Newmarket clay pigeon shooter Paul Neal selected as England captain

Paul Neal has spoken of the pride that he feels after being appointed captain of England Veterans’ clay pigeon shooting team.

The Newmarket shooter, who has represented his country on 14 previous occasions, came through a recent qualification process in Northumberland.

And after being informed that he had successfully made the veterans’ squad, Neal received the added bonus of confirmation that he will skipper the team.

He will now lead England into the upcoming Home International event alongside the European Championships and the World Championships in New Zealand.

“It was a bit of a surprise to be appointed captain because this is my first year as a veteran,” said Neal.

“There are plenty of people that I look up to in the squad, so to be their captain is a real honour and it’s something I’m proud of.”

And Neal is hopeful that he can skipper England to glory.

He added: “It would be amazing to be captain of an England team that does the business.

“We’ve got the nucleus of a very good squad. There’s plenty of experience in the group and there’s one member I’ve not seen before, but his averages look really good.

“There are others in the squad that have won a lot more than me over the years, so that shows we have a lot of quality.

“The likes of Ireland are always strong and there’s other good teams as well, but I think we’re a good enough group to win things.

“I’ve enjoyed success before but to captain England to victory would be really big.”