RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 965, 11 March 1911, Page 3

RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIP.

WON BY ROOTS. Trentham, March 9. The championship match was never fired in better weather than to-day, and there was never a more brilliant assemblage to witness the struggle for the rifle supremacy of the Dominion. His Excellency the Governor, and Lady Islington, Major General Godley and Mrs Godley, and bis Excellency’s and the General’s staffs were present and a large gathering of visitors of both sexes.

When the firing opened Roots was leader and by a brilliant display of marksmanship carried off the championship with its glory and emoluments. The fight was a keen one between some of the leaders, and was watched with more than ordinary interest. Rifleman Roots, winner of the King’s Prize, is only twenty-three years of age, and has been shooting at Trentham for the last four years. In 1909 he got into the Final Fifty. He. has done well in club competitions, and when a member of the Hurleyville Club in 1907 be won the Hawera Cup at the Hawera meeting. ,In the following year he won his club championship cup, and is runnerup again this year. He is a total abstainer and non-smoker. Roots is a “ good sport.” During his shoot yesterday, Private Cox,“ of Auckland, put a bull’s-eye on to Roots’ target. The champion would not claim it, although the spooning disc showed a bull’seye, and firing immediately afterwards he got an outer. The runner-up, A. Henderson, of the Sounds Rifle Club, is a year younger than Roots. This is his second year at Trentham. He got into the Final Fifty last year. The third man, Sergeant H. L. Frank, of the Nelson Rifles, has been shooting for about six years at Trentham. For the last four years he has shot in the Final Fifty. He held the championship of his corps for four years, but this season he did not compete. Going to Australia some time ago, Frank competed in all the big meetings there, and succeeded in getting into the aggregates, though not in a very high position. Sergeant Frank this year entered for various district meetings in the North Island, winning the Feildiug and the Taranaki championships. In the Empire Match last year, Frank shot against the Australians, and also competed in the match for the Gordon Highlander trophy. At Trentham last meeting he won the Nelson Match,