In the community - 01 January 2017

Hawksford staff going for gold at island games

Jersey shooting champion aiming for gold at the 2017 Island Games

Digitial marketing officer, Craig Marett will have the chance to win gold at next year's Gotland Island Games, thanks to support from Hawksford.

He has been selected to represent Jersey in the 100yd men's small-bore prone rifle event at Gotland 2017.

The Island Games is completely self-funded and competitors are required to pay for their own travel and expenses. Hawksford will be supporting him financially as he travels to Gotland to represent Jersey.

Competing in his first Island Games, he is delighted be given the opportunity to represent Jersey on the international stage.

'In the past the expense of travelling has prevented me from going to the Island Games, so I'm absolutely thrilled that Hawskford has stepped in to help. Over the years I've shot up to five nights a week to reach my current standard and it's fantastic that all the hard work will finally be put to the test.'

Craig started shooting a small-bore prone rifle at St John's Shooting Club when he was 12 years old. He has been amongst the island's top indoor small-bore prone rifle shooters since his late teens, having won many club, island and international level competitions over the years. He is the defending champion of the Northey Trophy, an accolade presented to the individual with the highest average over all the indoor prone rifle league matches, which runs from October through to April every year.

Craig recently became the Small-bore Prone Rifle Outdoor Island Champion and has previously competed in different distances in the Commonwealth Shooting Federation European Division Jersey Mini-Games in 1999 and 2012. He also won the 50m event at the 2012 Normandy Open Challenge in Alencon.

'I'm most looking forward to testing my skills alongside other islanders and learning even more from my training about how the elements affect the shots. You need to be patient and know when not to pull the trigger! Over the next nine months I will be training and competing alongside my fellow Jersey teammates, which will be great for my development and preparation for the games next summer,' added Craig.

Cherith Fothergill, Associate Director and Head of Marketing at Hawksford, added, 'We are delighted to be supporting Craig on his journey to the Island Games in Gotland. Hawksford is committed to helping staff achieve their ambitions both inside and outside of work. The Island Games is a fantastic event for the island and we will all be cheering on Craig and hoping he brings home gold for Jersey.'

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