With improving weather and longer days, the competition season for paraglider and hang glider pilots is in full swing.

A contingent of Sky Surfing Club (SSC) paraglider pilots – including a number from Petersfield – made the journey to south Wales in sufficient numbers to enter two teams for the British Club Challenge.

The SSC Moon Shooters team comprised Robin Houghton, Martin Ayers, Ranald Macaulay, Goran Oberg and John Kirby.

The Benchwarmers team was made up of Justin Simmonds, Russell Winters, Jonathan Stockley, Ellis Bird and Marc Serdet.

The two SSC teams joined 16 others from across the UK – a total of 92 pilots – on the slopes of Hatterrall Hill, overlooking the town of Pandy.

This impressive 1,000ft hill marks the southern end of an 11-mile ridge which extends to Hay Bluff, and along which runs the Offa’s Dyke trail.

At the early-morning briefing the first order of business was the belated award of prizes from the 2021 competition, with personal best awards for SSC pilots Serdet, Winters, Ham and Ayers.

With the preliminaries completed, the day’s competition then got under way.

Sky surfer Ayers said: “The Sky Surfing Club had a strong showing of ten pilots on the day, among them debutant Ellis Bird.

“In tricky conditions, long flights were difficult but not impossible – Robin Houghton was narrowly beaten into individual third place with a 50km flight.”

After the scores had been collated and adjusted, the Moon Shooters team placed ninth and the Benchwarmers came 16th.

Brian Parkins