He is now the second-most successful shooter in the history of the competition – five championships behind Richard Perkins, who won 12 titles over a span of 36 years between 1976 and 2012.
Branch entered the final stage tied on points with leader Nick Thompson, but trailing on account of having five fewer ‘V-bulls’ – the tally of a marksman’s shots which fall inside a smaller ring within the bullseye.
Peter Jory, who was also tied on points with the leaders going into the final stage, sat a further four V-bulls behind in third place.
The final comprises two shoots, at 500 and 600 yards, with competitors having two convertible sighters and 15 shots ‘to count’ at each distance.
At 500 yards, Branch was the only one of the 10 finalists to place all 15 of his counting shots in the bullseye, scoring 75 points with 10 central V-bulls.
Both Thompson and Jory, meanwhile, saw four of their shots stray outside of the bullseye at the shorter distance to fall four points behind Branch with one range to go.
Up the hill, at 600 yards, with many in the field struggling to hold their rifles steady in the gusting wind, it was the more experienced Jory who had the highest score of the finalists, a 74.7v.
Branch, though, slotted in a steady 73.7v to finish with a championship total of 398.45v ex 405.81v – three points ahead of runner-up Jory on 395.35v.
Thompson also managed 73.7v, losing a point to Jory to end up in third place overall on 394.48v.
Jory and Thompson were the first to congratulate Branch as he vacated the firing point, followed by 12-time champion Perkins who was also in attendance.
Branch, who won his first Island Championship title in 2007 at age 17, last won the island’s premier full-bore event in 2018.
He narrowly missed out on the 2023 title, ultimately finishing as runner-up to Thompson after a nail-biting tie shoot for first place.
Branch attributed his return to the top of the field this season to improving in his equipment in recent years.
‘I’ve reinvested in shooting over the last few years by buying a new jacket and barrel,’ he said.
‘Obviously I’m pleased that the investment has paid off and that I’m competitive again.’
Branch’s seventh Island Championship title also moves him clear of the trio of six-time champions Tommy Henry, Philip Ogier and this year’s runner-up, Jory, who last won the event in 2008.
He also wins the Jory Bowl for achieving the highest score in the final stage of 148.17v ex 150.30v.
The Island Championship B, open to B-class members of the Guernsey Rifle Club, was won by university student Alex Dorey.
She finished five points clear of runner-up Huw Nippers, who despite closing the gap by a point in the final stage was unable to overturn the deficit from stage II.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.