A RYEDALE MAN is hoping to strike gold at the Commonwealth Games as he takes on the role of England shotgun head coach.

John Robinson, who lives in Ebberston, is taking a team of eight to the games which kick-off in Glasgow on Friday.

A former international rugby player and senior Great Britain triathlete, John previously competed in the shooting classes, winning gold in Malaya in 1988, before moving to coaching.

John's career started off when he was living on the farmas a boy, taking up clay shooting when he was 26 and winning his first cap for England three years later.

He has continued to combine his competitive shooting with coaching before his appointment as head coach of the England Commonwealth Games Shooting Team last year.

"I had 20 wonderful years of consectutive international competition and been incredibly lucky en-route with all I have won and the people I have met along with the places I have visited," John said.

"It is very difficult to mix coaching and competing and the time was right. So now the buzz for me as a coach is to see other people excel."

John, who also runs a shooting school said his coaching took him all over the country, however they had a large set of ranges at Beverley where most of the training was done.

"We have a good team of 12 and our target is four medals at the games which will be the best we have ever done," he added,

"I really enjoy coaching but it is very different to competing, as it is all about motivating people and ensuring they are on song on the day."

John said that he was a 'terrible spectator' when watching the team.

"By that time there is nothing you can do - they are on their own and they are the ones in charge," he added.

"But we are all lookiing forward to the games, there is a lot of nervousness but also a great atmosphere and we hope to gain some medals, whatever their colour."