Hans Larsen

Hans Larsen was a Danish immigrant who had been living in England since the turn of the 20th century before being granted British citizenship in 1910. A member of the Middlesex Gun Club, he was a very competent clay pigeon shot before World War I. He owned and ran Brookfield Nursery at Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, where he also had his own shoot, which he made available for leading local and national events. Larsen won many events at his home club and, in 1916, was virtually unbeatable. Had there been an Olympics that year, he would almost certainly have been selected. That honour, however, did eventually befall him in 1924.

Larsen won County representative honours with London and, in 1927, captained England against Scotland in the very first international clay pigeon match at Carlisle. He also captained his county when the teams met again the following year. Also in 1928, Larsen was elected on to the committee of the newly formed Clay Pigeon Association of Great Britain and Ireland.