HIGH STANDARD OF SHOOTING AT N.I. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 67, 21 March 1949, Page 4

HIGH STANDARD OF SHOOTING AT N.I. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Record entries, brilliantly fine weather and shooting of a particularly high standard assured the undoubted success of the North Island Clay Bird Championships conducted by the Whakatane Club at its range at Pa'roa on Saturday and Sunday. Some of the performances by many 1 of the visiting shooters gave the large crowd that watched most of the events some exciting moments. There were entries from all over the North Island, as far south as Wellington to Whangarei in the north and it was a visiting competitor, F. C. Thomassen, Waitakaruru, . Hauraki Plains, who carried off the premier shoot of the meeting, the North Island single rise championship, in which there were 58 entries. Thomassen scored the possible to win an exciting shoot-off with C. Darrell, who came a close second, after both had come through to the shoot-off without a miss. Last year’s North Island Single Cham-' pion, E. Benton, Morrinsville, 24. was third. The nearest Whakatane entrant was G. Pulis, who came fourth equal with a good 23. The ground was considered by many of the visiting shooters to be one of the best in the country and on the two days it was in ideal condition, and the organisation set .up by the Club to handle the entries flowed smoothly throughout the shoot.

Congratulating the Whakatane Club while presenting the prizes, Mr W. Sullivan, M.P., said the meeting was an outstanding success. On Saturday shooting continued until late in' the afternoon. It was interrupted about 4 p.m. by light rain which fell all night but the weather cleared for ’ yesterday’s events, which did not conclude until late in the evening! The big shoot yesterday was a - handicap match for a prize of £2OO which resulted in a dead heat, money being divided equally between the two winners, T. Jane (Taumarunui) and R. O. Turkington (Te Awamutu). Throughout the meeting, many Whakatane shooters took part but without any great success. ■ Results:—

North Island Single Rise Clay Bird Championship: E. C. Thomassen (Waitakaruru), possible 25, 1 on the shoot-off; C. Darrell, possible 25, 2; E. Benton (Morrinsville) 24, 3, nearest Whakatane competitor G; Pulis 23, 4 equal. £2OO Open Guarantee Handicap match, 30 targets: T. Jane (Taumarunui) and R. O. Turkington (Te Awamutu) possible 30, 1 equal; A. Aitken (Morrinsville) 29, 3. £35 Trophy Match, 15 birds: E. Green (Matamata) 1; G. Papworth (Gisborne) 2; H. Bennett (Te Awamutu) 3.