightfully named Lagopus lagopus scoticus, unique to the British Isles, favours a habitat 1000 to 2000 feet up on moors that can be a challenge for a shooting party to reach en masse.

Driven grouse was believed to have been started in Yorkshire back in the early 19th century and records show that up on Blubberhouse Moor, between Skipton and Harrogate, a bag of 1070 was shot single-handed by Lord Walsingham on 30 August 1888. He later went on to file bankruptcy as his shooting expenditure and hospitality exceeded his income by an ever-increasing margin. In today’s economic climate, that bag would have cost the Lord around £80,000.

Good heather equals good grouse shooting. It’s a fact. From the Pennines to eastern Scotland and the uplands of eastern Ireland, the plant Calluna vulgaris forms the rich soil territories enjoyed by the cock birds to protect and raise their wild families. The territories can be small and increase the grouse population when the heather is good. Burning helps and there is original research that found that correct heather burning was 80% of moor management in providing regeneration of the heather and ‘grouse houses’. Nowadays, we also need to concentrate on vermin control, grit supply, appropriate drainage and good shooting.

Good grouse shooting starts with preparation. The 4×4 vehicles will get you most of the way to a butt, yet the chances are you will need to stride across the heather to your allotted stand without seeing where your foot falls and having to raise your knees high on each stride. Down the hill, it was warm and balmy. Up on the top, it’s breezy and fresh so ensure your clothing is layered and able to cope with a variety of conditions.

Keep the colour of your outfits toned to the terrain. Grouse have pretty good eyesight and you do not want to send them off away from your position.

On colour, let your eyes adjust to the light and the rich deep subtle tones of the moorland. An attraction of this type of shooting is the location and the marvellous scenery. And with that attraction begins the complications and challenges associated with shooting grouse. Range judging for one. Shooting pheasant and partridge from a well-devised peg location usually brings with it an easy identifiable marker point, be it a tree or a hedgerow.

Up on the moors, there is not that type of luxury. When you are at your butt and ensuring you have the time before shooting starts (the beaters could be a mile or two away) pace out 25 and 40 yards from your butt and establish some visual markers of your own at ground level like a distinguishable clump of heather or an outcrop, visible bedrock.

Getting your bearings is paramount, the beaters line, and the location of your fellow guns. Moorland butts can be positioned where you can be significantly below or very high above the adjacent butt.

Safety in a grouse butt cannot be emphasised strongly enough. A line of butts can curve and not be in a straight line. There is often the opportunity to shoot ‘going away’ after a turn through the line. This turn must be performed with the stock out of the shoulder and the muzzles facing skyward. Be cognisant of any pickers up behind the line and if you have a loader, practice your positioning before the drive sends up the birds. Load with the gun sideways down to avoid closing the gun inside the butt.

Many grouse shooters I have coached, although experienced, still use light weight bamboo hinged poles on either side of the butt to control their arc of fire. The small hinges allow the poles to be broken down and inserted into an old barrel sleeve and be carried in a gun slip without any inconvenience. They also ensure that the turn for a ‘going away’ behind is always correctly executed.

Your eyes are adjusted to the light, your spatial awareness and depth perception is fine tuned (you know if a bird’s trajectory is going over THAT rock, it’s 40 yards and in range seconds later.)

Fractions of a second later actually, as our tough indigenous red grouse can travel at up to 85 mph with a following wind and having survived disease, numerous predators and rather inclement weather conditions, they are wholly prepared to zip past you to avoid getting shot and rushed off to a kitchen either at your home or a fine restaurant.

Grouse can follow the contours of a moor at great speed in the style of a tactical fighter jet. They will be low and could surprise you. The covey can take different directions all at once. Some break off left, some straight, but you are ready, muzzles forward, eyes focussed (over your barrels). Now pick your bird, just one. The adrenalin surges, but you concentrate on that one grouse. You will employ a smooth yet rapid mount, one piece movement to ‘in front’, fire, only then look for another bird. Many misses are caused by looking at one bird, but shooting at another. Compartmentalise. Visually divide up the covey and your shots will bring better results.

Because of the open nature of the terrain, the wind effect is more than in a valley looking up for pheasants. You will need to swing fast on birds flying downwind and it is easier to achieve than on an upwind target.

There is propensity to slow your swing on a upwind bird that appears to be moving a lot slower in the air, but you still have to get in front. Shooting the slower bird requires more conscious effort than a faster instinctive shot to a supersonic crosser.

Do not spoil your day by mounting the gun too early and ruminating on misses. As before, pick out your bird, eye over your barrels, move, and weight forward, be square to your kill, mount, and shoot in front.

If the bird is on the end of the barrels too long, the chances are you will not get ahead of it as you will track the target without the impetus to swing through and create the desired forward allowance.

And if you miss one, get it right on the next bird. Don’t ponder where you went wrong, get reloaded and carry on. Shooting grouse is a combination of fluidity and speed and trust in your own ability, hence it is neither for the faint-hearted nor for the overly analytical shooters.

Like a golfer playing down the last fairways of a major tournament, trusting his swing is paramount to success, so must a grouse shooter let his subconscious do the work as no amount of conscious calculation can assimilate the changes in pace of flight and direction that a grouse can achieve.

That is what driven grouse is about. The excitement, the adrenalin rush and the sheer sense of achievement as the first left and right goes down in the heather.

Walking-up grouse is much less expensive, yet has its merits. Six or eight guns and dogs can walk a line through the heather flushing going away and quartering targets. For some shooters, when the grouse are scarce, it can be deemed uneventful and when grouse are abundant, the line stops too often for picking up. However, just a few guns and some good al-purpose dogs is a marvellous way to roam the moors on a clear summers’ day.

I mention ‘all-purpose dogs’ to differentiate the more artistic shooting of grouse ‘over dogs’. A good pair of pointers or setters will hunt at speed covering the heather and when one scents a bird, it will stop on point in the direction of the birds.

The second dog, not having the scent, will ‘back’ the first dog, pointing to its tail, to ensure the guns can see the line and take a up position. The forward dog moves slowly toward the quarry and as soon as the bird rises, it will drop flat in the heather as the shot is taken.

I have seen this in the field with two Hungarian Vizslas, a truly remarkable operation. Of course, this style of shooting occurs with partridge and other quarry and the significant difference with Walking-up is the variety of shots that can be taken, crossing, sometimes even an overhead as the guns can position themselves according to the information the pointing dog is providing.

Majestic sport indeed –  la crème de la crème of shooting for many of those who receive that gilt-edged invitation.

CLA Game Fair Report – GunMakers Row

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The Blenheim CLA was generally judged to be a success by all who attended I think. I got there a bit late but went to an excellent dinner party at William Evans with Charlie Jacoby and his banjo in attendance. It was, as ever, great fun and wonderfully organised by Sally et al.. I did not do the cocktail party circuit this year because I missed most of them on Friday. I am not really a social animal in that way anymore (boring old bugger). If someone is offering bubbles, however, I will occasionally make an exception! [There was one year when just about everyone in Gunmakers Row offered me a drink of some kind and I never did make it to the end – I woke up the next morning on a collapsed papering table looking at someone’s canvas ceiling – never again.]

So, while others were having – “partying the night away” – I was primarily interested in catching up with old chums and keeping an eye out for what was genuinely new. First, though, I want to thank my mucker Mark Curtis of Pigeon Mania for being an all-round nice guy and for putting up with me camping on his stand yet again (damn this business of getting on site by 7.30 now – hell, one has to get up early). Mark’s business, meanwhile, is deservedly going from strength to strength – pigeon magnets at just over 50 quid, flappers, some fantastic, well-priced, rechargeable hand lamps for foxing and similar. He has got his act together and sold a huge amount of kit.

I also want to thank Mike Ladd who offered space for my gunfitting service but which I did not take up this year (but which I may take to the Midland and/or Bisley Live). As well as the usual massive stock, Mike had his new range of Turkish made true sidelock over and unders on stand which look good and cost under 4K. He also had some presentable Turkish boxlocks – these guns get better and better although there are still a few details to work on. Mike also had a beautiful handling Abbiatico and Salvinelli 20bore over and under which caught my eye. It had a titanium action which gave it a similar magic quality to the Kemen titaniums.

Boxall and Edmiston launched their sidelock gun which looks great for 25K or thereabouts. Peter Boxall, their engineering genius, is ex Holland & Holland and Jaguar, and is a perfectionist. His firm’s guns are extremely well made and now offer exceptional value whether boxlock, side-plated or true sidelock. I am working on a new gun project with this company and details of it will be announced in due course. It just might have another barrel configuration and it will be English made.

Anglo-Italian Arms (formerly Guerini UK) had their new Fabarm range on stand. But, the gun that really excited me – and upon which there will be a full report somewhere very soon – was the round action 32” 20 bore over and under – the first specimen of which was on display. It felt spendid. I shoot 32” Maxums at the moment and this felt as good as better.

Holland & Holland had their centenary take-down .375. It was a wonderful gun, I have always wanted a Holland bolt rifle, but I would make do with a straight .375. It would genuinely be a gun that one could do just about everything with. It is no secret that I have a lot of respect for this grand old firm and the shooting qualities of its products. I also managed to have a fascinating discussion with David Little of Kynoch about why some old H&H .375s seem so soft in recoil in spite of their light weight – David believes it is because of two things – their slender, steeply angled, stock shapes and the progressive lead into the rifling. The former is an interesting point because I usually feel it has a negative effect in shotguns – David’s opinion is that it may work on a rifle because the time pressure curve is different. He also favours light long barrels.

Alan Rhone had a very interesting new straight-pull rifle from Finland – the Lynx. It felt really solid. It appears extremely well engineered too and the cycling is very quick. The Lynx is available in various forms including a laminate model (my favourite), standard hunter, and a deluxe model with all the bells and whistles of special engraving and gold inlays. Price from about 4K. Alan also has some excellent new QD mounts on offer made by a firm called Ziegler. These offer repeatable zero “again and again.” They’re neat, extremely well designed and available for a wide variety of guns. I am sure he is destined to do well with them, and I am having some fitted to my Sako 85 in .375 H&H.

Anderson Wheeler of Mayfair impressed me first because they are a young company with lots of ideas and energy, but also because they have created such an impressive product line so quickly. They make a good 20 bore side by side based on an AyA action, they have an over and under built on an Italian action, but these guns have a lot of London finish in them. A&W also offer the normal bespoke big bore double rifles (they had a .470 which was a beauty) and bolt guns as well as London made shotguns. Just to see two tables crammed with so many new made rifles and shotguns shows how much effort they have put it.

I had fun seeing Ian Tomlin of Traditional English Gun Cases and bought a beautiful 250 cartridge magazine from him. Ian has a great range of cartridge bags too. Bill Blacker was not far away, being his normal inimitable self. And, I also enjoyed stopping in on Croots who seem to be going from strength to strength with their bags and gun-slips too. They made a canvas safari bag for me last year which has proved to be invaluable – like the brilliant Barbour canvas shoulder bag (and they make something similar too).

Browning did not have a great deal of new product this year (2012 is rumoured to be their big launch year). One exception, though, was the wonderful, well priced, 525 Sporter (which I choose to call a MK2 because of its radically changed handling qualities thanks to the new lightened, Investor Plus back-bored, barrels). It might well be my gun of the year. I also really like the Winchester ‘Red Performance’ semi-auto. This is simply one of the best handling guns that I have ever shot – soft in recoil, relatively light in weight, and natural pointing.

Beretta have their new Silver Pigeon 1 which is Opti-bored and another performer as noted on this site recently. And, at the CLA, they launched a new small bore range of Silver Pigeon 1s, a new Beretta Jubilee, a Help for Heroes EELL (at £5,995 with a £100 going to this magnificent charity), and no less than 2 new A400 semis. These included the Action which is available with a Gun Pod ‘on board computer’ which notes the number of cartridges fired, their power and temperature, and, a blue actioned Excel (also available with the Gun Pod gizmo not mention Kick-Off recoil reduction). There is a Silver Pigeon 1 with game scene engraving as well, and, a new version of the Benelli Vinci.

ASI now have a round bar boxlock on offer – Edward King has a fondeness for better quality boxlocks – and, a deluxe model of the popular No.2. There are also a couple of new Rizzini Artimis sideplated guns. These are available in proportionately scaled 12, 16, 20, 28 and .410 actions, all with selective single trigger and multichokes as standard. Edgar Brothers had lots of new stuff. I saw the Remy Versalite shotgun for the first time and the new Zoli Black Magic rifle. Viking Arms have the Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle in .308 with a detachable box mag and various extras except the flash hider (which current US law does not allow the export of in our all too mixed up world).

What have I forgotten? The new Powell Marquis – a sub 3K, hand engraved, Spanish sidelock made by Arrieta (though my favourite in their line is the Lindhope high bird gun coming in over £7,000 mark which is based on an old pigeon gun). There is also their ‘Juvenis’ sidelock for (better off) young shots. E.J.Churcill have an extensive new line of over and unders inlcluding some finished in France, and, a 32” Churchill badged Perazzi. Finally, my thanks to Fiona Eastman for getting my Press Passes through in the nick of time. Without her effort, I would not have got to Blenheim at all.

Have Fun On The Cheap

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In this economical climate you would be foolish to pay full price for anything. However, it can be hard to find inexpensive stuff to do now that the recession has kicked in. The answer is to have fun on the cheap. There is still fun to be had, and relatively cheaply if you look around. Frost has done the searching for you and has come up with a number of things to do without breaking your budget.

You can buy Peter Pan Tickets. I have seen it and it is an amazing experience. If you are a sports fan you can get San Diego Chargers Tickets at a reasonable price. There are few things more fun than a night of American football.

If sport is not your thing, music fans can get Celine Dion Tickets
Celine is quite the performer and that will be an experience you will never forget. If Celine is not your cup of tea you can get Rascal Flatts Tickets

If you are feeling more cultured then you can get Trans-Siberian Orchestra Tickets cheaply.

Everyone deserves to have experiences they will never forget, so just buy them at a price you can afford. Have fun!