HE can blame the wife. It was a Friday afternoon back in August 1978 and Thomas Allen's other half was out in the back garden, having a natter with the neighbour over the fence. Normal, ordinary stuff. Only thing is, when Thomas was passing by, the neighbour's husband extended an invite that changed his sporting life.
"Want to come to a Clay Pigeon shoot?" inquired the neighbour.
Thomas Allen shook his head, bemused. "I didn't even know what he was on about," he admits. But he went along just the same. Somebody remarked he was a natural. The next day, Allen went to the local Drumcraw club in Cookstown, Co Tyrone and took part in a competition. He won. It was time for others to shake their heads. The raw, novice had stolen their thunder.
Ireland's top gun has come a long way since then. It doesn't bother him that he stumbled into Clay Pigeon Shooting by accident as much as anything else; indeed, it adds even more lustre to the sporting romance of it all. Fact is, Thomas Allen could go as far as completing the fairytale by winning a medal for Ireland at the Olympic Games in Atlanta this summer.
That good? Well, yeah. He was always pretty handy at sport, especially ones that demanded good hand eye co ordination; played representative table tennis as a schoolboy; badminton to senior level, and over 35s squash at international level. Oh, and competed as a junior cross country international in his day for good measure.
Samuel Thomas Allen took tip golf three years ago and if (off an 11 handicap) he is no threat to Nick Faldo, the 42 year old Coleraine based Castlederg born shooter has certain similarities with the inner psyche of the US Masters champion. "Anyone can pick up a rifle and shoot," he states. "But once you reach the very top level, the degree of difference between the world's top 100 players is nothing except mental attitude and approach Some can cope, others can't.
"I'll be chasing a medal at the Olympics, I've a realistic chance," he says. The initial stage incorporates 125 shots, with the top six competitors going into a final shoot of 25 (the result over all 150 counts). "Whoever has the nerve, whoever sees the winning post will win. I would fancy my chances against anyone in that situation. I wouldn't be scared of it."
His track record is good, and promises even more. In last June's World championships in Cyprus, Allen had 12 hits out of 125. In July's European Championships his ratio was 123/125 (the winner had 124/125). And in November's Commonwealth Games he had 122/125 (he was the winner, admittedly after one of those shoot outs).
Thomas Allen is certain to be in the Irish team in Atlanta. His performance in the Europeans at Lahti, Finland, gave him a quota place and marked him out as a genuine contender. He knows, however, that the crowds won't be knocking each other down in the rush for tickets. As a spectator sport, shooting just doesn't compare with glamour events like athletics and swimming. But an Olympic medal could change some attitudes.
The Clay Pigeon Shooting discipline Allen will be competing in is called Olympic Trap, which features 15 traps in a trench in the ground with five stations of three each. The competitors stand 16 yards back from the traps and the targets are fired between 72 to 75 metres into the air at different speeds and different angles. The ultimate in hand eye co ordination?
"I love shooting. I consider myself view lucky to be involved in such a sport, especially at the level I have attained. The time I stop enjoying it, however, is the time will stop shooting," he remarks.
He is self taught, basically, although Joe Neville, Britain's coach, conducted a number of sessions with Allen in more recent years. Just over two years ago, Neville suggested a number of changes to him. The Irish captain persevered with the changes, "I believed this was the only way to improve my averages." And, after three months or so of turmoil an poorer shooting, Allen's perseverance was rewarded.
The upshot of it all is that Neville predicts: "Thomas is capable of winning a medal in any class of competition.
THIS assessment was backed up in last year's Home International where Allen won the High Gun award, as the top shooter in the championships.
"It does the sport in Ireland good when you win such an honour," claims Allen, who is also involved in coaching some young competitors. Ireland, however, loses out compared to the other "Home" countries, because you must be 16 years old - North or South - to shoot, whereas that stipulation does notably elsewhere. "It means that youngsters here have just two years in the junior ranks, while they could be shooting for 10 or 12 years in the other countries as long as a parent or guardian is present. It's a big disadvantage to us."
Yesterday, Allen was part of the Irish party which flew out to Atlanta - fingers are crossed that Ireland can win a couple of "wild cards" to accompany him on the Olympic flight in three months time - to take part in the World Cup competition, which is doubling as a pre Olympic tournament.
The event will give Allen an indication of how he currently stands in Olympic Trap discipline.
The big test comes in the summer, though. Particularly the days between July 20th and 28th. It is then that Allen will line tip and attempt to blast clay pigeons out of the sky at such a rate that he could follow in the recent footsteps of Messrs Carruth and McCullough. The dream of Olympic glory continues to pound away in Thomas Allen's head.
