THE VOLUNTEERS.

Evening Star, Issue 3044, 20 November 1872, Page 2

THE VOLUNTEERS.

Tlie (juarterly competition for the Challenge Cup of the Anderson’s Bay division of the D. N. B. took place on Monday morning at the Anderson’s Bay range. The conditions were—4oo, 500, and 600 yards ; five shots at each ; Hythe position at 400, and any at 500 and 600 yards. The weather was all that could be desired, but the scooting was not eo good as might bp expected. Lieut. Grant was the winner with a spore of 47 points. At last night's meeting of the council of the Otago Rifle Association, a sub-com-mittee was appointed to prepare a programme for the forthcoming meeting, and to report on the “25tb inst. It is intended, should a sufficient number of country volunteers join the Association for the ensuing year, that a simultaneous match shall be shot at their own ranges ou a day to bo fixed by the council —open only to those who have not taken a prize at the Association meeting. The score obtained by Captain Lambert, Iso. 5 Company Robin Hood Rifles, in the competition for the Battalion Challenge Prize, deserves notice. The score of 56 is in fact the highest score in the history of tne volunteers. The number of GO is the highest that can be made, supposing every shot to bo a hull’s eye ; and to show what Captain Lambert did we may state that at 200 yards he made three bull’s eyes, and the same number at 500, being 18 at each range. At 600 the whole five shots were bull’s eyes, 20 being scored. The day was not the best that “could be chosen for shooting, it being necessary at 600 yards to aim at the edge of the target. There is no record of such a score as this, and its accomplishment is the theme of conversation with every volunteer who knows anything of shooting. Captain Lambert’s score has never been reached, and this is all the more remarkable because in the year there are 700,000 shots fired in these ranges by volunteers throughout the kingdom, and since the establishment of the volunteers no less thau 7,000,000 shots must have been fired without such a result being obtained. The feat achieved by Captain Lambert is one which will long be talked of among the Robin Hoods, and will be a feature in the annals of the corps. The shooting was witnessed by many of the best shots in the regiment, and the result was loudly applauded.