REVOLVER AND PISTOL CLUB - Varsity Match 2011
Saturday 19 February 2011
When Oxford finally decided to turn up, the A and B teams were already warmed up and were having a relaxing game of pool. In the first detail of the A team match, the Captains of Cambridge and Oxford, Vin Shen Ban and Scott Ansell respectively, were up on the line along with fresher Jonny Waite (Cambridge) and Miss Minerva Singh (Oxford), who shot air pistol for India. The course of fire was the ‘Standard Pistol’ match – 4 series of 5 shots in 150 seconds, 4 series of 5 shots in 20 seconds and 4 series of 5 shots in 10 seconds, shot with air pistols at 20 yards. The indescribable Varsity Match pressure crept in, and despite a shaky start, Cambridge pulled ahead with a small lead of 11 points by the end of the first detail, with Vin Shen posting a score of 540 ex.600 (which would turn out to be the top score of the match) and Jonny shooting 528 to earn their Half-Blues.
Next up representing Cambridge A were Tom Barber and Tom French. It turned out to be a very tightly fought match, with Oxford’s David Main and the very experienced Brian Tang pulling back to within 3 points after the 150s series. The Toms held their nerves and increased our lead to 13 points at the end of the 20s series, and when the final cards were brought out to be scored, the entire Cambridge contingent surrounded the scoring table, waiting in anticipation for the scores of the 10s series cards. Even the scorers were nervous at this point and when the calculator displayed Cambridge A’s total score of 2109, against Oxford’s of 2098, roars of joy and celebration erupted from the Cambridge crowd. The champagne was popped and Half-Blues were awarded to both Toms, who shot 521 (French) and 520 (Barber). Interestingly, 2 years ago when the Varsity Match was held in Cambridge, the Cambridge team’s winning margin was also 11 points! With the maximum score of 1 shot being a 10, this match was pretty much determined by the final shots of both shooters from both teams.
Following on from the A teams’ match was the B’s. Matthew Green, Miss Sugha Murugesu and Han Yan were all new to the Club and had never shot pistols before. They were joined by Miss Sophie Reed, the Ladies’ Captain. If the A teams’ match was close, this was even closer. Cambridge B shot a total of 1992 to Oxford B’s 1987! Earning their Half-Blues were Matthew (507), Sophie (520) and Han (505).
The Ladies’ team comprised of 3 returning shooters from last year, plus Sugha. Unfortunately the Ladies did not manage to retain their trophy.
The A and B teams were the strongest in recent times, with 7 Half-Blues being awarded. This bodes well for the Summer Varsity Match, as well as next year’s Varsity Matches. All our achievements would not have been possible without the help and dedication of Herb Teachey, to whom we owe extreme gratitude.
A team match score
Cambridge 2109 – 2098 Oxford **
B team match score
Cambridge 1992 – 1987 Oxford
Ladies’ team match score
Cambridge 1859 – 1973 Oxford
**The Varsity Match is determined by the results of the A team match
