THE CPSA ENGLISH MAJORS ARE HERE

If you weren’t sitting with fingers poised on the keyboard last night, you could be staring at a “Sold Out” sign for some disciplines.

Fear not, a few of us missed getting a squad into a ESp major shoot last year so we added ourselves to the CPSA’s Waiting List and bingo, they launched new days and we jumped straight in. It’s definitely worth doing if you’re staring at the booking overview pages with dismay.

Here’s some of the big ones to watch and we’re lucky to have some absolute crackers on the calendar this year:

We’re off to Bywell on April 11 – 12. If you haven’t tried Automatic Ball Trap (ABT), it’s basically Sporting’s caffeinated cousin. One trap, infinite ways for it to trick you horizontally and vertically. Bywell is a proper northern gem and the hospitality is out of this world – usually enough to distract you from the fact that the targets are moving faster than your brain can process after that sausage butty before kick off.

Taking place at the legendary Ian Coley’s from April 15 – 18. Top-tier targets and a shop that usually seduces you into buying a new bit of gear that you really want but don’t actually need. Super Sporting – for those who haven’t tried it – is a test not only of your shooting skills but your memory too. With all the various traps and differing presentations, half the battle is figuring out where the next pair is coming from! It’s great fun without a doubt.

This one is at Northampton Shooting Ground on the 9th & 10th May. Skeet is all about the rhythm, isn’t it? It’s one of the few disciplines where you can look like a pro on Peg 1 and a complete novice by Peg 5. It’s a great social one, though; the layout means you’re never too far from the clubhouse so the walk back, dragging your gun, hopes and dreams behind you isn’t too much of a stretch. Joking aside, Skeet is a cracking discipline to really sharpen up your hold points.

Some say it’s the god of all shoots. The big daddy. We’re heading to Barbury Shooting School on May 12 – 16 this year and if you haven’t shot Barbury before, the views are simply stunning. Every English Open is a tough challenge, make no mistake, but at least at this one we’ve got a beautiful landscape to distract us from any score cards that look like they’ve been shot by a Pro Piston 9!

Regardless of which event(s) you opt for this year, the atmosphere at these shoots is always electric. Miss or hit, we feel it’s not just about the scorecards (which, in our cases might have more ‘O’s than a Hula-Hoops factory). It’s about the shooting community coming together, the trade stands, the warm food scents, the strong coffee to kick away the overnight stay drinks and the inevitable “how the f*ck did I miss that?” post-shoot inquest in the car park.

You get to shoot the same targets as the pros, realise they are human (mostly) and then laugh about your mate who managed to get a string of pearls 🤣.

Each comp is definitely a social highlight of our year and we’re looking forward to seeing a big PAIR DEAD contingent out there in 2026. Even if we don’t bring home the silverware, we’ll definitely win the award for “Most Likely to Buy Everything in the Teague Choke Tent.”

Stay tuned, more majors are coming up for grabs soon – check out the running order on the CPSA’s dedicated championship page.

See you on the stands (and hopefully on the scoreboard).

Image credits: Ian Coley Shooting Ground & The CPSA.