Hot shot Paul is England's number one (From Gazette & Herald)

Hot shot Paul is England's number one

NORTON'S Paul Chaplow has double cause for celebration after winning his discipline in the country's premier clay pigeon shooting competition, which earned him the title of England's number one.

Chaplow won the English Open in the down-the-line (DTL) discipline at Bywell Shooting Ground near Morpeth, Northumberland, earlier this month.

He won a head-to-head shoot-off after finishing level with six others, scoring 297 points out of 300. He also won the trophy for the highest aggregate score over the three-day event.

His victory not only secured him the number one DTL ranking, but guaranteed him a spot in the England team in the forthcoming world, european and home international championships.

The 36-year-old rates this as his best achievement since he took the sport up over ten years ago.

"Winning a trophy like the English Open is something I've always dreamed of," said Chaplow, who has also won the Coronation Cup twice, the English Double Rise Championship twice and finished runner-up in the European Championships in France last year.

Aside from his win in the English Open, which featured some 500 competitors, Chaplow's number one ranking was gained through a series of consistent performances throughout the year.

His rise to the top of the rankings comes after he changed disciplines two years ago, switching from English Sporting to DTL. In the sporting category, targets vary in distance, speed and direction, while in DTL, targets are at set speeds and heights.

Chaplow is a member of North Wolds Gun Club, near Fridaythorpe, and also practises at the North of England Clay Target Centre, in Rufforth.

He is now preparing for the home international championships in Wales early next month, the World Clay Pigeon Shooting Championships from July 15-17 (at Bywell Shooting Ground) and the European Championships in Dorset from September 4-5.

Chaplow is sponsored by the Malton-based Rob Hall Shooting Supplies, and Continental Shooting Supplies, in Scotland.

Updated: 12:02 Wednesday, June 23, 2004