The Ashburton Shield is an historic trophy for target rifle shooting in the British Isles. It was awarded annually to the winning team of VIII at the Schools' Meeting (previously the Public Schools' Meeting), held at Bisley by the National Rifle Association. The competition was open to teams of cadets from, predominantly, Combined Cadet Force units based in public and private schools.
With the decommissioning of the L81A2 Cadet Target Rifle (CTR), effective 1 January 2026, and removal of fullbore shooting as a recognised cadet activity the Inter Services Cadet Rifle Meeting (ISCRM) and the Combined Cadet Forces (CCF) Schools’ Meeting ceasedhttps://nra.org.uk/youth-imperial-meeting/.
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.Edward Walford, (2006 reprinted), Greater London. A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places. Volume 2, page 508, (Adamant Media Corporation) 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 17.
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. Year Winner Score Runner Up Score Third Place Score 1861 Rugby School 1862 Harrow School 1863 Eton College 1864 Harrow School (2) 1865 Harrow School (3) 1866 Harrow School (4) 1867 Harrow School (5) 1868 Eton College (2) 1869 Harrow School (6) 1870 Harrow School (7) 1871 Winchester College 1872 Winchester College (2) 1873 Winchester College (3) 1874 Marlborough College 1875 Harrow School (8) 1876 Winchester College (4) 1877 Cheltenham College 1878 Eton College (3) 1879 Harrow School (9) 1880 Eton College (4) 1881 Cheltenham College (2) 1882 Charterhouse School 1883 Charterhouse School (2) 1884 Clifton College 1885 Clifton College (2) 1886 Dulwich College 1887 Eton College (5) 1888 Clifton College (3) 1889 Charterhouse School (3) 1890 Charterhouse School (4) 1891 Charterhouse School (5) 1892 Charterhouse School (6) 1893 Bradford School 1894 Rugby School (2) 1895 Charterhouse School (7) 1896 Charterhouse School (8) 1897 Bradford School (2) 1898 Charterhouse School (9) 1899 Rossall School 1900 Dulwich College (2) 1901 Eton College (6) 1902 Cheltenham College (3) 1903 Tonbridge School 1904 Winchester College (5) 1905 Harrow School (10) 1906 Dover College 1907 Rugby School (2) 1908 Harrow School (11) 1909 Rugby School (3) 1910 Bradford School (3) 1911 Edinburgh Academy 1912 Rugby School (4) 1913 Repton School 1914 Sedbergh School 496 Eton College 490 Harrow School 490 1915–18 No Competition 1919 Winchester College (6) 1920 Charterhouse School (10) 1921 Sedbergh School (2) 1922 Lancing College 1923 Eton College (7) 1924 Rugby School (5) 1925 Lancing College (2) 1926 Clifton College (4) 1927 Brighton College 1928 Clifton College (5) 1929 Glenalmond College 1930 Winchester College (10) 1931 Charterhouse School (11) 1932 King's College School 479 Christ's Hospital 472 Whitgift School471 1933 Glenalmond College (2) 487 Winchester College 480 Marlborough College478 1934 King's College School (2) 493 Malvern College 487 1935 Marlborough College (2) 499 Winchester College 498 Whitgift School494 1936 Brighton College (2) 477 Denstone College 477 The Glasgow Academy472 1937 Winchester College (11) 477 Bradfield College 474 Clifton College467 1938 King's College School (3) 497 Marlborough College 488 Winchester College486 1939 Cranbrook School 482 King's College School 481 Glenalmond College473 1940–45 No Competition 1946 Blundell's School 461 Sedbergh School 460 Eton College460 1947 Eton College (8) 517 Glenalmond College 509 George Watson's508 1948 Charterhouse School (12) 500 Allhallows College 498 Bradfield College496 1949 Glenalmond College (3) 512 Charterhouse School 511 The Leys School510 1950 The Leys School 513 Epsom College 507 King's College School507 1951 Allhallows College 511 St Paul's, London 510 Marlborough College508 1952 Glenalmond College (4) 512 Epsom College 511 Exeter School510 1953 The Leys School (2) 508 Charterhouse School 505 Allhallows College504 1954 Allhallows College (2) 524 Uppingham School 515 Marlborough College514 1955 Winchester College (12) 515 Marlborough College 512 Glenalmond College 512 1956 Blundell's School (2) 515 Victoria College 514 Elizabeth College 513 1957 Uppingham School 529 Elizabeth College 528 Allhallows College 513 1958 Repton School (2) 508 Blundell's School 506 Epsom College505 1959 St Lawrence College 517 Oakham School 511 Allhallows College511 1960 Allhallows College (3) 524 Ardingly College 522 Glenalmond College520 1961 Victoria College 516 Epsom College 512 Glenalmond College512 1962 Ardingly College 524 Victoria College 519 Oakham School515 1963 Allhallows College (4) 522 Marlborough College 515 Dean Close School515 1964 Allhallows College (5) 519 Uppingham School 519 Oakham School519 1965 Allhallows College (6) 521 Merchant Taylors' 519 Aldenham School517 1966 Oakham School 502 Harrow School 500 Allhallows College499 1967 Cranleigh School 522 King's, Canterbury 513 Epsom College512 1968 Gresham's School 518 Oakham School 517 Cranleigh School511 1969 Uppingham School (2) 525 Allhallows College 519 Victoria College515 1970 Bradfield College 515 Clifton College 514 Oakham School513 1971 Merchant Taylors' 512 Uppingham School 509 St Peter's, York508 1972 Oakham School (2) 507.38v Cranleigh School 507.37v Gresham's School506.36v 1973 Epsom College 502.28v Bradfield College 497.32v Clifton College 496.27v 1974 Clifton College (6) 499 Bedford School 482 Marlborough College481 1975 Oakham School (2) 499 Christ's Hospital 491 Lancing College490 1976 Uppingham School (3) Lancing College Victoria College 1977 Allhallows College (7) 505 Epsom College 505 Clifton College503 1978 Uppingham School (4) 511 Malvern College 505 Oakham School505 1979 Rugby School (6) 513 Uppingham School 509 Haileybury College498 1980 Bradfield College (2) 512 Uppingham School 511 Clifton College509 1981 Uppingham School (4) 508 Elizabeth College 504 Marlborough College 504 1982 Uppingham School (5) 504 Marlborough College 502 St John's School501 1983 Malvern College 519 Uppingham School 516 Epsom College515 1984 Bedford School 521 Harrow School 518 Wellington College516 1985 Bradfield College (3) 525 Oundle School 523 Elizabeth College 518 1986 RGS Guildford 512 Cheltenham College 511 Marlborough College 507 1987 Oakham School (3) 535 Bradfield College 523 Kimbolton School 519 1988 Charterhouse School (13) 508 Dollar Academy 507 Uppingham School 503 1989 Elizabeth College 493 Glenalmond College 492 Wellington College 488 1990 Epsom College (2) 511 Oundle School 507 Marlborough College 504 1991 Epsom College (3) 506.40v Wellington College 502.30v Bradfield College 500.34v 1992 Epsom College (4) 512.42v Marlborough College 507.31v Bradfield College 505.35v 1993 Epsom College (5) 518.47v RGS Guildford 518.34v Elizabeth College 515.37v 1994 Epsom College (6) 525.44v Wellington College 515.40v Cheltenham College 513.40v 1995 Uppingham School (6) 462 RGS Guildford 456 Campbell College 451 1996 Sedbergh School (3) 461 1997 Sedbergh School (4) 480 Cheltenham College 462 Elizabeth College 457 1998 Epsom College (7) 474 Sedbergh School 473 Campbell College 471 1999 Epsom College (8) 491 Campbell College 482 The Oratory School 469 2000 Stamford School 550.46v Epsom College 509.35v Harrow School 507.23v 2001 Uppingham School (7) 476 Epsom College 468 Sedbergh School 450 2002 Epsom College (9) 486 Uppingham School 479 The Oratory School 474 2003 Stamford School (2) 507.31v Epsom College 506.32v Marlborough College 504.29v 2004 Epsom College (10) 511.31v Marlborough College 508.32v Uppingham School 505.36v 2005 Dollar Academy 760.43v Epsom College 747.46v Stamford School 742.36v 2006 Epsom College (11) 788.59v Marlborough College 775.46v The Oratory School 775.45v 2007 Epsom College (12) 794.63v Marlborough College 782.58v The Oratory School 771.40v 2008 Epsom College (13) 790.75v Dollar Academy 779.50v The Oratory School 766.52v 2009 Gresham's School (2) 794.59v Dollar Academy 774.62v Elizabeth College 770.52v 2010 Epsom College (14) 762.42v Gresham's School 762.40v Cheltenham College 753.39v 2011 Epsom College (15) 762.40v Cheltenham College 760.46v Wellington College 752.41v 2012 Wellington College (1) 787.71v RGS Guildford 770.49v Epsom College 760.43v 2013 Dollar Academy (2) 757.39v Epsom College 744.40v Wellington College 741.41v 2014 Wellington College (2) 755.42v Epsom College 738.36v Elizabeth College 736.43v 2015 Ellesmere College 745.42v Dollar Academy 734.35v Victoria College 733.31v 2016 Wellington College (3) 761.37v Dollar Academy 760.53v Gresham's School 758.42v 2017 Wellington College (4) 772.53v Elizabeth College 749.38v Sedbergh School 747.47v 2018 Sedbergh School (5) 761.47v Victoria College 756.52v Gresham's School 753.44v 2019 RGS Guildford (2) 759.44v Gresham's School 756.40v Sedbergh School 754.48v 2020–21 No Competition 2022 Bradfield College (4) 691.22v Sedbergh School 678.18v Dollar Academy 673.18v 2023 Victoria College (2) 758.35v Epsom College 744.37v Bradfield College 740.33v 2024 Epsom College (16) 778.59v Wellington College 758.40v Elizabeth College 755.50v 2025 Wellington College (5) 764.48v Epsom College 752.49v Gresham's School 742.37v 2026 Epsom College (17) 798.59v Wellington College 796.77v Bradfield College 782.53v
Performances Schools in bold competed for the Ashburton Shield at the 2025 Schools' Meeting.