The 2007 Creedmoor Cup Matches and Clinic were held 24-28 October at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility which is located just north of Phoenix, AZ. This was a new location for the Creedmoor Cup, which is held in conjunction with the CMP Western Games. The Ben Avery Range has a long history of hosting major events including the 1970 World Shooting Championship and several National Championships. The range also has the distinction of being the largest public shooting facility in the country since the Arizona Game and Fish Department took over the operations of the complex. Camp Pendleton, CA hosted the event for the past four years, but the change of venue proved to be fortuitous because the wildfires ravaged southern California that same week and would have lead to the cancellation of the Matches.

In Phoenix the conditions were near perfect for the event which kicked off with a free clinic on 24 October which was conducted by members of the US Army and US Marine Corps Service Rifle Teams, and Creedmoor General Manager and Match Director CWO3 Dennis DeMille who holds multiple National Service Rifle Championships. The clinic featured lectures, demonstrations and hands-on coaching. Participants were able to put the training to a test on Thursday when they participated in a 50-shot practice match.

The real competition began on Friday 26 October with a 50-shot EIC Match Rifle course. Competitors were grouped according to the type of rifle they fired, either service or match, and all together 110 people participated in the event. In the Service Class Trenton Hering of Corvallis, OR took first with a 491-15X. He just edged out SGT Brandon Green USA from Columbus, GA who shot a 491-14X. It was center X’s that determined the winner of the Match Class as well with Kenneth Walston of Fruitland, ID claiming first over Wayne Forshee of Senoia, GA. Walston shot a 484-12X to Forshee’s 484-11X. An additional bonus from this event is that the top 10% of non-distinguished shooters earned EIC points in this Match.

On Saturday the 80-shot Creedmoor Cup Match was held and participation was high with a combined 133 competitors in the Service and Match Rifle classes. SGT Brandon Green would not be denied two days in a row and claimed the top spot in the Service Class with a 794-39X. In the Match Class Neil Jensen of Las Vegas, NV took first with a 792-28X. Kathryn Bugg of Vacaville, CA was recognized as the High Junior of the day with a 787-28X. Bushmaster Firearms International presented SGT Brandon Green and Kathryn Bugg a certificate for redemption with their FFL dealers for a Bushmaster DCM-XR Competition Rifle bearing special laser engravings of the Creedmoor Cup and CMP Western Games logos as well as their names.  

A 4-person Team Match was held on Sunday to close-out competition and 21 teams took part in the event. In the Service Class USAMU Blue dominated with a 44 point lead over second place finisher Oregon State Shooting Association. USAMU team members, SFC Lance Dement, 487-16X, SPC Matthew Sigrist, 485-10X, SGT Brandon Green, 483-14X and SSG William Pace, 482-10X, combined for a 1937-50X team total. The team was coached by Donald Heuman. In the Match Class the top team was Richards Associates which was coached by Carlton Hardin and team captain Wayne Forshee. The team consisted of Tom Albanito, 488-20X, Robert DelCotto, 487-19X, Forshee, 485-14X and Hardin, 479-12X combined for a total of 1939-65X. Shawn McKenna of Whittier, CA was the overall high shooter of the Team Match with a 492-22X.

Capping off the week, Creedmoor Sports hosted a barbecue for all the competitors that was sponsored by Bushmaster Firearms. The event included a prize drawing with over $20,000 in prizes.

Complete results from the 2007 Creedmoor Cup can be found at, http://clubs.odcmp.com/cgi-bin/report_matchResult.cgi?matchID=2516. Photos from the event can be found at, http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/07/WesternCreedmoorCup/index.htm.

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