i have been known to shoot a boinger a few times over the last 3.5 years. But in that time there has been a big increase of the number of people shooting springers. Initially there were not enough competing to justify any more than 1 medal or trophy, it was the same for 22. so they joined them together. However, there has been a big rise in the numbers of boingers which I hope my being such a positive role model is partially responsible for. But it still very much thought of as a second class citizen and not taken seriously. many times I have been robbed of a win on the UKAHFT and Masters where the organisers haven't taken note of what the scores were etc. On the first year of the HFT Masters they combined 22 and recoiling and I was robbed by Nick Hopkins in a shoot off with his 22 steyer against my second hand 97 with his hamster costing more than my gun. He is a great sport and lovely guy but I did voice my displeasure to Ian Bainbridge and suggested that there is no comparison of the two disciplines and they did make a separate category.

On other subsequent big shoots they still just lump us together and I was really gutted to see one comp was a combined HFT and FT, they had all these lovely trophies for 1-3 in so many different gradings and classes and then just one 50p medal for recoiling, I did really vocalise how disgusted I was and they made a point of an equal trophy the following year.

We need to turn up in sufficient numbers and speak up in order to improve things. But also many serious HFT competitors are also taking up boinging at top level and now its becoming more popular and visual so I hope that there may even be more than one bloody medal when you consider that there is 1-5 in open, 1-3 in the other classes but only 1st in recoiling.