AIR cadets from Okehampton’s 2443 squadron showed their prowess in the shooting field at a recent national competition.

Three teams from the squadron took part in the Cadet Forces Shooting Competition which was open to air, sea, land and combined cadets from across the country.

The competition was shot using the .22 Calibre Number Eight Rifle over a distance of 25 metres and involved four elements.

The final exercise involved a picture of a landscape, with the team leader asking each cadet to aim for specific points within it.

This tested not only the cadets’ marksmanship skills but also the team leader’s powers of communication.

Last year, the squadron entered one team in the competition and came in at a creditable 32nd position.

And this year they did even better, with the three teams – Alpha, Brava and Charlie – coming in at 15th 22nd and 20th positions respectively.

The teams who took part were: Alpha Team – team captain Flight Sergeant Armstrong, Sergeant Parker, Corporal Lawson, Cpl Palmer and Cadet Johnson. Bravo Team – team captain Corporal Labib, Corporal Thompson, Cadet Manners, Cadet Williams, Cadet Carey, and Cadet Guyon. Charlie Team – team captain Cadet Kinsey, Cadet Dixon, Cadet Howes, Cadet Davison, Cadet Porter and Cadet Harris.