George Digweed MBE: an exclusive interview with the world’s greatest clay shot

George Digweed MBE is, by any measure, the most decorated clay shooter in history. Twenty-eight World Championship titles, 19 European Championships and an MBE for services to the sport mark a career that has spanned five decades and taken him to competitions on every continent. Yet speak to him for any length of time and it quickly becomes clear that the trophies are only part of the story. The man behind the record is a countryman, a gundog man, a pigeon shooter and – as it turns out – a fairly handy cricketer.
Sporting Gun spent a day with George, now the magazine’s guest editor, to find out what keeps him going, what he looks for in a gun and what advice he’d give to anyone wanting to shoot better.

Photography: Matt Kidd, Don Brunt, Robert Warren and Lefty Ray Chapa

Tell us a little bit about you and how you got into shooting.

I was born in Hastings in 1964. My family was in the butchery business – which my ancestors established way back in 1860. Growing up, I naturally assumed I would follow suit and end up working as a full-time butcher. I suppose it was that way for 30 years until my career in shooting took over.
I started shooting when I was 12; and, like many people of my age, was involved in the sport way before that, regularly featuring in the beating line with my grandfather. It was a natural progression from that to shoot, especially as any pigeons, rabbits and pheasants we shot would be sold in the shop. I can’t say I have a particularly vivid memory of my first day in the field, but I look back on lots of fond memories out and about – it was a great upbringing.

Who taught you to shoot?

I am self-taught. I used to go shooting with my grandfather and my cousin Bill Moseley and the biggest shoot we went to was the East Sussex Gun Club and Wildfowlers Association annual clay shoot. One year I finished Top Young Gun and won a tiny trophy that turned out to say ‘Best Budgerigar in Show 1938’ on the back. Despite that I was absolutely delighted to win it.

What has been your most memorable win, and why?

Probably the 1992 win at Okemo in Vermont. My father was very ill with pancreatic cancer, so I wasn’t going to go. However, he persuaded me to go so I did, and I won the Championships. Later that year we sadly lost him, so it was very emotional, but it carries good memories because he told me to go and do it. I went on to win it consecutively in 1993 and 1994, which has yet to be matched today.

What do you regard as your greatest shooting achievement?

There have been a few, but there are a couple that really stand out. The first would be in 1993 at Monfortinho in Portugal, where I shot 15 out of 25 on one layout and brought it all back together and still won the World Championship. And then in Arezzo, Italy, in 2010 where in over 40-degree heat I shot 174 of the first 175 targets and went on to win the championship.

Do you have a favourite discipline?

I wouldn’t say I have a favourite now. I’ve done so much of it over the years that the discipline is irrelevant – I have seen every target going – so as long as the company is good I’m happy.

What keeps you shooting?

I’ve had a great career and shooting changed my life. I grew up thinking I was going to be a butcher, but now I’ve travelled the world and met incredible people. I believe I am in the giving-back stage, supporting sponsors who supported me with promoting products I believe in, while still seeing friends all over the world through shooting keeps it very much enjoyable.

You have now won a world title in five decades. What is the next goal?

It would be remiss not to have a small thought about six decades, but it’s a long way off. Standards keep moving forward and you have to keep up; there’s aging and health to consider, but who knows – you only need to be on song for a few days.

Clays or game?

Game. I’m a countryman at heart. I love the countryside and watching it unfold. It’s not all about pulling the trigger – which I realise more and more as I get older. It’s about the people you’re with, the surrounding nature, and matching your wits against wild quarry.

What do you consider the ultimate sporting quarry?

It depends on the day – grouse, high pheasants, duck flighting, roosting pigeons – all forms of game shooting can be exhilarating in the right conditions.

Do you shoot rifles?

Yes, mainly for vermin control. I’m old-school with a lamp though. My keepers now use thermal and night vision and do most of the work and love it. I still enjoy controlling rabbits and vermin, just not as much as I used to.

Who are your sponsors?

Perazzi, Gamebore, Cens, Swatcom, Pilla, Promatic, Pro Ferrum and Sportarm, Beals Scaffolding, ClayClo and MC Truck & Rental.

What is in your kitbag?

Cartridges, cans and glasses. I’m not obsessive – I put my glasses on, put the cartridges in and pull the trigger.

George Digweed’s top shooting tips

What would be your top tip to any novice?

Start with a couple of sound lessons to get the basics right. If you start correctly, you don’t normally make many mistakes. I have seen people on corporate days who have never shot before, quickly overtake the standard of those who have shot for years after a couple of good lessons.

What about an advanced shooter?

Be confident in your equipment, gun, cartridges, eyewear and hearing protection – then go out and let it happen. If you have doubts on any of it, or something doesn’t feel right, you will never perform at your best.
Also, shoot enough to maintain your standard and sharpness, whether that is in competitions or purposeful practice. It is important to understand where to spend your time, money and effort to maintain performance at the top.

What do you look for in a shotgun?

Reliability, balance and something that moves well. Confidence in a gun is everything. It must go off every time, be balanced slightly forward – on the hinge pin, in my opinion, as this will hold its line better than a gun that feels whippy – and it must not kick excessively. A handmade gun will move better than one made in a machine, but you do not need something extravagant to shoot well. Choose what is most reliable and cost-efficient for you.

How often are you pigeon shooting?

Not as much as I’d like. It’s been a mast year so pigeons have stayed in the woods on acorns. I hope to shoot more this year and even have a trip in South Africa coming up.

Best advice for shooting pigeons?

Keep still – wild birds look for movement. If you stand up while they are still 50 yards or so away, they will flare up and be out of range before you get a good shot at them. But if you wait to let them get to within 20 yards or so, you can stand up and still be in control – even do a dance or a jig before shooting if you want to – and have far more success.

Describe your life outside of shooting.

There isn’t one.

What was it like to receive an MBE?

It was the most amazing experience and a very special day. But, I never really felt like it was awarded to me personally, rather that it was awarded for shooting as a sport in general and what had been achieved within it.
I was very lucky in 2019 to be invited to Buckingham Palace for lunch with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, which was an incredibly personal and memorable occasion. There were only 10 people there, one from each different walk of life – say farming, military, whatever. It was the second to last lunch they ever did together, and to sit and talk with them, particularly about the countryside and conservation at Sandringham, was extremely special and something I will never forget.

Your dog of a lifetime?

I had a line of black labradors that were all named after West Indian cricketers, and the last one was called Sobers. She was without question a proper gundog, I could send her five or six hundred yards and she would not come back until she had what I sent her for. Unfortunately, we lost her last year after returning from a competition in America, at only eight years old. She suddenly became ill and it turned out she had a very aggressive form of cancer in her lungs. Dogs like that tend only to come once in a lifetime.

Your favourite cigar?

Partagas Serie D No.4, Cohiba Siglo II and Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2.

Tell us something readers would be surprised to know about you.

That I am training to run in the 100m Olympics? No, seriously, what I would consider one of my very best sporting performances wasn’t in shooting, but in cricket! In a Sussex T20 cup match, I opened the bowling and finished with figures of five overs, five maidens, eight wickets for no runs. What made it even better was the opposition captain came out determined to score off me, and hit the ball straight to extra cover where our slowest fielder was positioned and ran. Somehow the fielder picked up the ball, threw the stumps down and ran the captain out – saving my figures!