WITH which sport would you associate battues, minis, midis, rockets, standards and rabbits?

A cracking sports quiz question you might think, but it would be an absolute gift to the hundreds of people around the region who enjoy clay pigeon shooting.

Before last Friday, the question would have induced blank looks, head scratching and wild guessing from me. But after half an hour of expert tuition from Ken Crackett at Thimbleby Shooting Ground, I learned that these were different types of the objects I had just been trying to blast out of the air.

Before the lesson, I was convinced that my chances of actually hitting anything were practically non-existent. So I was utterly amazed when I managed to shoot the last three flying targets.

There had been plenty of misses before that of course, but considering I had never picked up any sort of gun since having a go with a mate's air rifle at the age of about ten - and failing to hit a stationary tin can a few feet away - I felt pretty pleased with myself.

Before showing me the best way to hit a moving target, Ken stressed the utmost importance of safety when shooting. He showed me how to load the gun safely and how to hold it correctly, pointing down to the ground, when not actually shooting.

Though the dangers of the sport are obvious, it is so strictly controlled that accidents are few and far between.

Ear protectors must be worn when shooting and shooters have to be in a cage to control the angle of shooting and protect spectators watching from behind.

The police examine the shooting ground annually and issue a licence.

At first, I found it difficult to remember all the tips Ken was giving me - keep your front leg straight, don't lean back, get the target on top of your barrel then move slightly ahead before pulling the trigger.

As with golf, the key is to get each element of the preparation right, then forget about them and concentrate on the target, whether its a ball or a clay.

There are several forms of clay pigeon shooting, including the skeet and trap disciplines seen at the Olympics.

English Sporting Shooting is the one used in the Cleveland and North Yorkshire league, which is made up of ten teams covering an area stretching from Spennymoor in the north to Catterick in the south.

Targets can come from any direction in this form of the sport, including from behind the head - hence the need for cages.

Any number of shooters can take part in a match, but only the top eight scores count towards a team's final tally. This encourages newcomers to take part in competitions because they can gain experience anonymously, without suffering the embarrassment of having low scores officially recorded.

Each competitor has 25 targets each, with a point scored for every hit. A hit is scored if any piece of the target is visibly dislodged while it is in the air.

The targets in clay pigeon shooting represent game birds in the wild, but Ken says those who enjoy the sport are split 50-50 between those who also shoot game and those who have no interest in blood sports.

The attraction comes from the challenge and satisfaction of using your shooting skills to hit an inanimate object flying through the air.

Anyone interested in taking up the sport can contact Colin Barker, the secretary of the Cleveland and North Yorkshire SCL, on 01609 882140 for more details.