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The Astor Cup Competition 1908

Shooting for the Nottinghamshire Astor Challenge Cup had started in 1904 and for the first three years the competition was dominated by Stanley Works (Newark) club. In 1907 they were finally beaten by Mapperley, who then hosted the 1908 match.

Our first report comes from the Nottingham Evening Post of Saturday, June 13th, and carries the scores recorded up until the time of going to press, with four later scores being reported in the Stop Press. Even then the match was still in progress and the final result appeared in the Monday, June 15th, edition.

Nottingham Evening Post, 13 June 1908

MINIATURE RIFLE SHOOTING.

NOTTS. ASTOR CUP.
TO-DAY'S SHOOT AT MAPPERLEY

The fifth annual competition for Astor Cup, open to N.R.A. clubs in the county of Notts, was shot for this afternoon on the range of the Mapperley R.C.. Fifteen clubs entered, but the Constitutional Club failed to come to the firing point not having raised a team. The conditions were seven shots and a sighter, at 25 yards and 50 yards on the new Bisley circular (invisible bull) target. The holders were Mapperley.

The officers for the day were Captain Rayner and Captain Newham (range officers), Mr. J.T. Radford and Mr. W.A. Barrow (deputy range officers), Quartermaster Briscoe (statistics officer), and Quartermaster Walton (marking), assistance being rendered by Mr. A.E. Mee (hon. Secretary of Mapperley), and others.

The weather was unfortunately very unpropitious, almost as bad as in last year's competition at Radcliffe. It was dull and cold at the start, and later rain fell heavily, while the wind was variable both in direction and force.

The scores in the competition so far as decided are:—

BOOTS ATHLETIC
 25yds  50yds     Tl.
A. Rowe 30 32 62
H.G. Hooke 28 31 59
J.C. Hibbert 30 27 57
J.D. Boyce 31 31 62
H. Pearce 31 28 61
T.F. Revell (captain) 30 29 59
H.O. Heath 32 30 62
G.T. Tomlinson 28 30 58
Totals 242 238 480
  
NEWARK STANLEY WORKS
F. Garney 26 24 50
M. Monkhouse 27 29 56
S. Whiteley 28 29 57
F. Drury 28 30 58
W.T. Jones 27 33 60
W. Holland 29 31 60
G. Fawcett 24 31 55
A. Graveney 29 31 60
Totals 218 238 456
  
SOUTHWELL
G.W. Kirk 28 27 56
H. Clulow 31 27 58
B. Beeson 34 28 62
G.W. Harvey 28 30 58
W.D. Lee 24 29 53
Keetley 30 28 58
E.A. Merryweather 29 27 56
A. Brown 31 32 63
Totals 236 228 464
  
CARRINGTON
F. Houseley 34 32 66
F. Skerritt 29 32 61
R. Bavin 25 32 57
G. Gunn 30 31 61
Hook 26 31 57
Goddard 27 28 35
Spowage 26 30 56
Hoskins 29 24 53
Totals 226 240 466
  
NOTTS. CIVILIAN
Sutton 31 32 63
Elborne 32 34 66
Briggs 28 34 62
Derrick 29 25 54
Roescher 31 33 64
Warsop 34 29 63
Rodway 30 31 61
Radford 27 29 56
Totals 242 247 489
  
JARDINE'S
Montgomery 30 30 60
Saxton 29 26 55
Hendry 33 31 64
Rostance 33 28 61
Harrison 31 31 62
Wallis 34 31 65
Hancock 30 29 59
Swinn 29 32 61
Totals 249 238 487

Nottingham Evening Post, Saturday, 13 June 1908

STOP PRESS

NOTTS. ASTOR CUP COMPETITION.

Newark Town: 25yds 206, 50yds 210, total 416.

Mansfield: 25yds 207, 50yds 201, total 408.

 

STOP PRESS

Radcliffe: 25yds 235, 50yds 230, total 465.

Retford: 25yds 235, 50yds 238, total 473.

The Monday, June 15th, Evening Post carried the final result of the Astor Cup competition. Mapperley Club, who had shot late in the day, made the best score beating Notts. Civilian club by three points. Jardine's were third only two points behind Notts. Civilian.

Mapperley qualified to shoot as Nottinghamshire's champion club in the final at Bisley and this year they had a go despite having no experience of long range shooting, the Astor final being at 200 and 500 yards.

Nottingham Evening Post, Monday, 15 June 1908.

MINIATURE RIFLE SHOOTING

NOTTS. ASTOR CUP

MAPPERLEY AGAIN VICTORIOUS

The competition for the Notts. Astor Cup on the Mapperley R.C. range on Saturday was conducted with great smoothness and success. Despite the unpropitious weather the shooting was very creditable, and the competition was extremely close.

Mapperley, with a score of 492 out of a possible 560, won the cup for the second year in succession, but the interest was sustained throughout the afternoon, their's being the last shoot of the day. The victory, however, was a very narrow one, for Notts. Civilian, the runners-up, totalled 489, and Jardine's were but two points below that.

There were also some capital individual scores, the best being 66 by T. Caunt, captain of Mapperley, F. Houseley, of Carrington, and Elborne, of Notts. Civilians.

The scores were as follows:—

 25yds  50yds     Tl.
Mapperley 247 245 492
Notts. Civilian 242 247 489
Jardine's 249 238 487
Boots Athletic 242 238 480
Retford 235 238 473
Carrington 226 240 466
Radcliffe 235 230 465
Lowdham 240 225 465
Southwell 236 228 464
Sneinton 230 230 460
Newark Stanley Works 218 238 456
Burton Joyce 219 215 434
Newark Town 206 210 416
Mansfield 207 201 408

The Mapperley Miniature Rifle Club team went to Bisley to shoot in the Astor final. They had little experience of shooting at the longer ranges of the final match; but appear to have done themselves some credit, despite having to make a substitution late in the day.

Nottingham Daily Express, Saturday, 18 July 1908

MINIATURE RIFLE SHOOTING
THE ASTOR CUP

The individual scores of the Mapperley M.R.C. representatives in the Astor Cup Competition at Bisley reflect great credit on the riflemen, particularly as all of them were unaccustomed to long distance shooting. Mapperley were handicapped by the absence of Mr. A.E. Mee, who was prevented from attending by illness, his place being filled at the last moment by Mr. P. Winfield. The scores were:—

 200yds500yds   Total
W.E. Clifton 31 36 67
F. Caunt 28 34 62
T. Caunt 29 31 60
P. Winfield 31 25 56
L. Duckett 31 31 62
W. Ashby 35 28 63
Totals 185 185 370

Transcripts from Nottingham Evening Post
and Nottingham Daily Express 1908
British Library Newspaper Archive