Thanks to all competitors who travelled to Hilltop’s Match at the Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland. The two-day event on 18th and 19th April 2026 brought together shooters from clubs across the country for a fantastic weekend of competition, camaraderie, and high-level performance across all disciplines.
Beyond the scores, the weekend was defined by its strong sense of community, with the welcome return of familiar faces alongside several new competitors making their mark on the national stage. The mix of experienced shooters, first-time competitors, and family participation created a particularly positive atmosphere across both days.
In the Field Sporting Rifle 50m Prone (FSPR50), the McCandless family (Courtlough) made a strong impact, with Ian McCandless taking gold in Class A with a superb 396.025, closely followed by Mark McCandless who secured silver with 394.023.
The 50m Benchrest Rifle Factory Sporter (BR50FS) match produced another set of closely fought results, with Ian McCandless taking gold and a PB of 480.014. John Geraghty (Midlands) followed closely with silver and a PB of 469.007, while Mark McCandless completed a strong family showing with bronze on 463.009. Anthony Walsh and Robert Walsh (An Ríocht) also delivered solid performances in a highly competitive field.
In 50m Benchrest Rifle Semi Auto (BR50SA), the Kelly family (Lough Bo) provided another of the weekend’s notable father-and-son storylines, with Ian McCandless securing gold on 453.005, while Wayne Kelly took silver with 426.007 and Kyle Kelly bronze with 420.004.
One of the standout moments of the weekend came from An Ríocht’s Ellen Hoogendorp, competing in her very first NASRPC competition. Ellen delivered an exceptional debut performance, shooting straight into C Class and claiming gold with a PB of 352.010 in FSPR50 – an impressive introduction to national competition.
Across the pistol and gallery rifle disciplines, numerous personal bests were recorded, with strong performances from both established competitors and newer shooters continuing to raise the standard across the board.
One of the most dominant pistol shooters of the weekend was Daniel Kowalczyk (Harbour House), taking home seven gold medals across the Smallbore and Open Smallbore Pistol programme. His results included victories across SBP25P, SBPTP1, SBPMT, OSBP25P, OSBPTP1, OSBPMT, and OSBPGP85, demonstrating outstanding consistency across multiple formats.
Declan Fitzgerald (Fermoy Rifle & Pistol Club) proved himself to be one of the strongest all-round pistol and gallery rifle competitors of the weekend, finishing with five gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze. His gold medal performances included SBP25P, OSBP25P, GRCF25P, GRCF50P, and GRCFMT, alongside multiple podium finishes across SBPTP1, SBPMT, and SBPGP85.
Gary Newman (IPA Pistol Club) also delivered a standout performance, securing gold in the Smallbore Gallery Rifle 1500 and 1020 events. He also claimed gold in OSBP25P and OSBPTP1, silver in GRSBMT, and bronze in OSBPMT, highlighting a strong and consistent showing across both rifle and pistol disciplines.
Julie Moran (Fermoy Rifle & Pistol Club) delivered an impressive all-round gallery rifle performance, securing gold in Smallbore Gallery Rifle 25m Precision (GRSB25P), gold in GRSB50P, gold in GRSBMT with 113.011, and silver in GRSBTP1 with 297.018. Her results demonstrated excellent consistency across a demanding schedule of events.
Gemma Culhane (Munster Target Shooting Club) was another of the most active competitors in the Ladies field, competing strongly across both pistol and gallery rifle disciplines. She secured gold in Smallbore Pistol Multi Target (SBPMT) A Class, gold in Centrefire Gallery Rifle 25m Precision (GRCF25P) B Class, and added further podium finishes including bronze in GRSB25P and additional strong performances across multiple events.
Special thanks are due to JP Craven and everyone at the Midlands National Shooting Centre of Ireland for hosting the event, as well as to the volunteers, range officers, and supporting personnel whose efforts ensured the match ran safely and efficiently throughout. Hilltop Shooting Club, despite their small membership, delivered a well-run and welcoming event, supported by the wider NASRPC community in a true spirit of cooperation.
Match results can be found here. Scoring challenges will be accepted until midnight Wednesday, 22rd April.
The next event scheduled is at Munster Target Shooting Club on 9th and 10th May.
Keep an eye on the Events Calendar here on the website for more competition dates in the future.