A COUNTY woman helped Great Britain shoot to the top of the world in the USA.

Lucy Pitt, who grew up in Lingen and went to Wigmore High School, took part in the World FITASC Sporting Championships in Minnesota.

The 26-year-old was a member of a three-woman team that stormed to success in the women's team clay pigeon event.

Because she is the youngest member of the team, her team mates let her keep the winning trophy and take it home to Knighton, where she now lives.

"We knew we had a fairly strong team, but the Americans always come out with a strong team," said Pitt.

"But I didn't know we would win it, especially as we were level with the USA going into the final day.

"We fought closely with them all week and I was happy with my score because I was new to the team and the targets are a bit different in America."

Each team member had to shoot 200 targets over four days, with a maximum of 600 points being available.

Great Britain scored 493 to beat the Americans by just three points, with France finishing third.

"We had to shoot over four weekends to qualify for the World Championships, with the top three ladies being chosen, is it is fairly competitive," said Pitt.

"It was my first time in the USA but I went to the World Championships in Portugal with Great Britain last year, which was my third cap."

Pitt works as a forester for Natural Resources Wales, which includes the planning and re-planting of Welsh forests and surveying protected bird species.

She started shooting about 10 years ago and was coached by her father Martin.

Around five years ago, Pitt joined the Welsh team and will earn her tenth cap for her country at next months' Home International tournament in Jersey.

She is now working with coach Nigel Hart and so far this year has won the ladies High Gun competition in the English Open at Bury St Edmunds.

Pitt's team also claimed a silver medal at the European Championships in June, which saw Pitt being the fifth best woman on the continent.

FITASC is a discipline of clay pigeon shooting using different sized clays travelling different distances and speeds.

Pitt uses a 12 bore shotgun and is now trying to find sponsors to help her enter all the top competitions in the UK and around the World including her next competition at Stafford in August, a Great Britain qualifying event for the European Championships in France 2016.

The next World Championships in Italy also takes place next year.

Anyone who wants to sponsor Pitt can call 07816 767042.