A LINCOLNSHIRE teenager is celebrating after helping the England Junior Clay Pigeon shooting team to two gold medals.

Jack Wilkinson, of North Kelsey, took part in the Home Internationals and the British Open, both of which were held in Falkirk, Scotland.

The 16-year-old contributed to a pair of great showings by the national side and came away with a brace of good wins to his name.

Jack competes in a form of clay pigeon shooting known as Down The Line (DTL), which involves shooting at 100 targets.

The maximum score possible is 300 – which would require the shooter to hit all 100 targets with their first barrel.

Such is the quality required to succeed in the event at the highest level, even juniors like Jack regularly score in the 290s.

To qualify for the England team, the former Caistor Yarborough pupil took part in a series of selection shoots.

His mother, Georgie, said: "We are very proud of him. It is a difficult thing to achieve.

"He has shown dedication, and has had the support of his family and friends.

"He enjoys what he does and makes it look easy sometimes.

"You need skill and accuracy, but concentration and how you handle your nerves is key.

"When you get to the last few shots knowing you need to hit them, you have to be able to hold your nerve."

Jack has just finished school and is now hoping for a place at Bishop Burton College on the north bank, where he intends to study countryside management and gamekeeping.

A fan of many country pursuits, he became involved in shooting through his family.

Jack's grandad was a game shooter, and his father, Brian, shot for the county.

His elder brother, Matthew, also shot for the England Junior team.

Jack plans to work through the summer months, helping with his family's farming and building businesses.

He hopes to compete again at the European Championships in Dorset later this year, and is also gunning for a place in the England junior team for a different shooting discipline – the Automatic Bull Trap (ABT) category.