Ashburton Shield


The Ashburton Shield is an historic trophy for target rifle shooting in the British Isles. It is awarded annually to the winning team of VIII at the Schools' Meeting, held at Bisley by the National Rifle Association. The competition is open to teams of cadets from, predominantly, Combined Cadet Force units based in public and private schools.

History

The Ashburton Shield was presented by Lord Ashburton in 1861 for competition between the Junior Officers' Training Corps that were run within public schools. This remained the case until the 1948 merger of school cadet units into the Combined Cadet Force. The shield was first contested at the National Rifle Association's second Imperial Meeting. It was mentioned by Edward Walford in 1878 when he wrote of the Meeting, then at Wimbledon:
The runner-up team is awarded the Montague-Jones Challenge Trophy, which was first presented in 1947 by the OTC Officers Club in memory of Major Montague-Jones OBE TD, and eight NRA bronze medals. The third place team are awarded eight NRA bronze medals. The Allhallows Salver, presented in 1987 by Allhallows College, is awarded to the coach of the winning school.
The Public Schools' Meeting is considered the pinnacle of inter-school shooting in the UK, and British Pathé featured the event in multiple newsreels. It has been held annually, with the exception of 1915–18 and 1940–45 due to the outbreak of war, and 2020–21 when the meeting was placed in abeyance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Epsom College hold the record for the most wins, at 15.
Notable winners include 2018 ISSF World Champion Seonaid McIntosh, who was a member of the 2013 winning team from Dollar Academy. McIntosh individually won the Schools Hundred competition.

Results by year

Scores in bold indicate a record for that competition format.

Performances

Schools in bold competed for the Ashburton Shield at the 2025 Schools' Meeting.
WinsSchoolYears
16Epsom College1973, 1990–94, 1998–99, 2002, 2004, 2006–08, 2010–11, 2024
13Charterhouse School1882–83, 1889–92, 1895–96, 1898, 1920, 1931, 1948, 1988
11Harrow School1862, 1864–67, 1969, 1870, 1875, 1879, 1905, 1908
9Winchester College1871–73, 1876, 1904, 1919, 1930, 1937, 1955
8Eton College1863, 1868, 1878, 1880, 1887, 1901, 1923, 1947
8Uppingham School1957, 1969, 1976, 1978, 1981–82, 1995, 2001
7Rugby School1861, 1894, 1907, 1909, 1912, 1924, 1979
7Allhallows College1951, 1954, 1960, 1963–65, 1977
6Clifton College1884–85, 1888, 1926, 1928, 1974
5Sedbergh School1914, 1921, 1996–97, 2018
5Wellington College2012, 2014, 2016–17, 2025
4Glenalmond College1929, 1933, 1949, 1952
4Oakham School1966, 1972, 1975, 1987
4Bradfield College1970, 1980, 1985, 2022
3Cheltenham College1877, 1881, 1902
3Bradford School1893, 1897, 1910
3King's College School1932, 1934, 1938
2Marlborough College1874, 1935
2Dulwich College1886, 1900
2Repton School1913, 1958
2Lancing College1922, 1925
2Brighton College1927, 1936
2Blundell's School1946, 1956
2The Leys School1950, 1953
2Victoria College1961, 2023
2Gresham's School1968, 2009
2RGS Guildford1986, 2019
2Stamford School2000, 2003
2Dollar Academy2005, 2013
1Rossall School1899
1Tonbridge School1903
1Dover College1906
1Edinburgh Academy1911
1Cranbrook School1939
1St Lawrence College1959
1Ardingly College1962
1Cranleigh School1967
1Merchant Taylors'1971
1Malvern College1983
1Bedford School1984
1Elizabeth College1989
1Ellesmere College2015