A host of competitors from a Carlisle club have enjoyed success at national events.

Competing in Edinburgh across last weekend, The Cumberland News Rifle Club’s coach David Owen led the way, winning gold in the Scottish 10m Air Pistol Championships, while Carl Dawber came sixth. 

Meanwhile, in the Junior Championships, Lewis Mercer won bronze in the 10m air pistol.

That came after Gordon Bailey was crowned SH2 [a Paralympic category for shooters who require a firearm support to shoot] air rifle British champion last month.

Owen is thrilled with the strength in depth at the club, which is based at the Sheepmount Stadium, as shooters look to follow in the footsteps of Jess Liddon who competed for Scotland at last year’s Commonwealth Games and Owen - himself a 2014 Commonwealth Games competitor.

“The newcomers are coming on and they are doing pretty well, with the likes of our young Lewis winning bronze,” he said.

“It’s great to get them out of the club, shooting in front of everybody, to find that they can actually deal with it [the pressure]. That’s impressive.”

Owen added: “Carl shot in the final. He’s been with the club almost a year and came sixth. 

“But it’s the fact he managed to do something in the competition. He wasn’t outstanding, but he managed to turn up and do something. 

“He’s got a little way to go, but he’s got a taste for it now.”

When asked what the standard of competition was like at Edinburgh’s Napier University, he added: “It was still tough. There were a lot of people missing but it was still a tough competition. 

“It’s always tough when you have to shoot under pressure.”

Owen also revealed Bailey’s path to become British champion had been far from straightforward

“First time of asking, he goes and wins the event,” he said. 

“That was good because he has only been shooting for about six months.

“It’s been a tough slope for him to get up to this kind of standard. His target broke twice, as well. He’d never trained for that event before, so he didn’t really know what to do, but he held it together.” 

Liddon, from Lockerbie, broke her own Scottish record last month.