2024-12-31-accounts - National Rifle Club Of Scotland

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Independent Examlners Report to the Trustees of the Natlonal Rifle Club of Scotland I report on the accounts of the charity forthe year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out on pages l and 2. Respecti re5ponslbllity of trustees and examlner The charivs trustee5 are responsible for the preparatiorF of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment Ikotlandl ALt 21x15 and the Charities Accounts Iscotland Regulations 26. The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of the Regulation 10111 Idl of the Accounts Regulations does not appty- It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 4411) Icl of the Act and to state whether particuuir matters have come to my attentlon. Basis of independent exarnlnerfs statrment My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts Iscotlandl Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the a¢¢ounting r¢¢ords kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also indude5 constderation of any unusual Items of disclosures in the accounts. and seeks explanations from the tnsstees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audtt, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view 8iven by the accounts. Independent examlners statement In the course of my examination. no matter has come to my attention whith 8ives me reasonable cause to belleve that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44llllal of the 21JJ5 Art and Regulation 4 of the 2(MJ6 Accounts Regulation5. and to prepare accounts whth accord with the accounting records and comply wtth Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts re8ulations. -have not been met. or 2. to which, irF my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the acc(NJnts to be reached. Alex Hunter 28 Hendrick Avenue, London, SW12 8TL

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Zoe Woodroffe 30/9/3035




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NATIONAL RIFLE CLUB OF SCOTLAND

Captain’s Report 2025

Imperial Meeting 2024, Bisley

As usual, the meeting started on the afternoon of Thursday with the Lex Lyons match. It was a warm afternoon and we fielded a healthy fifteen shooters. Alex Henderson joined us as coach having been out of the game for a number of years. Hugh and Ron coached the other two targets. We had a gentle pleasant wind but certainly doing enough to challenge the coaches at both 1100x and 1200x. In the end Scotland won – though only after your Captain explained to the Irish Captain that it wasn’t ok to drop one of his Irish shooters and replace them with an Englishwoman in order to beef up his scores... We had a huge but tasty dinner at the L&M in the evening.

On the Friday, if anyone was watching, we aced the Any Rifle Extras with Ron winning with a 223.30 and both the Buchanan and Guy Blakeney two Vs behind. And before we start the Hopton bear in mind that Ron had won the Saturday at the combined Spring meeting, the 1200x aggregate and the Scottish Eight cup. Remember too that Nick Brasier from England had come second and won the Sunday aggregate…. Ron’s shooting was therefore another marker of a purple streak that was to continue for a while. And so was Nick’s.

Saturday dawned cold and very cloudy. The cloud built during the day and threatened rain for the last details at 1200x but, other than a few spots, it held off. The rain fell when people were back at home at around 7.30 p.m. The wind was quiet and mainly from the left early in the day but built in the afternoon for 1200x. Thomas started the weekend very well with a 75.11 and 74.9. Although he was pipped by Nick Brasier and Rosanne Furniss who both scored 150s, it was a great start. In the afternoon, our best scorer was Ron with a 146.18, three points behind the winner Rob Lygoe.

Sunday was more typical Imperial – it dawned sunny with a light left hand wind. By 1100x, though, the cloud had filled in and the temperature dropped slightly. The shooting at 1000x and 1100x was gentle and slow moving so high scores were possible. There were thirteen 100s at 1000x and behind that seventeen 99s. Michael Hissey took it, however, with an almost perfect 100.19. Later that morning Ron prevailed at 1100x with 100.11, the only possible on the range. At 1200x it got altogether harder with the wind whipping about. The first detail seemed to have easier conditions and higher scores were made. The second detail, with supposedly better shooters, appeared to have a tougher time. Your author saw a 1 to 7 minute wind shift in two shots: readable but moving very rapidly. A good friend of

Scotland, Michael Wentges won The Armourers with an amazing 98.10; Neil Fyfe was second with two less Vs and Silke took third with a 97.8. Ron kept on the pace in the second detail with a very creditable 96.11.

So, at the end of the weekend, Ron was just a nose in front with 587.77, one point and one V ahead of Rob Lygoe. Nick Brasier was third with 586.74. It’s worth noting that as of Saturday night, Ron was five points adrift of Nick.

Monday’s forecast was tough with likely rain from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at times very heavy. In the event there was a light wind from the right in the morning that built gradually through the day. But never very strong. The first detail of the Edge at 1200x did find rain but otherwise everyone remained dry until the rain came just after the end of the FW Jones. Angus shrugged all of this off and scored an amazing 200.26. It’s not clear if anyone has ever gone clean in the Edge before, but no matter, it was a fantastic shoot. At the FW Jones in the afternoon, the Club entered a “everyone else” team given many members were shooting for various other teams, but kept up a good pace to win the match by two points with excellent coaching from Ron, Fergus and Hugh.

Albert day started with the wind back to the left with only a minute or so to start with. This built gently throughout the shoot. The first detail saw some blue sky and no rain allowing a few possibles and a good few 74s. At 1100x the cloud had built and was now heavy – it seemed to threaten rain but both details managed to stay dry. The wind continued to be relatively steady. Going back to 1200x, although the Albert was tight, the excitement was around the Hopton as Ron and Nick Brasier were tied on score and Vs. So they had the pleasure of shooting with each other in what was effectively a 15-shot tie shoot. No pressure there then.

The Hopton is rarely won from this situation, but it has very often been lost from there. This year both Ron and Nick did their utmost to do the latter and join a select band of glorious 2nd places. Between them they dropped 11 points at 1200 yards, having dropped only 17 over their previous combined 110 shots at that distance. In the end, Ron squeaked home with Nick only one point behind. Ron took some hours to take it all in, breathing a sigh of relief as he unwound from the pressure of the previous three days.

Elcho day remained dry throughout with winds similar to the Albert with some tricky holes to navigate. Thomas Nightingale won his first cap, I’m sure the first of many. At 1000x we started well in the light airs however had sight issues with Iain resulting in us not finding the target for his first shot – although he recovered well. Mike Barlow also had teething problems at the start. Together it meant we finished 1000x eight points behind the English and the Irish only one point behind us. At 1100x we had patches of very good shooting but too often lost two shots whereas the English held them both; we finished a further 12 points behind leaving us a difficult 20 points to make up at 1200x, not helped by also being level with Ireland. After the usual delicious lunch at Elcho Lodge hosted by Silke, at 1200x we were much more competitive and pulled back six points on the English and seventeen on the Irish. At one point it looked like we were going to make up more than that – enough to put (probably only small) frighteners on the English. Another close match: clearly satisfying to take 1200x, easier to explain 1000x but 1100x, as in 2023, was our ultimate undoing.

Following the match, in the evening, we held our 150[th] anniversary drinks party on the grass in front of Elcho Lodge. Although a couple of years late due to the aborted meeting in 2022, it was a lovely evening. We invited other nation’s people who had been particularly supportive of Scottish shooting over the years. Particular thanks must go to Mark Haszlakiewicz for supplying with his very excellent, award winning, English sparkling wine for the event and, of course, to Silke who marshalled the troops and sorted out all the food.

The day after, the Scots banished any demons and walked off with the top four spots in the Any Rifle 1200x. Hannah pipped them all with 97.8, a point ahead of the Buchanan, with Angus on 94.7 and Ron on 93.8. A nice end to the meeting.

Scottish Autumn Meeting, Blair Atholl, 7-8th September 2024

We were pleased to have ten non-Scots join us in Blair Atholl for our autumn meeting (maybe they reacted well to being invited to the 150[th] Anniversary drinks) – alongside a healthy dosage of midges. However, we were treated to amazing weather with blue skies, light winds and temperatures in the mid 20s. On the range, the benign conditions and almost non-existent wind on the Saturday favoured very high scoring, with four possibles at 987x as well as seven 99s. The scoring remained strong all day and was won by the Buchanan with 245.24, two points ahead of Ron although six Vs behind.

The following morning, it again dawned bright, but with a heavy mist in the glen. Ideal conditions for midges and they swarmed in clouds to greet us all on the range. Fortunately, the sun soon burnt off the mist and scattered the midges, opening the way for another lovely day. Again, there was barely a breath of wind. Ron dispensed with the usual practice of using the different rings of the target and decided to stick them all in the bull, scoring 200.27 and with that winning the weekend as well. He was closely pursued by Mike Buchanan, just one point behind, having dropped his last to count at 1233 yards on both days! In third was Iain Thomson, just a couple more points adrift.

English VIII Autumn Meeting, Bisley

And so to the final open shoot of the year – the English VIII Autum meeting. In keeping with the rest of the year, the weather was distinctly mediocre. Dry but grey, and unseasonably cold, with the temperature barely breaking double figures. Winds were light but fickle, at one point with the flags going in completely opposite directions! Nonetheless this did not affect the leaders with some monster scores achieved. On Saturday no less than nine competitors averaged 220 or more. Even 1200x was not the usual challenge with three competitors going clean – the best being David Dashwood with a 75.11 (RIP). On the day however, our Ron took the prize with a 221.31. Nick Brasier followed, again, with 220.28.

On the Sunday, it was more of the same with the leaders nailing the bullseye. Charles Dickenson achieved the very rare feat of a full competition possible with a 225.30, followed

by Nick Brasier with a 224.33. Ron, uncharacteristically, had an “off day” and only managed a 222, dropping him to fourth overall on the weekend by a point with 443.62. This left the gate open for the other big name of the year – Nick Brasier – to take the weekend with a 444.61. Gary Alexander and Rob Lygoe were second and third on the same score as Nick but with 55 and 52 V bulls respectively.

Scottish Spring Meeting, Blair Atholl, 26[th] – 27[th] April 2025

The year started with the Scottish Spring meeting in Blair Atholl with sixteen and a half shooters. The whole weekend was surprisingly clement and the rain only fell slightly on the Sunday during one detail – but, as usual, the gazebos kept everyone dry. Conditions on the Saturday at 987x were gentle allowing Ron, Andy Hay and Angus to score possibles, with another six shooters making 99. Ron continued his strong form at 1114x with another possible, though Iain Thomson almost made it perfect with a 100.19. At 1233x Ron missed the bull once to give him 299.41 on the day and the Saturday Agg with Will Meldrum in second on 296.36 and Iain in third two points further behind.

On the Sunday, it remained close. At 987x it was almost a replay of Saturday with possibles from Ron, Silke, Iain and Mike Buchanan. However the day became trickier thereafter and scores fell away at 1114x and 1233x. Ron continued his strong form, winning the day with a 219.26; Will was second again with 218.22, pipping Iain to third with two extra Vs.

So Ron won again and, unsurprisingly, also took the 1233 yard aggregate.

Joint Clubs Spring Meeting, Bisley, 10[th] – 11[th] May 2025

The Spring meeting was certainly warmer than it has been in past years, which made it significantly less of a struggle. On the Saturday the winds started very lightly from the right and a number of possibles were made at 1000x. By 1100x the wind had built and was decidedly tricky, mainly from the right but occasionally flicking through to the left – a score of 70 was well up there although, amazingly, Rob Lygoe managed a 75.08. At 1200x the theme continued but the wind was slightly more settled. Rob took the day with a 220 and the results streamed away below him. The best of the Scots was Angus with a 216.19.

On Sunday, we saw more right wind though generally steadier. At 1000x it was relatively easy and the scoring was high. At 1100x there were no possibles but Sophie Wentges did manage a 74.10 for the highest score at that range. At 1200x the wind came up and although on a corrected basis it seemed relatively steady, it was hard to read and scores were commensurately lower. This did not stop Rob Lygoe pulling a rabbit out of the hat and managing an amazing 74.06 to put everyone else to shame; only 4 scores were 70 or higher at that range.

So, Rob took the weekend with 439.51, seven points ahead of Adam Leech and two more from Derek Lowe. The Eight Cup was won by Angus with 427.41, fifth overall with Mike Barlow and Ron in second and third with 423s.

For the first year, the Club awarded the Meldrum Trophy, an allcomers prize for the person with the highest aggregate of their best scores at each of 1000x, 1100x and 1200x across the weekend. The trophy, a bronze statuette of a lady shooter (found by Silke at auction), was donated by Rosemary Meldrum to the club and, unsurprisingly, was won by Rob Lygoe with 223.26. In due course, Hugh Butcher will make a base for the trophy.

Woomera 2025

2025 is a Woomera year with the Australians visiting the UK for the main meeting. Scotland excelled in the initial squad selection with Angus McLeod, Alex Henderson, Fergus Flanagan, Guy Blakeney, Jon Sweet, Mike Buchanan, Ron Scaglione, Will Meldrum and Zoe Woodroffe all making the team. Zoe was also appointed vice-captain. This year a “Development Squad” of younger, promising shots was also created which Thomas Nightingale was selected to.

As of the time of writing, we are preparing to greet the Australians in Blair Atholl. As usual, we expect a tight match and a convivial dinner on the Saturday night. And we hope for at least a small breeze to blow away any midges…

Farewells

This year we lost a few close members of the club who I’d like to remember.

First, in July, William Paterson died. William was Rosemary Meldrum’s grandson and my nephew and absolutely loved Bisley. Although he did not shoot for the club or indeed shoot Match Rifle in any of our meetings, he had a keen interest in shooting and planned to take Match Rifle. He worked most summers in stats and could be found late at night punching cards into the computer, bantering with the team and getting up to mischief on the ranges. He helped us out on many Elcho days and on one occasion frightened the English by piping us onto the range.

Later in the month, Jim McAllister passed away following a brief battle with cancer. Jim was another huge supporter of the NRCofS and of Scottish shooting. He was a regular presence in the Elcho team and, when he wasn’t fiddling with his kit (!), was an extremely dependable and excellent shot. Softly spoken and warm, he was an active supporter of young shooters. There is a longer obituary in the NRA journal which covers his many achievements. He will be missed for his generosity and jumper stating: “Dour Lowland Scot”.

In September, Keith Baxby was the next to leave us. Keith came to Match Rifle later in his life and another strong supporter of the squad in any way he could. Always with a cheeky smile on his face and with a joke to hand, he was also quietly competitive. I don’t quite have a record of when but perhaps his greatest personal achievement was scoring 100 at 1200x.

Finally, this month, we lost another quasi regular of the shooting scene: Bullet, Angus McLeod’s loyal and (occasionally) fierce border terrier. I think all of us had met Bullet in some guise but latterly watching carefully from the back of Angus’s Volvo as his owner came and went. He was a real character – although I suspect some other dogs on the common will not regret his passing…!

Each brought something special to our small club – we will miss them all.

In closing

As usual, there is a small group of diligent folk that make almost all the club operate. I want to thank Jo and Zoe for managing the affairs of the club so ably. There is more to do than you would think and lots of regulatory i’s to dot and t’s to cross. So thank you for running the the club so well. In Scotland Tim, Ron and Claire lead in making sure Blair Atholl is still the loveliest range in the world and, even though it bit both Ron and Claire hard last year, we are very thankful for their leadership.

Will Meldrum Captain June 2025