One of England’s top clay pigeon shooters is set to embark on his second summer of competitions with the backing of a property finance firm.

Lender MSP Capital has renewed its partnership with Andover-based Chris Morgan after he described last season as his best in eleven years of participation in the sport.

Under their sponsorship deal, ‘Team MSP’ supports Chris with contributions to the costs of competing.

As part of the agreement, he runs coaching sessions and shoots at events in the autumn that the firm hosts with clients, suppliers and team members.

Last year these included sessions at the Barbury Shooting School at Wroughton near Swindon and the Spitfire Shoot at Stockbridge in Hampshire. One event was held specifically for JP Morgan, the world’s largest bank and a major MSP Capital funding partner.

Asked for the highlights of his first season with MSP Capital backing, Chris cited his performance at the sport’s World Championships and various wins across seven county and regional championships.

“On the second day at the World Championships I was under tremendous pressure,” he said. “It was pouring, we’d been driven to the wrong first peg and I had to walk a quarter of a mile in heavy rain carrying kit. I thought, ‘I’m going to get soaking wet, just focus and give it everything I’ve got."

"I made a fantastic score, finishing very high in the class and beating many professionals from across the world. You have to combine mindset and technique. That’s what makes the difference. Again, at the county and south east regionals, I won in my classes against fierce competition.”

Chris competes in three shooting disciplines: Compak, English sporting and Sportrap. His first major event in the new season is the European Compak Championships in France at the end of May. The summer of competitions, including at county and regional levels, will culminate with the World Compak Championships in Italy in August.  

“It’s very fast-paced in France and Italy,” said Chris. “You have to elevate your game and be in the running from the very first shot if you want to compete at the highest possible level.”

On his partnership with Poole-based MSP Capital, Chris said:

“Any financial assistance in sport is welcomed but beyond that you know you are representing a professional business and brand. You always have to be switched on and get past the nerves when you are competing. It’s great to know you have a team behind you and who you can show your results to afterwards."

"We’re building a community of interest in the sport. I’ve had extremely positive feedback from the corporate events hosted with MSP Capital. They went down so well.”

Adam Tovey, MSP Capital’s Commercial Director, said:

“Our partnership with Chris builds on our long-standing commitment to support competitors who begin as grassroots athletes and strive for the highest levels possible in their sport. Chris is not only a successful sportsman but his coaching and tuition at our events for customers and partners in the property sector are always fun and engaging. He gets participants to shoot well far quicker than they would otherwise.”

Leigh Bartlett, Chief Executive of MSP Capital, said:

“Congratulations to Chris on his amazing first season with our backing. We thank him for kindly sharing his expertise and advice at the coaching sessions we organise and we wish him every success for the coming summer of sport.”

Top photo: Competitive shooter Chris Morgan with MSP Capital’s Commercial Director Adam Tovey at the property finance specialist’s Poole office.