BATTLING through heavy rain, teams of local sharpshooters made this year’s Whitfield Clay Shoot another roaring success.

With up to 140 teams competing over the two-day event at Whitfield Estate, competition to be top dog was fierce.

But the competitiveness was complemented by equal measures of good nature, with all shooters helping to raise thousands of pounds for a number of charities.

Main organiser Stuart Maughan said: “It went very well and was very successful, even if the weather was a bit unkind on the Saturday morning when it threw down with rain. It’s all about having a lot of fun, a good day out, and there are lots of social aspects to it, whilst also giving to people less able than ourselves.

“Organising the shoot takes a lot of work from a lot of people, but it all creates a lot of fun and we are very pleased so many people support us.”

The shoot, organised by the local committee in partnership with Smiths Gore, the Countryside Alliance and the Game Conservancy Trust, is a popular event in the district’s sporting calendar.

Held over 10 different stations, game flushes are simulated with clays travelling at the same height and speed as particular birds or animals.

The winning team on Saturday was Bywell Shooting Ground with 595, 69 points higher than last year’s winning score recorded by Bollyhope.

The winning result on Sunday beat last year’s total too, with Mulgrave Shooting Club B’s score of 608 up on the 582 posted by Wolsingham in 2014.

The Team 20 trophies, awarded in memory of the popular George Ridley to teams who record an above average score, were won by Appleby Environmental Services (Saturday) and Game Guns (Sunday).

The winning sponsors’ team came from Marsden Game Feeds, while Wolsingham were the highest keepers.

Full results appear at www.whitfieldclays.co.uk.