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Pennine Shooting Sports Association
Vince Bottomley 1943-2026
Vince came to shooting quite late in life on his 40th birthday in 1983. Most of us came via the Pistol route but Vince didn’t discover rifle shooting until 1989 despite living only five miles away from Diggle Ranges.
At that time Diggle was a much different facility to the one we know today. Shooting disciplines were limited to Target Rifle and Classic Military rifle but the newly emerging discipline for Practical Rifle soon grabbed Vince’s attention. However, the discovery of Benchrest would change Vince’s shooting career
With the help of a handful of like-minded members, most of whom were Committee Members, the Benchrest covering firing points we all enjoy today were constructed and Benchrest became a significant discipline as well as the newly emerging F-Class
Vince represented the UK at six World Championships in NZ, USA, Scandinavia and many European Countries plus a few European Championships in France and Spain but Long Range Benchrest together with F-Class were undoubtedly Vince’s favourite disciplines and he was shooting competitively well into his 80s
Vince also built his own rifles and at one time held the UK 1000 yard and 600 yard small-group records. He also wrote for Target Shooter magazine for many years and when the magazine closed, Vince continued with his own on-line blog which enjoyed a significant following.
Throughout his Diggle life, Vince has held a few Committee posts, the latter being Membership Secretary which, under his stewardship has seen membership double in the last couple of decades. He was also responsible for the first ‘Competition Calendar’ which now forms such a significant part of Club life
Not one to ‘suffer fools gladly’ but always willing to help the underdog, Vince’s presence will be missed at Diggle
Vince sadly passed away peacefully on the 26th of February at 9.30pm. We send our condolences to Pat and Vince's extended family and friends.
Vince's funeral will be held at Oldham Crematorium on Wednesday 18th March at 3.30. Oldham Crematorium is within Hollinwood Cemetery Roman Road, Hollinwood, Oldham, OL8 3LU.
Vince left instructions that his shooting friends are not to wear black. He wants those attending his funeral to wear shooting attire, be it green, full camo etc. Attend wearing whatever you usually wear to the range.
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Copyright © 2026 – Hello Club
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This email was sent to you by Pennine Shooting Sports Association.
Copyright © 2026 – Hello Club
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