Great shooting gives Davies three big titles

Press, 16 April 1979, Page 3

Great shooting gives Davies three big titles

By

BOB SCHUMACHER

Only a week ago. Rex I Davies was discharged from> hospital after spending four; and a half days there under-I going tests. He had been; feeling so “off colour” that;

he wondered whether he would be able to defend his national 50m and aggregate titles won at the New Zealand smallbore rifle shooting championships at Wanganui last year. However, Davies took his place along with more than 60 of the country’s best shooters in the bays at the Burnett range at the weekend and will never regret it. In what is almost certainly an unprecedented feat at the national championships, the 48-year-old Christchurch salesman claimed the big three — the 50m title, the 50yd and 100 yd championship, and the grand aggregate. Davies became the first man to win the national 50m title in successive years and he gained further kudos with his selection for the first time as captain of the NewZealand Slazenger Shield team which competed in an international postal shoot. As well as the two New Zealand championships and

the international match, Davies also represented the South Island in the inter-is-land contest. In all, he fired 180 shots over the two days and scored a metitorious ‘1770 points from a maximum 1800. Davies’ first success on Saturday was in the 50m event. He started strongly with 197, but slipped a little with 195 at his second visit to the bay. That left him two points behind the promising Wanganui marksman, Lawrence Moodie, and equal with Rex Hobbs (Temuka), whose opening 20 shots (199) were the best of the competition. But the tricky wind and possibly pressure told on Moodie and Hobbs over the final 20 shots and they both dropped seven points. Davies held his form and his 197 was good enough to give him the title by three points from Moodie, who took second on a count-back from the 1977 title-holder, Leon Greibel (Blenheim). Hobbs, on 585, was alone in fourth place, one point ahead of Cecil Tubb (Geraldine) and two Christchurch shooters, Malcolm Barth and Ray Mitchell (the winner of the Canterbury 50m championship on Friday).

;| Conditions were reasonJably pleasant for the 50yd ■jand 100 yd title yesterday,’a •Slight wind wafting across lithe bay still putting some idemands on the shooters.

• Davies’ second success I was even more decisive. After 20 shots over 50yd, Davies' belief that all 14 lane (Hutt Valley), with two 995, and Barry Till (Christchurch), with 98 and a possible 100, shared the lead. There were many marksmen w’ho had dropped only three or four points. But Davies gave a brilliant performance over 100 yd. He did not feel happy at the start and used many sighters. When he started his counting shots, he was away shakily, dropping three points in his first six shots. But from then on it was a flawless exhibition. Davies, running out of time, fired 14 shots in the last 10 minutes — his final shot inside the two-minute warning. An excited “Yep” from Pam Uden who was watching his shooting confirmed Davies’s belief that all 14 bullets were inside the bull and a weary but delighted Davies embraced his new $l5OO rifle.

Leading shooters were:— N.Z. 50m. A grade.—R. M. G. Davies (Chch), 589, 1; L. M. Moodie (Wanganui), 586, 2; L. Greibel (Blenheimi, 586, 3; R. Hobbs (Temuka). 585, 4; M Barth (Christchurch), 584, 5; C. Tubb (Geraldine), 584, 6; R. L. Mitchell (Christchurch), 584, 7: L. Arthur (Hutt Valley), 583, 8: B. E. Lacey (Levin). 583, 9; B. Blackie (Rangiora), 582, 10; J. R. Ballinger (Christchurch), 582, 11; G. R. Ballinger (Christchurch), 582. 12. B grade.—G. Clausen (Christchurch). 580, 1: D. Hutchinson (West Coast), 577, 2; R. Ward (West Coast), 573, 3. C grade.—R. Burney (Wellington), 573, I; N. Fleming (Ashburton i, 55.9, 2; G. Witt (Christchurch), 557, 3. N.Z., 50yd and 100 yd A grade.—R. M. G. Davies (Christchurch). 395.20, 1; R. Nixey (Nelson), 390.14. 2; L. Greibel (Blenheim), 388.20. 3; S. MacFarlane (Hutt Valley), 388.19, 4; B. Kemps (Waikato). 388.13. 5; B. Till (Christchurch), 387.13. 6: B. E. Lacey (Levin) and G. R. Ballinger (Christchurch), 386.14, equal 7; J. A. Neale (Christchurch). 385.9. 9; G. Clapperton (Manawatu), 384.17, 10; K. Smith (Timaru) and E. G. Bristow (Wanganui), 384.14, equal 11; Mrs M. Quealc (Invercargill), 384.13. 13; 1.. E. Smith (Timaru), 384.12, 14; J. A. Scott (Timaru), 384.10, 15. B grade.—l. W. Lake (Temuka), 380.9. 1; D. Hutchinson (West Coast). 379.11, 2; A. Peters (Christchurch), 377.13. 3; Mrs J. Mackenzie (Christchurch), 377.11,

C grade.—G. Witt (Christchurch). 380.13. 1; C. O’Brien (Wellington), 376.7. 2; N. Fleming (Ashburtoni, 374.13, 3.