British Army Shooting Team clay-target shooter Simon Arbuckle was named Coach of the Year by the National Governing Body for clay-target shooting in England, the CPSA , at the 2019 CPSA Annual Awards at the Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield on 2 February.
The Coach of the Year Award recognises the contribution of a CPSA-qualified coach in developing their shooters to make excellent progress and achieve great success. Arbuckle was presented with the award by David Stapley of Browning Europe, the award’s sponsor. Browning is also providing Arbuckle with a new Browning B525 Sporter to use when instructing new shooters.
Arbuckle is the Head Coach at the popular Southdown Gun Club and Shooting School in West Sussex, and acts as the head coach at many game fair clay lines throughout the country, where he introduces hundreds of people from all walks of life to the sport. He is a member of the British Army Shooting Team, having retired from the Army in 2003 after 16 years of service in the Royal Military Police. He is perhaps best known to the general clay-shooting community as the presenter of the CPSA ‘How to Hit’ instructional video series.
‘My favourite part of being a CPSA coach is meeting people,’ Arbuckle stated after receiving his award ‘I meet a whole host of people from different backgrounds and different jobs.’ He said that he is enthusiastic about ‘getting them hitting those targets and taking it up as a sport and enjoying it.’ He noted that clay shooting is a growing sport, and he is personally working this year to encourage more women and young people to take up the sport.
The CPSA Annual Awards night is a cornerstone event in the clay shooting calendar. Former EastEnders and Extras actor Shaun Williamson hosted the evening and helped to present awards that recognised up-and-coming young shots, coaches, shooting grounds, and grassroots organisations that promote the sport.
The CPSA is the National Governing Body for Clay Target Shooting in England, supporting clay-target shooting enthusiasts across the UK and promoting the highest standards of excellence. The CPSA regulates the standards of safety and competition at over 300 affiliated and registered grounds around the country, promoting and organising national championships in sixteen different clay-shooting disciplines.
