Finished with the rigours of the pitch but still in need of that competitive edge, these rugby aces found shooting sports to be their outlet, explains Claire Zambuni.
You meet a lot of retired sportspeople in the shooting field. It seems to have a natural attraction for them. From David Beckham, looking dapper in tweed and shooting on Guy Ritchie’s Dorset estate, to David Coulthard, the British former Formula One racing driver, to Jackie Stewart, who in 1985 opened up The Jackie Stewart Shooting School at Gleneagles
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Interestingly, shooting seems to hold a special appeal to existing and former rugby players and managers: Dean Richards, a former England and British and Irish Lions rugby player who is now director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons; Paul Sackey of Harlequins fame and Tom Walkinshaw, a former British racing team owner and until recently the owner of Gloucester Rugby Club.
Tom Voyce
One former rugby star turned sharp-shooter is Tom Voyce, a retired winger who began his career at Bath before moving on to Wasps and playing for England. Mr Voyce won four Premierships and two Heineken Cups before finishing his career at Gloucester Rugby.
“Having grown up on the family farm in Cornwall, country pursuits and sport were always a major part of my life,” says Voyce. “Having flirted with shooting at the age of twelve, shooting rabbits on the farm, I taught myself along the way.
“Rugby then started to become a major part of my life, and shooting became just a secondary thought as I began to focus more time and energy on the game.”
During his early career at Bath, Voyce was still shooting the odd clay or game day but was, by then, a well below average shot and becoming frustrated.
“Moving to London Wasps and living in London, I became increasingly worried about losing my roots and connection to the countryside,” he says. “So, I decided that I was going to focus on my shooting once and for all, and with Wycombe hosting our home games, I fortuitously met a great chap in the form of Will Criddle, who was at the time running EJ Churchill Shooting Ground in High Wycombe.
“We had an instant connection due to having both attended Cirencester Agriculture College, and I mentioned that I wanted to get back into the sport, so he arranged for me to have some lessons.
“This got me hooked again, and so I made it my mission to travel to Wycombe twice a week to become a better clay shot, and eventually also shooting as many game days as I could,” he says.
Now working for Investec in the City, Voyce finds that it is not only the ideal way to keep his competitive edge honed but also the perfect way to entertain his clients.
“Nowadays, I feel strongly about introducing people to the sport as many people do not realise it has such a simple entry point – it really is open to all.
“It’s the elements of meeting new people with the same passion and the de-stress from the daily grind of the City that make it such a release. Not only this, but it is an honour to experience our amazing countryside and its estates and to experience British tradition.
“There is nothing greater than getting out into the countryside, sitting on your peg and waiting for the first bird. It is always said that shooting is a real leveller – you get to meet the most incredible people, from royalty to farmers!”
Tom Croft
Leicester Tigers player Tom Croft has represented his country in the English squad and played with the British and Irish Lions. Croft has had a long-standing interest in shooting and, having not been allowed a gun at home growing up, has been keen to get out shooting ever since.
It was upon discovering Kibworth, a shooting club near Leicester Tigers training ground, that Croft was able to indulge his passion and give it a go. From here, he was able to develop his shooting repertoire. He became involved in deer stalking, which started when he met Owen Beardsmore of Cervus UK, a UK-based shooting and stalking agency specialising in tailor-made hunting trips. Mr Beardsmore invited him for a morning stalk, and Croft caught the bug from there.
And now, continuing the rugby and shooting connection, Croft stalks deer with Craig Newby, former Leicester Tiger and All Black player. Together they have several parcels of land on which they regularly manage the herds.
In his own words, at 30 years old, Croft is ‘getting on a bit’ to be playing rugby at his level (he has injured both knees, suffered a vertebral fracture in his neck and damaged his cruciate ligament), and after his career is over, he sees himself becoming much more involved in shooting sports and is keen to eventually develop a career in the country sports industry.
“Shooting is definitely a large part of my life and is a great release from the day-to-day pressures – especially if I’m a bit stressed from training,” he says. “It’s a true passion of mine, and I suppose you could say the health benefits are obvious. It’s de-stressing on all levels; with clay shooting, it can be very social and, especially if deer stalking, it can also give you some alone-time outside in the fresh air.”
Why Not Try For Yourself?
If you are on the look out for a lower-impact sporting pastime but still have the competitive fire burning, then taking up shooting is much easier than it seems.
Rob Fenwick, managing director of EJ Churchill Shooting Ground, has helped many retired sportsmen take their first steps on their shooting journey, “We seem to have had a lot of retired sports stars through the doors over the years, many rugby players, but also tennis professionals, footballers, boxers, golfers, you name it,” says Fenwick.
“They love the sport as it ticks the ‘competitive spirit’ box and, generally, most ex-sport pros have good hand-to-eye coordination, which is obviously a great help with shooting.
“Another major point is they are used to listening and can absorb instruction well, I guess all their life they have worked with coaches, so unlike a normal person learning to shoot, they seem to be able to compute and relay what they are being taught very quickly,” he explains.
“As for the reason why the sport works for them after retiring, it’s something that they can enjoy at a time that suits them, it’s not stressful on the body, and it gives them the competitive release they need. Many of them also use it as part of business for entertaining as well as socialising.
“For many years, the England rugby team used to come to our ground on their days off between internationals, and Wasps still do this two or three times a year,” says Fenwick. “I guess it’s these roots of getting to know shooting during their ‘still playing’ days that when they eventually retire and need to do something else – they ring me up!”
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