Shooting talent seeks funding

A young clay pigeon shooter from West Norfolk is looking for funding as he aims to reach the very top of his sport.William Gilbert, from Stow Bridge, has enjoyed success in both the trap disciplines of Automatic Ball Trap and Olympic Trap in which Great Britain won a gold medal at the Paris OlympicsNow in his third year at the University of Nottingham where he is studying law, Gilbert started shooting, coached and guided by his dad Richard, at the age of six.The youngster has dedicated himself to the sport, winning his first competition, the Norfolk Junior ABT title aged 12.Since then, he has achieved numerous successes at county, regional and National level using a Beretta SO5 gun for all his trap competitions.The 21-year-old was selected for the England junior team at the Home Countries International ABT Tournament held in Scotland at 16 where he and his partner won the junior team event.Seven years ago, the former Wisbech Grammar School pupil was part of an under-14 team that competed at the British Schools and Young Shots competition, representing WGS, where they were overall winners in their age group. Since then he has been a regular competitor for England juniors at this competition winning every year, returning two weeks ago from the latest HCIT where the England team proved unbeatable. In 2022 British Shooting, who are the governing body for Olympic Trap competitions, picked him to shoot for Team GB at the Junior World Cup held at Suhl in Germany where he finished joint 16th in a field of 70.The West Norfolk sharpshooter has been selected to represent GB at the Junior World Championships this month.And a few weeks after his return he will be travelling to Delhi to take part in the World Universities Games as part of the GB Team organised by British Universities and Colleges Sports. William’s dad Richard said: “Clay pigeon shooting is a very expensive sport, especially when competing on the international stage.”So far he has been entirely funded by his mother Christine and myself, but to advance further in the sport we are hoping that if we can raise his profile he might attract some sponsorship from local companies. “William knows Nathan Hales, gold medal winner at Paris quite well and often shoots in competitions with him.”The GB win was a great inspiration although the time and funds necessary to achieve that standard are quite formidable. “England and Great Britain team selection shoots are held over three days as far afield as North Wales, Bisley and East Yorkshire so the cost of travelling and accommodation adds greatly to the cost of shooting the events.”Gilbert, who also shoots for the University of Nottingham Shooting Club, has a very comprehensive social media presence with pages on Facebook and Instagram and a history of his endeavour can be found by visiting: williamgilbertclayshooting