RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 758, 5 March 1910, Page 12

RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIPS.

THE' SHOOTING. AT TRENTHAM, GOiMCEO MANY DOWNFALLS. BAFFLING WIND MYSTIFIES MARKSMEN. NOTES, GOSSIP, AND SCORES.

Daylight at Trentham struggled through 'a dull, thick blanket of drifting rain'mists, which shrouded the hill-tops with fleecy clouds, and garbed theii spurs with, drifting veils. A light south-easterly T>rceze, which later veered over more to 'the east, blowing straight down the rifle ranges, gave promise of dirty weather, but the depression lifted, the gloom brightened, and fair weather and a, •.rariable wind prevailed for the opening iday of the New . Zealand championship ; meeting of 1910—the year of jubilee for the Dominion Rifle Association. About 'breakfast-time—between 7 and 8 o'clock— a persistent drizzlo depressed the spirits of the shooting men, and when' the bogle sounded for'the "fallen" at 8 o'clock, it was a wet-weather company of men, .with.coast and umbrellas, that fell in at the. "squadding posts" to hear the ora- . lion which is deliveted annually to the competitors by the Chief Executive OffiDer (Colonel Collins), just prior to the commencement of firing. ,

Colonel Collins Addresses the Men. In the course of his address to the r'.''v Competitors, Colonel Collins: remarked i that the present meeting a record 'one' for the association. Hp to the pre«ent close on 590 entries had been re- . .reived, these figures being ahead of the (previous best record of 525.. They were ; ' sstayting the meeting with a record entry, i . ■ land he. hoped that the gathering ! would !'' 3)o a record one in every way. In extending a hearty welcome to all, he ; said that !.■'■" ihe liked to sec tho old faces, and it gave ihim pleasure to welcome.ne\v men., On S.i-',: '.!«this' occasion they had amongst; them u . tauumber of Australian, shots. For some >■■■■"■ jjears it had been his endeavour to get L ■ ran' Australian team to compete, and a' !.•■ fthis meeting they .had upwards of 2o J.; hpon from Australia present, under Hieut. tltaJdii. He was sure they would all ;' the visitors success—New Zcalanders [ ;were generous enough to hope that the visitors would sharo in ; the prize-list. IThey were good men and food shots, but ! they would no doubt find'good men and i igood shots in. New Zealand. All he ' - twished was that there should be a fair ifield and no'favour.

Jhe New Features. The speaker then referred to the alter-, ations which had- been carried out on .;tho: range—the extension of the firing imounds on the "Sommerville" to the 1000 [yards distance, and the j improvements (in the targets—and warned competitors jto exercise caution in passing from one pfiring point to another, so as to avoid, the . Spew fire zones. Certain amendments had ileen made to the rules governing the vpfiiiog.t.JUl sighting shots would be op-. .. rtiohal, hot conlpulsory as formerly. If a man scored a bull's-eye for his sighting shot he ■ would be permitted -.to•' take' it- ■ . as-a scoring' shot. .The order of firing, hen said;'.would ' -be strictly, adhered ' to. , - !A.; man . would not .be permitted to fire Offfi ./of"his turn'.'*" s Concluding,' Colonel' Collins said that by Wednesday next,, he Hoped to have everything cleared out-of "the way by the Champion Teams Match, -the Empire Match, and the final for tho pßHie Championship—the King's Prize.' ■The Empire Match would, if possible, "be fired on Thureday afternoon and Friday morning next The New Zealand .team. Trould be selected from the first 25 of the ■""King's fifty." (Applause.) ; iShooting Begins After a short delay, during which score-- • *ards were distributed, the competitors .marched to their respective targets,. and .1 shortly . after 9 o'clock, the crack'of a ; frifle heralded the opening of the contest, ta fusillade rippled down the '..lines,'l ami ;the_ 500 odd men settled' dowii to the venous of breaking records. i!Tha 'Running-Man. ' khaki picture man on a moving (trollyway began to "run" yesterday, and is now in a perforated condition. Shootis designed to active service conditions. - ". Tlie - man" s (khaki on a dead-white 6hicld, js shot at from a known range,: and there is a fixed platform about 12 foot tog l , norn which the soldier may com- ; fortably shoot when "ho" is travelling - tho average marksman looses off about lorn- rounds during his backward flight, ,and the remainder of his seven when 'U< ,} a reta ™ing to his home. The --man- will hereafter-run continuously, ..and Juts on him count for the aggregate. •One competitor yesterday made six hits on this target - out of his seven shots. JJw target attracts much attention; and •telephonic communication for ascertain- ' tog, values has been established, the authorities claiming that this method is ampler than the .signal with the spottttg disc formerly in use^' ITo-day's Programme. _TWay, firing will commence at 8 a.m the events set down for partial disposal being .Matches 2, 3, and 5 of the championship series—the 500 yards slmm nf the "Wlington" (500 and 600 yards, ten , U a i??^ h r ,a D ge); tho 500 yards stage of the .Nelson (500 and 800 yards, ten Ufa!? % tf ch ™se); and the 800 yarl stage of the _ Otogo (SOO and 900 yards, ten shots at each range). These v-ai the attention 01 marksmen all

TARGETS AND SCORES; RIFLE CLUB MATCH. Ranges: 200, 500, and GOO yards; seven shots at each range. First prize, JES; second, SA; third, four, of &i each; 20 prizes of .61; ten' tyro prizes of Jjl. Total prize money, -£50. 200 500 600 yd. yd. yd. Tl. F. C. Franklin, Weber ... 35 32 31 101 H. Marshall, Karori 34 33 33 100 IX. Roots, Kaponga 32 3-1 33 99 N. Thorpe, Stratford ... 33 34 31 98 A. A. Oliver, King Country 33 31 32 96 W. H. Masefield, Sounds 33 34 29 96 A. Caldwell, Karori 31 31 33 95 Twenty prizes of .£1 :—J. Petersen, Ta- | rarna, 32—31—32—95; A. C, Maisey, Karori, 30—34—31—95; TV. H, Porritt, Paramatta, 32—32—31—95; G. Fisher, N.S.W., 34 —30—30 —94; W. D. Banks, Scargill, 33 —33—29—94; D. Reedo, _Pongaroa, 33—32— J. Liddle, Lincoln, 31-35-28-94; J. B. • Bairstow, Opaki, 32—34—28—94; F. Jenkins, Wairoa, 31—30 —32—93; R. F. Wilton, Mauriceville, 31—31—31—93; C. Craw, Chorlton;. 33—29—31—93; H. Boyd, Mauriceville, 32 —31—30—93; G. Hawthorn, Weber, 32—31—30—93; F.. Wilkie, Upper 1 Hutt, 33—30—30—93; M. H. Tessv mona, N.S.W., 32—32—29—93; W. Tarr, Karori, 82—32—29—93; J. ' W. Milroy, Nelson, 32-32-29-93; S. A. Kefford, Bathurst, 31—34—28—93; C. H. Walker, Christehurch, 30—31—31—92; C. H. Speck,: Stratford, 30—31—31—92. Counted out:—Loveday, Kenning, R. Evenell, York, Boleynj. E. Evenell, G. loveday, Hobbs. Tyros :-C. J. P. Hollard, Nelson, 91; H. E: Mercer, Rangitikei, 90; J. Guy, Rahotu, 90; E. Harrison, 89; A. Henderson, .Sounds,' 189';'. O. Currie, Ohura, 89; XI. S. Ellis, • Petane, 89; Jas. Wright, l?ivorsdale,..S9; G. A. Monk, Ngatiawa, : 88; H. Richardson, Karori, 88. Counted, out:—'Williams and Fellows. Tho winner of this match was also awarded a trophy, valued at one guinea, donated,by Messrs. Edward Anderson, Ltd., as well as , the Carbine Cup (mentioned. elsewhere): Possibles at 200 yards were scored by F. C. Franklin, Weber, J. Wright, Riversdale, and at 500 yards by J. Liddle, Lincoln.