Father and son duo shooting for the stars with Great Britain

Sharp-shooters Wayne and Ben Killian go gunning for glory in Europe this weekend, with both father and son on target for top honours.
Great Britain clay pigeon shooters Wayne and Ben Killian.Great Britain clay pigeon shooters Wayne and Ben Killian.
Great Britain clay pigeon shooters Wayne and Ben Killian.

Proud dad Wayne and hot-shot son Ben are representing Great Britain at the Italian Grand Prix today (Friday) and then the European Championships over the weekend.

It is a remarkable achievement for the Warwickshire family, with 48-year-old Wayne competing in the senior section and 13-year-old Ben in the juniors.

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Wayne, from Old Milverton, said: “It really is amazing. We are both very proud and very excited but I must admit it was quite nerve-wracking and exhausting in the final qualifying shoot in Kent.

“By then, we both knew we had a chance of making the Great Britain team so the pressure was really on.

“Ben nailed it, winning the fourth and final shoot to make it three wins out of four which was absolutely terrific.

“Mine was a little more nail-biting. I finished joint second with two other shooters so had to go into a three-man shoot-off to decide who made the team. Thankfully, I won through.”

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Ben, who first burst on to the scene two years ago when he won the British Schools under-14 championships aged just 11, said: “In that final shoot I was so nervous I was literally shaking but Dad really helped calm me down.

“He said ‘I know you can do it - just let your shooting do the talking. Concentrate and remember to go through your routines and you’ll be fine’.

“He was right but there was still a big sense of relief when I finally won the shoot.”

The dead-eye duo have also had the perfect tonic as they prepare for their first foreign foray together.

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Their official GB kit is being sponsored by TFJ Private GP Services, a private medical group of doctors based at Nuffield Hospital in Milverton Lane, Leamington.

Wayne, a senior programmes manager at Rosti Automotive, in Leamington, said: “We are totally self-funded and buying the full GB team uniform and shooting kit is very expensive, especially as there are two of us in the team.

“So we are very thankful to Dr Nick Tait from TFJ Private GP Services for organising this sponsorship for us.”

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