Seen here are members of the Northern Cape Clay Target Association in action at their club. Picture: Facebook/NCCTSA
On Friday evening, Kimberley once again will be stirred by yet another historical celebration.
Nobody can dispute the historical significance of Kimberley. Everywhere you go and everything you see has a history, from the first street lights on through the diamond rush to entertaining the queen at the Kimberley Club.
Kimberley also has a long history in sports. From the prestigious Kimberley Golf Club, founded in 1890, to the Kimberley Cricket Club, founded in 1884, to the Griquas rugby team, founded in 1886 in the then-British province of Griqualand West.
But there is another sport with a long history that gets less attention, while being equally as popular as the others. Can you guess what it is?
Here's a clue: It involves a shotgun and projectiles that fly through the air that competitors shoot at. Any idea? Ah, you guessed it right, it’s clay target shooting.
And it’s with this in mind that the Northern Cape Clay Target Shooting Association (CTSA), along with the national body will hold its annual awards ceremony to acknowledge all of the year’s accolades throughout the country.
The winners and top performers of 2022 will be recognised at this distinguished event when the National Protea Colours, Association Merit Colours, and other prizes are handed out.
The Northern Cape CTSA has invited provincial teams and their families to celebrate the awards evening with them at the Marrick Safari Lodge on Friday evening at 7pm.
On Saturday and Sunday, all the CTSA of South Africa Provincial Teams and visitors are invited to attend the 39th CTSASA Chairman's Cup at the Kimberley Clay Target Club. The club is approximately 1km along the gravel road, Samaria Road, that leads to the Kimberley Equestrian Club. The venue will be signposted and cannot be missed.
Organisers took the opportunity to thank their sponsors, Consulmet, Ntlo Signs, Overland, Bravehart, Jenny, Infinity Graphics and Signs, and Promatic.
But what is clay target shooting anyway?
Competitions in the thrilling outdoor sport of clay target shooting include shooting moving targets that are catapulted through the air at various rates of speed and angles. All ages and skill levels of participants, from recreational shooters to Olympic athletes, can compete in clay target shooting.
So, for those who have not seen clay target shooting in person and would like to see how it is done, take your family out for the day and see what this sport is all about.
The prestigious Chairman’s Cup, the largest domestic clay target shooting competition of the year, has teams of 12 competitors from each of the nine participating provinces, divided into four teams for each individual discipline, for a total of 108 contestants.
A team of three contestants from each discipline will fire on 150 targets collectively.
Each province held tryouts throughout the year to choose its top competitors, and in the majority of provinces competition is keen and it is a difficult struggle to qualify for this interprovincial tournament.
Since its inception in 1984, the Chairman's Cup has been presented 39 times in its current format. The event had previously been organised in a different manner and had primarily been supported by Swartklip Products and Datsun. With the exception of the ammunition, the CTSASA has sponsored the event for the majority of the recent past.
The timing of the event at the end of November concludes the shooting calendar of the CTSASA.
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