NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1781, 5 March 1888, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION

(PER PKE;B ASSOCIATION..) OiMARU, Maroh 3. Tha meeting, whloh has baen the most successful yet held was brought to a oloae on Saturday. The Team Challenge Match, (5 In eaoh torn) ranges 200, 300,400, 500 yds, seven shots at each, waa won by the West Tuierl Pifl« with a aoore of 499, the Wanganut Rifhs Becond with 495, the Thames Navals and Victorian Rfba tying tor third prize with 493. On ahootlng off the second time the Navals won, the Victorias tnking fourth prfza ; Taranakl Riflas 489, fifth. Blenheim Uiflaa 487 sixth The * prizes wore £59, £30, £25, £20, £15 and £10* The following wa3 the result of the (URBINB OBUMPIONSHIP. Lieutenant Ko3B, iSapter (champion) ... ..„ .„ 474 38 612 Gunner Moore, Qaeenjtown 474 36 510 GannerLuaißien l Aaoklft» 1 d470 38 508 Captain Proadfoot, Danedin 470 38 508 Gunner Thorbarn, Tnamea 474 34 508 In firing off the tie far third place three shots were allowed. Lumaden and Proudfoot eaoh made 12 and Thorbuw 11. There Btill being a tie, Lumsden and Proudfoot had to fire shot for shot* The former m ida an inner and the latter a miss, bo that Lumsdoa gained third ponltion. Beaid-s the Belt, Lieutenant Boas takes the N.Z.R A gold Btar and £30. Moore gets the N.Z.R.A. silver star and £15 ; Lumaden, the N.Z RA. silver star and £10 ; Proudfoot, £5. The remaining men scored as follows ' —

wunner wataon (Port Chalmers) was absent, having returned home. Gunner 3owe, m fifing off the tie for the twentieth place.- made 12, and Ganne* Lagriffen (Auckland) 11,

KIFIiB CHAMPIONSHIP. Of course the long lead whioh Miiov Pnrnell had, rendered the Rifle belt almoat an absolute certainty for him, bat the remaining posltiona were very open. Purnell started with a mlaa, and followed thla up with an outer, bat then got on» and finished with 28, hia last (hot being an inner. Private MTaviah went completely to pieces, but Private Johnston bettered hla position very considerably, and finlahed second. Be made 35 m his ten ahota at GOOyda, and takes the JRfla Challenge Cup. This marksman finished third for the Belt laat year, and would probalxy have won but for his poor aooro In the standing and kneeling mat oh, In whioh he alao fell away laat year. Captain White, ex-ohampion, fiaiahed third, so that though defeated for the ohampionahip, he ia by no means disgraced. Major Purnell'a win was a very popular one, and he waa ctrrled shoulder high off the ground. Private Johnston, though pressed to lodee a proteat on the ground that M»jor Purnell was ineligible to shoot, very properly declined to do so, averring that if he could not win the championship by the score he made, he would deollne to take advantage of a technical quibble. Hon Major Pornell, Champion, Wangannl .„ ... 493 28 526 Private Johnston, Olutha 472 35 607 Captain White, Auckland 478 26 604 Sergeant Jonea, Waikarl 482 19 601 Private A. Ballinger, Wellington . 4G7 29 496 With thia Belt Major Purnell takes the N.Z.R.A. Gold Star and £40. Private Johnston receives the N.Z.R.A. Silver Star *nd £20; Captain White the N.Z.R.A.. silver Star and £10 ; Sergeant Jones, £7 10a ; and Private Ballinger £2 10a. The remaining aoorea of thoße m the final twenty (Private M'Keitch absent) were :— Sergeant Handley. Auck-

f°™ ... 455 15 470 Laafc, year, when the conditions for both Belts were the same as they are now Captain White won the Rifla Belt, with 478, and Gunner M'Oorklndale tbe Carbine Belt with 475. This year, .60 poin-s more were made by the Rifle Champion, and 40 by the Carbine. Of coarse the improved quality of the ammunition is the ra»(n cause of this. Owing to the lateness of the honr at which tbe Rifle Championship was decided (it then being five o'olook), It was found jropossible to fire the Inter-ialand match m accordance with the conditions on the programme, viz, seven shots at 200 and 500?ds, so It was deolded to merely fire ten shots at 500 yds The Nbrtheners won by 31 points, their rifle representative^ being 12 points to the good, and the Carbines 19 points. Aa higher aoorer on the winning Bide Color-Sergeant Hale of Wellington, received a Metford match ilfla aad 1200 rounds of ammunition, presented by Captain Sommervlie. He also holds

the fclobaon Oup till next year. Private iSxnalll, of Kaitangata, started with two bulla' eyes for his sighting shots, and then put on eight more oonneoatlve balls' eyed, but unfortunately finished with a mlas and an outer. His ten successive bulls'

eyes was undoubtedly the aoore of the meeting. ,

_« nd ... 462 31 493 Private W, Hutchison, Danedln 463 29 492 Lieutenant Okey, Tara- „ nakl ... 472 20 492 Sergeant Ha!e, W B H| n g. Sergeant Parkea, Wan* 459 33 492 Private SmalU, Kalt»ngata 460 28 488 Private M'Tavlah, Porto- „ bell J 478 7 485 Sergeant Fairs, Auckland 459 25 484 Oolor-Sergeant Sonntag, Waik-r1... .. ... 471 10 481 Private Marohbanka, Danedln 463 16 470 Private Foster, Wangaonl 457 16 473 Oaptaln Little, Auckland 458 12 480 Corporal d'Auvergne Ran-

Sergeant Gray, Wellington Artillery ; 469 36 505 Sergeant Paralow, Auck. land Artillery 469 36 605 Lieutenant Davy, Petone Navalß 476 28 504 Serg6ant Williams, Napier Artillery 469 32 601 Ganner Woolley, Thames Navals ... 468 31 499 Seaman Chapman, Lytteltoa Navala 474 24 498 Sergeant Kaohen, Weillagton Artillery 462 31 496 Lieutenant Oakden, Peninsula Navals 461 31 492 Sergt Hodgkiuaon, Auckland Artillery 461 30 491 Ganner Lukey, Thames Petty- Officer Taylor j Wellington Navala 452 33 485 Gunner Payne, Auakland Artillery ,„ 452 32 484 Gunner fclowe, Wellington Artillery ,M , ... 448 35 483 Ganr Greenfield, Oamara Attnlery 454 28.488