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NICK MARSDEN

Nick Marsden has been the "Mr Consistent" of the skeet scene for 13 years (as of 2014) and has won a huge amount of major awards both here and in the USA as well as topping the UK averages on numerous occasions.
 
His haul of UK titles includes five OSC championships, three English Open Skeet titles and a British Open as well as 4 ESC championships. Add this to having represented England in the Home International tournament a total of twelve times, with one of those occasions being team captain, as well as taking the Home International high gun trophy at two events.
 
Nick has featured heavily in the CPSA averages with him ending up in the top three every year since 2006 and topping the leader board on six of the eight years!
 
Nick shot his first 100 straight on the 1st October 2000 and since then (till June 2014) has shot 223 perfect scores in both CPSA and NSSA skeet.

Mini World 2008 San Antonio TX

The consistency in yearly averages also carries over to NSSA skeet with him topping the High Over All (HOA) average on three separate occasions as well as the High All Around (HAA) average in 2012. This is of course reflected by being very high up in the individual gauge averages and topping them over the four gauges (12, 20, 28 and .410) fourteen times.
 
This shows in the sheer number of NSSA championship wins here in the UK with a total of twelve HOA titles and five HAA titles in the following championships:-
 
     • HOA European Open - 08 & 13
     • HAA European Open - 08 & 13
     • HOA UK Open - 09, 12 & 13
     • HAA UK Open - 09, 12 & 13
     • HOA BSSA Open - 09, 10 & 12
     • HOA Ironman – 2010
 
Nick has also been able to compete in the USA with three top ten HOA placing's and most recently a HOA 3RD at the 2014 Dallas Pan Am with a fantastic score of 397 ex 400 finishing ahead of household NSSA skeet names such as Mike Schmidt, Robert Paxton and Todd Bender.
 
In NSSA skeet the pinnacle is to travel and compete at the "NSSA World Shoot" held at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas every late September / Early October.

National Clay Shooting Centre - San Antonio TX
Stadium Field - Used in Major Shoot-Offs

 
The main shoot is held over 450 targets (HOA) and 550 targets (HAA)
 
Nick first joined NSSA in 2002 and attended his first world shoot that year too. It was however 2004 before he scored his first NSSA 100 straight and it happened to be at the Mini World in the 12 gauge event.
 
The main world 2004 saw Nick break his second 100 x 100 in the 28 gauge event to take AA1 from 193 entries in his class. This gave him a HOA total of 544 x 550 to finish AA9 from 147 entries and a HAA total of 642 x 650 to end up AA8 from 118 entries.
 
The next big year was 2006 when Nick accomplished 250 X 250 in the 12 gauge event in the "Main World" to take 4th place overall in the event and AAA1 this from an entry of 800 shooters.
 
Even more impressive was the 100 x 100 in the 410 event. One of only 25 one hundred straights with him going on to take AA1 from an entry of 128 in AA class.

Shooting Off against arguably the best Skeet Shooters of All Time
Todd Bender (Left) Wayne Mayes (Centre) Nick Marsden (Right)
San Antonio TX 2006 World Championships

2007 saw Nick travel out to the "Best of Texas" shoot and had huge success running two one hundred straights. First was the 20 gauge where he ended up Runner-Up from 70 entries. The very next event – 28 gauge – saw the second hundred and this time ended up 5th overall and AAA3 from 65 entries. This gave Nick a HOA total of 396 x 400 and 3rd overall from 59 entries in the HOA event.
 
Clearly the extra shoot in the USA had an effect at the World Shoot as Nick had a fantastic event beginning with a 100 x100 in the 28 gauge mini world and ended up getting Runner-Up from an entry of 651 skeet shooters! The main event saw another 28 gauge straight to take 8th overall and AAA5 from an event entry of 777 people.
 
The Doubles was ANOTHER perfect score and this time AAA2 and 5th overall from 747 entries. Giving a HOA of 546 x 550 and a HAA score of 646 x 650 for AAA10 and 13th overall.

YES !! I've DONE it !

In the following year (2008) another 250 x 250 in the 12 gauge event saw Nick take 13th overall and AAA10 from 707 entries.
 
What is all too easy to overlook from this year is that Nick and another of our Brits in these profile pages (Craig Lakey) were shooting as a two man team and they ended up winning the 12 gauge and 20 gauge two man team events –
No mean feat when you consider this year was the year of the famous Bender / Mayes (who shot as two man team) and the coin flip to decide HOA.
 
Another big season in 2009 with Nick off to a great start in the "Mini" 12 gauge event and a 100 x 100 to take 9th overall AAA6 and this from a entry of 581.
Another "ton" in the 28 gauge event this time an improvement to AAA4 and 9th overall from 575 entries. This gave a HOA total of 396 x 400. He continued in this vein in the Main with a further "ton" in the 28 gauge event again and ending up AAA10 / 13TH overall from 653 shooters
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A quiet year in 2010 by comparison but still none the less an impressive 100 straight in the .410 event in the mini world to take AA1 / 9th overall from 118 entries in class and 644 entries in total.
 
The next big season was 2012 and it began at the Motorstate shoot in Detroit (Home of Robocop!) and a 100 x 100 in the 20 gauge for AA2, and then followed this with a perfect score in the 28 gauge but this time finishing event Runner-Up from 116 entries.
 
Next shoot in the USA in 2012 was the Western Open held at Stockton Skeet & Trap club in California. Three events in a row and perfects scores in them all for Nick. The 12 gauge saw a finish of 3rd Overall from 149 entries, the 20 gauge and this was to be Nick's first Champion Title in the USA from 147 entries beating both Todd Bender & LP Giambrone in the shoot off. Then what it seems is fast becoming Nick's best event the 28 gauge and this time another 3rd overall from 145 entries. A 97 in the .410 event saw a HOA score of 397 x 400 and 8th overall from 143 entrants.
 
Next up the "World Warm Up" shoot held at San Antonio Gun Club (not the NSC) and a further 28 gauge perfect score and 3rd overall again. More hundreds followed at the World Shoot starting with the "Mini" and a 20 gauge straight to end up 7th overall from 623 shooters.
 
This continued with yet again and pair of hundreds in the 20 and 28 gauge events to finish 6th and 4th respectively from over 700 people in EACH class.

Concentration and focus . . .

But it was 2013 that so far was to prove that he was getting closer.....
Again the "World Warm Up" was attended with Nick shooting the ONLY perfect score in the .410 event to take his second USA champion title from 74 entries. This gave a 394 x 400 and AAA1 and 4th overall from 72 entries in the HOA event.
 
The "Mini" in 2013 was to see Nick do back to back 100's as he again scored perfectly in the .410 but this time was one of 17 shooters who did so form the 629 people who entered.
 
His performance in the shoot offs was enough to secure 7th overall. That .410 straight gave Nick and impressive 398 x 400 on HOA but amazingly was only good enough for 10th overall out of 609 entries but still crazy that missing two from FOUR HUNDRED meant a top ten place only.
 
This continued in the Main World event with a 150 x 150 in the 12 gauge and ending up 14th overall and AA1 from 147 entries in that class. Then another hundred in the 28 gauge saw Nick take AAA10 from 146 people in his class.
This gave him a 446 x 450 to end up AAA6 and 10TH overall from 711 entries.
 
This year (2014) has so far seen the return of a famous shoot from the mid 2000's –
The Briley Blue Goose held at Greater Houston Gun Club and was of course the venue for the unveiling of the "Benders choice" statues to commemorate the best skeet shooters of the "Wayne Mayes era".
 
Two fantastic events saw Nick place Runner-Up in both – Doubles and of course 28 gauge from 159 and 181 shooters respectively.
This meant a HOA of 395 x 400 which was good enough for 7th overall and AAA4 with the entry being 177. The great performance in Doubles boosted the placing in HAA to 4th from 155 shooters with a score of 495 x 500.
 
The very next weekend Nick had travelled down to the Dallas Gun Club for the Pan American skeet shoot. One hundred straights in the 12 and 20 gauges saw Nick compile a fantastic 397 x 400 in the HOA to take 3rd overall from 171 shooters. It is looking like a successful 2014 for Nick with the results so far in shoots over in the USA.....
 
Let's hope it continues!
 

Elation and Satisfaction with yet another victory