Andrew St George Tucker (1937–2003) was a Scottish-born, sports shooter who represented England and Great Britain shooting smallbore and fullbore target rifle. He won the

Queen's Prize The Sovereign's Prize is a British fullbore target rifle shooting competition. It is the climax of the National Rifle Association (United Kingdom), National Rifle Association's annual Imperial Meeting and is widely regarded as one of the most pr ...

at Bisley twice, medalled at the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1990 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Partic ...

in Auckland as well as winning the NSRA Lord Roberts Trophy for smallbore, He also won the Grand Aggregates at both the NRA Imperial Meeting and NSRA National Smallbore Meeting. He is the first and (as of 2023) only person to win the "big four" of both British titles and both Grand Aggregates. He ran Andrew Tucker Gunsmiths, manufacturing firearms and target shooting equipment including jackets, rifle slings and gloves.

Sports shooting career

Tucker began his shooting career in the cadet force shooting team at Felsted School, winning the Iveagh match at Bisley in 1954. In 1964 he won the Grand Aggregate at the NSRA National Smallbore Rifle Meeting, and in the 1970s represented Great Britain at World Cups, partnering

Malcolm Cooper Malcolm Douglas Cooper, MBE, (20 December 1947 – 9 June 2001) was a British sport shooter and founder of Accuracy International. Sports shooting career He was the first shooter to win two consecutive gold medals in the Olympic 50 metre r ...

. In 1974 he gained his first England full-bore rifle cap. In 1975 he won the Earl Roberts Cup (the British smallbore championship) after a tie shoot against Alister Allan. He travelled extensively to matches both with the GB Fullbore Rifle Team and independently. In 1976 he won the silver medal in the Grand Aggregate of the

Dominion of Canada Rifle Association The Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA; french: Association de Tir Dominion du Canada) is a Canadian shooting sports organization. It was founded in 1868 and incorporated by an Act of Parliament 63-64 Victoria Chapter 99, assented to Ju ...

's meeting on the Connaught Ranges in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. In 1979 Tucker won the

for the first time. He won the Grand Aggregate at the 1986

Imperial Meeting The Imperial Meeting is a major annual target shooting competition hosted by the National Rifle Association on the historic Bisley Camp in England. The Meeting lasts for 3 weeks each July, encompassing inter-service military matches; cadet s ...

, and the Queen's Prize again in 1987. Tucker represented England and won a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in the fullbore rifle pairs with Simon Belither and a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the individual fullbore rifle, at the

in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1995, he captained the England touring team to Canada, where they beat the Canadians on their home range.

Personal life

Andrew St George Tucker was born in 1937 in Edinburgh. Although born in Scotland, his parents were English and he chose to represent England in competition. He attended Felsted School in Essex, where he joined the shooting team of the CCF. During National Service, he was posted to armourer duties on account of his shooting abilities. In 1958 he left the RAF and joined the prestigious gunmaking firm of Cogswell & Harrison of Piccadilly, where he met his future wife - the sister of a colleague. In 1964, Tucker married Kathy and they moved to

Cobham, Surrey Cobham () is a large village in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, centred south-west of London and northeast of Guildford on the River Mole. It has a commercial/services High Street, a significant number of primary and private s ...

, founding Andrew Tucker Gunsmiths - manufacturing sporting firearms as well as shooting jackets, slings and gloves. "Tucker jackets" became a common piece of equipment amongst British target shooters for the next 30 years. Tucker died aged 65 on 9 July 2003 following a five year battle with cancer.

References

1937 births 2003 deaths British male sport shooters Shooters at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in shooting Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Fullbore target rifle shooters Winners of the Sovereign's Prize Winners of the Earl Roberts Memorial Challenge Cup {{UK-sportshooting-bio-stub