GEORGE WINS 18TH WORLD TITLE

British clay pigeon shooting champion George Digweed won his eighteenth world title this weekend as he beat the competition to claim gold at the World Championships in New Zealand.

George topped an all-British podium in Auckland as he continued his domination of the sport. Mark Marshall and Chris Childerhouse claimed the silver and bronze medals, helping the Brits come out on top Down Under.

Competitors had to shoot a total of 200 clay targets over the course of the two-day event, and George hit 87 on the Saturday and another 92 on the Sunday. He explained: “It was a very hard and technical shoot, and to hit over 85 was generally seen as a good performance, so to score above that on both days was a real achievement for me.

“I was coming directly off the end of the game-shooting season, and it was a 38-hour journey from the UK to New Zealand, so to shoot like that was amazing. I’m really proud of my performance and considering the physical exhaustion I was going through, I’d certainly rank it as one of my best – with a 13 hour time difference, the jet lag took hold very quickly.”

It was something of a banner tournament for the Brits. Along with the one, two, three in the mens’ individual tournament, Brits also scooped gold in the Seniors, the Ladies, the Juniors and the Veterans Team Championships as the UK secured an amazing clean sweep in Auckland.

“Our success here bodes really well for the sport back home. It’s great to be a part of this community, and brilliant to see my countrymen doing so well. It proves that no matter how old or young you are, or what gender you are, you can get involved in clay shooting in Britain and can really be successful in it. I hope this triumph in New Zealand can inspire others to become involved in the sport.”

George now moves on to his next tournament, the Pan African in Cape Town, and he’s aiming to keep his impressive start to the season going. “This has been a brilliant way to get 2011 off and running. I had a fantastic time when I won in South Africa last season, and hopefully I can do it all over again at the end of the month.

“I would like to thank Perazzi, Gamebore, Ray Ward Gunsmiths, Pilla Sports and Ambassador Services for their continued sponsorship and support.”