December has really seen the season hit full stride here in the Sporting Agency, with myself and Gordon out almost every day, looking after teams the length and breadth of the country. Shoots are performing well and it has been great to return to some firm favourites as well as being pleasantly surprised by new venues.
Just this week we hosted the exciting start of a new relationship between Purdey and Bettws Hall. The trip consisted of a tour of the Purdey factory in London, an afternoon’s shooting here at the School, followed by two great days of Pheasant and Partridge shooting on a couple of premier estates in the Bettws portfolio. We enjoyed a very successful trip with rave reviews from clients, all of whom were experiencing truly testing Welsh shooting and first-rate hospitality and accommodation for the first time.
It was an absolute pleasure to work alongside such a professional outfit as Bettws and our thanks goes out to the whole team, all of whom assisted in every element of the trip. Our overseas clients were able to make it to the U.K. for this trip and organising and coordinating their pre-departure testing was actually very straightforward and fitted in around the timings of the shooting day. It was very pleasing to see Purdey guns out in the field being tried and tested doing exactly what they were meant for; I was lucky enough to take a couple of shots with a 20 bore Purdey Trigger Plate and it truly is a fantastically sweet-shooting gun. Very impressive.
Despite the end of the season almost being in sight we are just as busy as ever. Leo is preparing for the logistics of our Spanish trips, which will continue into February and March for those who wish to ‘extend their season’. We are also finalising dates on a rock-pigeon trip to South Africa in May. Overseas sport is very much still on the agenda and so long as travel restrictions hold out, we will be planning on running these trips as per normal.
We are taking lots of repeat bookings on days across the U.K. for next season - our Roving Syndicate enjoyed some great sport this year and we will be looking to recreate this next season. Some of you have already emailed to register your interest in these dates and, once our schedule for next year is finalized, we will be contacting you with availability. There will be some return fixtures as well as new bookings so watch this space, and register your interest sooner rather than later.
With Christmas just around the corner we will all be enjoying a little time off. We then have a handful of days to host between Christmas and the New Year which are always very jovial, family-based affairs before we hit the home-straight with some fantastic January sport.
I will be looking forward to a couple of days off, at home in Yorkshire with my family, without a gun or a pheasant in sight! I can guarantee once the festivities are over and done with I will be itching to be back out in the field and make the most of the remainder of the season.
Gordon meanwhile, will probably be found enjoying some winter sport on the river bank, most likely chasing wild Grayling on the chalk streams .
It just leaves me to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2022, we look forward to seeing you out in the field soon.
Matt.
gordon@rbss.co.uk
matt@rbss.co.uk
01491 672918
