Summary Report of 2023 F-Class World Championships (FCWC)

The F-Class World Championships (FCWC) were held at the ranges in Bloemfontein, South Africa, from the 26^th March to the 1^st April, with three days of individual competition and two days of international team matches, with teams of 4 matches being shot alongside the internationals. Twelve nations were represented, but not all had enough for the International Matches or a team of 4.

Most of the competitors had shot the South African Open Championships immediately prior to the FCWC and so were fully conversant with both the range conditions as well as the method of running the matches, as shooting in pairs or threes was unfamiliar to many of the visiting nations.

The weather was perfect for shooting, as throughout it was never too hot or excessively windy. Fortunately, during the World Championships there was no rain during the hours of shooting, but there was the occasional thunderstorm in the vicinity in the day and more locally at night, so the greenness on the range was not unexpected. Of course, there were the usual complaints about the fickleness of the wind and the difficulty of the sight picture due to mirage, but for most, this simply increased the challenge and was certainly not a showstopper.

In both the F-Open and F-TR classes, the scoring was excellent, particularly in the team matches and once again was an indication of how the bar had been raised in both disciplines. The F-Open FCWC Grand Aggregate was won by BJ Engelbrecht of South Africa by 8 clear points ahead of JHC Louw, also from South Africa, and in F-TR, by H Rolfes from South Africa by 4 points ahead of his fellow countryman J Cilliers.

The new South Africa Cup, presented by the South African Bisley Union (SABU) for the top F-TR team in the 4 shooter team match, was contested by 9 teams and was won by INX’S, only 3 points ahead of the SA Federation Team, in a hard fought match with INX’S winning all three ranges on the second day, after trailing to the SA Federation by 8 points on the first day.

Shot alongside was the Rutland Cup for F-Open teams of 4. In this match, the SA Federation team beat the other three teams by 14 points, despite the runners-up, the team from USA, winning 3 of the 6 ranges and tying another.

However, the main interest was in the F-TR and F-Open international matches, with 5 teams in the F-TR match, including Pakistan on their inaugural international match appearance, and 5 in the F-Open match.

In the F-TR match, the South African team was dominant throughout, losing only one range out of 6 to the runners-up, USA, and then only by one point. Their margin of victory of 56 points was very considerable, and it was noticeable that they even outscored the South African F-Open team at 3 of the 6 ranges, which is testament to the quality of their shooting and coaching.

The F-Open team match, however, was the closest of all the matches. The lead changed hands several times during the match. After the first day, Australia was only one point ahead of South Africa and 8 ahead of the USA.  However, on the second day, the USA won each of the three ranges and gradually clawed their way back into a position where they were tying with South Africa going into the final range at 900 metres. Australia had been leading after the 700 metre distance and fell away badly at 800 metres, allowing South Africa and the USA to overtake them. So it was all to play for at 900 metres and the USA managed the wind slightly better, running out as winners by a very close margin of only 5 points.

Two scores in particular in the team matches deserve a mention. In the USA Open team, B Kolodziej scored 448 ex 450 over the two-day match, with a 225 ex 225 on the second day and H Rolfes of the South African F-TR team scored 447. Both are excellent scores and fantastic shooting, but such scores are only possible due to the unsung heroes, the wind coaches, without whom a large number of points would have been lost.

To show how much team shooting has developed, it Is instructive to look at previous World Championship winning scores. The previous record scores were:

• F-Open:  2017 - Australia - 3511-342
• F-TR:       2013 - USA          - 3412 – 261

but at the FCWC in 2023, in F-Open, the top 3 teams, i.e. 1st - USA (3540-366), 2nd – South Africa (3535-374), and 3rd Australia (3512-338) all beat the previous record. In F-TR, the top 2 teams, i.e. 1st – South Africa (3518-307) and 2nd - USA (3462-284) both beat the previous record - the South African team by a whopping 106 points. And the F-TR score also beat the previous F-Open record by 7 points.

Full results can be found on https://2021fcwc.com/fcwc-2023-results/

On behalf of ICFRA, thanks need to be expressed to SABU for staging such a successful event and one in which all the competitors had a most enjoyable experience, both on and off the range.

The next FCWC will be held at Bisley in August 2026. All those attending in South Africa will certainly be looking forward to renewing friendships made at FCWC 2023 as well as competing on another iconic range.

Photo Credits: Jamal Leghari