RIFLE SHOOTING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 521, 31 May 1909, Page 6

RIFLE SHOOTING.

EMPIRE RIFLE MATCH. ' THE NEW ZEALAND RBPRE- ■ . SENTATIVES. . A STRONG TEAM. ■ ' : Under the Auspices of tho Commonwealth Council of the Association of Australia, an. ' Empiro Match," open to team^, consisting of eight men from tho naval. and military forces of tllO United Klingdom, Canada, South Africa, India, Australia, and other units of the Empire, and duly accredited by tho Council of tho Riflo Association or associations of such units respectively, will bo ured at Randwick range, Sydney,' in October next. ' The following team has been selected by Colonel R. J. Collins, V.T)., Chief Executive Officer of the Dominion Riflo Association, to reDrosent Now Zealand:— Lieutenant Duncan, Millerton. Corporal Patrick, Auckland. Q..-M.-S. Shaw, Auckland. ' George Loveday, Ohura. Lieutonant Hawthorn, Wellington. Col.-Sergt. J. W. Ching, Wainiea. Col.-Sergt. Hadfield, Blenheim. Captain W. S. King, Christchurch. ' Corporal M'Connell, Canterbury. ' Rifleman Halliday, Karori. Serct., James, Napior. ' .; Rifleman Guy, liaponga. ..... The emergencies are:— . Rifleman Masefield, Sounds. • .Trooper Marenzi, Eketahuna. • ■ Rifleman Henry, Opaki. Sorgt. Neodham, Palmerston North. . Beret. Frank, Nelson. \ Rifleman J. R. Franklin, Weber. Col.-Sergt. Hjggins, Timaru. .Rillemau Milroy, Nelson. Tho first twelve—the . team itself—really includes tho "emergency',' men, , for only twelve men will go over at tho expense of the Government. Tho second list of eight men constitute a reserve from which to fill any vacancies which JSay. chance to occur in tho selected team before the date of sailing.

SHOOTING AT MIRAMAR, . VA team representing tho -corporation ■ : ployeee having . challenged * the Wellington ■ Navals. as to thoir superiority as rifle shots, ' journej'ed, to tho. Miramar range on Saturday* afternoon to test tho matter. ' The Navals proved to bo too strong. At the ,200 yds. range : "Corporations" held their own.very well. .Tho Light was good, but a very bad wind pro* vailed. At 500 yard? tho Narals established a lead, and eventually won by. 43 points. Thd scores .were:— "WELLINGTON NAVALS. |

NOTES ON THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM. (By Echedon.) Tho above list, on the whole) should afford very littlo ground for criticism; Naturally enough, tho men are chosen on their form at.the annual meetinu of the Dominion lime Association, held at Trcnthain last March, and their qualilications are, estimated less on star performances in particular matches', than on steady, consistent scoring.; Tho men aro all "stayers,'! if their work at Trentham this_ year is . any criterion.. Lieutenant Duncan is the 1909 champion riflo shot,of the Dominion. In 1907. whoa colour-sergeant' of ! tho Denmston ■ Rifles, ho was runner-up to Rifleman Arthur Ballinger at the ehampioDship meeting. He was one of tho Now Zealand team which took part in tho Empire Meeting-in Sydney l in. X907,> and, although ho was notseelectcd to firo in tho bifr event against Australia and England, ho secured several prizes. On two occasions he has won the West Coast District Meda*. and is considered to be one of the coolest and most ..deliberate shots in. New Zealand. \»lion firing in the 1909 championship, ho was. perhaps tho coolest of any of tho comt petitors-at tho mooting; and shot through all the matches with very little variation. . Corporal Patrick, of' the Victoria Rifles, Auckland, was within' a' point of becoming olio 1909 New Zealand rifle champion. He Vv'Cut over , to tho Victorian Rifle .Association Meeting at Melbourne, and scored a great success as runner-up' to Armourer-Sergeant Lawrence,: of tho British rifle team, in tho "eat Visitors' Match—a 15-shot contest at 1000 yards'. • Lawronce made 64. out of a possible' 75, beating Patrick by one point. During tho 1908-09 season ho carried' off tho North Auckland championship at Y?hangarei, and tied for second place : in the Auckland ' District ChampionsWp, being,however, placed third; on the : shoot off. At the' 1908 Trenthhin meeting,' ho .was -sixth in tho Belt contest, and figured in nearly every prize list: . ■ Q.-M.-S. Shaw was third for championship honours at Trentham thiß year. Ho;; was born in Auckland, forty-ono years: ago, and has followed rifle shooting for the past ton years. , Ho first canjo into prominence as a marksman in 1902, when ho won the Auckland District' Medal.' He was. a member of, tho New Zealand team whicli visited Bisley in 1905, and was seoond. in the Mackinnon Cnp Match,'. 1 800,'' 900, i and 1000 yards, ten .Ehots, scoring 126 out of ■ a - possible 150 points., At -tho same mooting, Shaw won a place in the Kolaporo Cup team. Rifleman G. Lovcday,- of Onura, came seventh in tho Championship.Match at Tron- i tham this year, with an aggregate score of 485, six points below tho winnor. In tho 1908 championship ho camo nineteenth v in. the ''Fifty." He was not a prizo-winnci' this year, .but-his shooting, nevertheless 'was consistently excellent, all through the meeting. liioutenant Hawthorn, of' tho Vfellington Civil' Service Riflo3, and'an ex-member of tho' l'etono Rifle Club, is one of tho best shots. in New Zealand. ■ Ho came'. seventeenth in' tho Championship list this year, and tied with four, ethers for the ltiflo Challenge Cup, a trophy awarded to tho highest scorer in tho . King's' Prizo > Match, being placed fourth. > ■ Colour-Sereeant J. W. Ching.won the New Zealand- Rifle Championship in 1904, and came eleventh in this year s championship, with.a score'of : 4B4.poiuts. 'Ho'is'known.as. a first-rate "stayer," cool and imperturbable on the mounds. Colour-Sergeant Hadfield, of Blenheim, fired into the twenty-sixth place in the Championship list this year, and his nam© also appears in tho honourablo : "Fifty" of- tho yea.r beforo. Like .Ching, of Nelson, ho is a "stayer:"- ■ '■ .' , ' , „ . ~ Captain W. S. King, of 'Linwood, Christchurch, is . ono of tho most brilliant shots in New Zealand, and has invariably been well up in.big matches. Ho.is an ox-champion, of 1899, when he . finished 32 points ahead of his runner-up. 1 Last ho finished tliirtyseoond in tio Championship.Fiftyj and. up till the final day of the'-championship-this year was regarded as a very probable winner, his shooting all through being . . exceptionally brilliant.. However, his luck was out in tho final, and ho finished sixth on. the list. Ho iwon the "Union" Cup last yoar. . Ho has represented Now Zealand .on four' different occasions—Bisley, 1897 j Bisley, 1902; Sydney, 1898; and Sydney, 1901. . Corporal M'Connell, of Canterbury, was a "hot man at this year's championship meeting, securing fifth place in;tho "Fifty," and being only thred points behind the winner. On his form this year he should justify "his inclusion in the team. Rifleman Q. Holliday, of, the Karori Kifle , Club) ono of the bosfc shots in this district; ; shot remarkably well at Trentham all through the season, and rounded off his sucocsscs at the Saturday afternoon matches by firing, into tho championship list, in March, coming eighteenth. His inclusion in tho team should give great satisfaction, to tho Wellington men. . Sorgeant F.' James, of tho Napier Guards, has been Bhooting very well this season. He is an old Wellington Navals man, and in 1905 | annoxod the Wellington District Rifle Cham- ' pionship. Ho fired into the "King's Prizo" list at Trentham last, year, . and finished " twenty-third . in tho same . ovont this .year, ' distinguishing'himself by carrying off tho '■ Rifle Challengo ,Cnp for the. highest scoro. in that match, which, as every shooting man knows, is tho culminating contest of a series of six matches—a tcn-abot 1000-yarcls competition. Rifleman A. H. Guy, of Kaponga, Taranaki, winnor this year of tho Union S.S. Company's Cup, awarded to tho highest ■ aggregate scorer in tho Auckland, Wellingtoii, and Nelson matches; finished fourth in tho championship. 'Ho . lias been selected solely . on his form at this year's 'championship . mooting, his previous record being a comparatively modest ono. As for the "omergoncy" men littlo can bo found to cavil at. Wliatover criticism may j bo expressed will probably bo raised against [ the exclusion from the team itself of Riflo- • man Henry, of Opaki, who has been shooting i brilliantly right through the season. Ho . annoxod tho North Island' Championship at i Wanganui last Christmas, and camo forty.sixth in tho King's Prizo list at QYentham . .last March. ; Tho previous Empire match was fired in I 1607, at Sydney, on Ootobar 28 and 29, and

won by AusfcraJia with on aggrog&ie scoTOof * 2104 points: New. Zealand cam© moxt witfo 2056, boating Groat Britain by, a margin of throo points. Tho match is & six-rango ooa* tost, ten shots each at 200, 500, 600, 600, 900, and 1000 yards, any military, position. Tho following wore x tho results aohiovod by tibb. Now Zealand ropreeontativca'in'l9o7- (tho team commandant was Lieut.-Oolonol Cross* woll)V , ; • .*

' ■ i. 2. s; i. s, 6.n Pte. Pm™il... ... 45 46 43 47 <5 .39 265 Sorgt. ' ... 40 48 45 43 44 37 2C3 Eiflmn A. BaUingor 4« 44 45 42 46 37 2C0 Riflmn Maseficld 41 48 43 48 43 32 253 Lce.-C° r p. r Ays°n ... 46 47 43. 44 41 37 258 Riflmn. Wilbo ... 44 42 44 47 46 31 264 gigmn. Craw-- ... 48 43 41.43 42 32 252 iiiUmn. Cameron ... .44 45 44 45 35 33 246 Total ... ...... ... ... 2058

200 500 _ yds. yds; TV P.O. Calnan ... ... ... ... 31. 33 • 64 : Gnnncr Gibba ... ... 30 28' 50 * Gunner Day/... ... ... 27' 24 51'iv. '■ Gunuor H0610 . ... ... ... 25 25 M' Gunner Boon" ... .... ... 2U M 19 l'.O. Steelo ... ... ... 26 22 48 ' Martin ... ... 2S X 20 4S. 1.1). M lvay . 26 17 43 P.O. Bisbup .,;U ... 28 10 ' 33 (juimer J. Williams . 29 § 37 ' . Totals '... ... ... ... 27S 210 4SJ COEPORATION . EMPLOYEES. 200 500 ; ' , ' 1 ; yds. yds. Tl. P. Hopburne, ... 28 28 5d - G. Barker ... ... ' ... 29 25 5£' W. Tarr. ... ... ... ... 28 25 53 J. Babe , ... .„ 30 21 -51 f- 1 S nr , rls '- ••• '••• - - 25 15 ■, 47J. Kitchcn ■ ... ... ... ... 26 ,14 4J A.. Goodson ... ... ... 23 14 31 J. Cloutt ... .„ ... .'..' 29 . 8 37 J. Pringlo ... ... ... 22 13 31 W. Campbell;.... ... ... 23 10 34 Totals .... ... ... ... 263 173 43?