COLONIAL PRIZE FIRING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 57, 6 March 1873, Page 2

COLONIAL PRIZE FIRING.

o [Yesterday.] The day was not a favorable one for shooting. A few minutes after the long procession of carriages with their manycolored freight left town there were indications of tbat most unpleasant of winds tbat occasionally blows down 'upon lis frpm the Wai-iti Valley, and by the time Bishopdale was reached, clouds of thistledown and dust were floating through the air with a velocity that was suggestive of anything but high scores. The breeze continued to blow steadily and with considerable force until noon when it gradually lulled, but before the shooters had time to congratulate themselves on the change, it suddenly veered round to the North-west, gathered up the dust, that lay to the depth of some three or four inches on the road and carried it across the line of fire until the targets were almost invisible from the ranges. This necessitated : .aa entire stoppage of the proceedings, and there was a general adjournment to the luncheon tent where a lively ' attack was made upon the .meats and pastry with which Mr. Gother had loaded his tables., During tb© half hour that was thus pleasantly employed the squall had partially subsided,. and the firing was resumed under more y favorable circumstances,. but -just as the riflemen were beginning, to ascertain the proper allowance to be made for the action of thb wind, the north-westerly attack; was abandoned, and the breeze came rushing up from the-Bouthreast.; From ;thißU •wil^h-eyseen^ in stating -that Y one, for shooting. 5 " The 'wer^ made'^uring the matc^ Yiwhe^tai*^ glory^of the Middle Island has. departed and seems disposed to shed its halo on ! the representatives of the far North. All the = Mv. *'V* **! •'•-• -'y- 1 *.'-y-<->sVty- ; Ayyy<'\yri'tr<,'y>yi, y^yAym?- -.yy •£.&

arrangements were quite equal to those of the previous day, and it was only owing to the great lehgthyof the match; and,; the monotony by which it was ! characterised that the interest taken inthe firing flagged to some extent, and the wave of the last disc from the butts was bailed with satisfaction by both competitors and spectators.

[This Day]. The interest taken in the prize firing gradually increases as the events on which the Championship depends grow fewer in number, and the candidates for the honor of winning the Belt, begin to single themselves out from their iellows. This morning those who were spoken of as likely men were Lieut. Hoskin 81, Private Thompson 81, Private Stone 81, Private Clode 76, Corporal Buchanan 75, and two or three others who had reached 73. The three first hail from Auckland, and, strange to say, are natives of New Zealand, and Messrs Clode and Buchanan are both, from Otago, so that as matters stood this morning there seems every probability that the Belt would this year find its way from the south to the north. A keen rivalry exists between the Auckland and Otago men, and every shot fired by those who have even a remote chance of obtaining the championship is watched with considerable interest. The firing commenced this morning with the Cavalry— 3rd Match. Range, 200 yards. Five shots. First prize, £5; 2nd, £2.

Ties for second place fired off, when three times they tied with outers, but. on the fourth shot Cowan contrived to put in a centre against Douglas's outer, and so secured the second money. Iniahtry— 3rd Match. - Range, 200 yards. Five shots. Position, standing. Ist prize, £10; 2nd, £6; 3rd, £4; 4th, £3; sth, £2.

Tiea for third prize fired with tbe following result : —

Seventy-nine fired. , - Ikfaktrt— 4th Match. Range, 300 yards. Five shots. Any position. Targets 6x4 feet; centre, 2 feet square; bull's eye, 8 inches square. Ist prize, .£10; 2nd, £6; 3rd, £4; 4th, £3; sth, £2. Considerable interest attached to this match, not so much from anxiety to learn the winners of the prizes, as to ascertain the bearing it would have upon the Championship, connected with which there is now only one more match to take place. The result will be seen below. The whole of the representatives competed, but we give the scores only of those who scored 14 and upwards : —

_ The ties fired off and the result is shown by the order in which the names are given above. ' To-morrow; it is expected will prove the most interesting of the meeting as, in the morning the final 1 portion*' of thelast 1 match for the Championship will take place, and in the afternoon there will be a match between the representatives of the North and South Island, in which the ten men from each Island who have made the highest aggregate scores in the five matches for the Championship ywill Be pitted against each, other. An immense amount of rivalry exists between the two extremes of the colony, and a most exci- : ting match is anticipated. Up to the present time Auckland has had it nearly all its own way,having won the first prize in ; each event, and unless a change comes , oyer : : ;"the Otago men^the'y' f will :J havefs6m difficulty in ■ '■Northernyriyah|;^v f At^he^Wrmmatipn:;.' of y r she;;^^ ; ?were;tak^>tl^/te^ i Hoskin, Thames/ 11 l r Ston*,,* Thames, 107, Thompson, Thames, 106,

Richardson, Otago, 104, WUsod, Otago, 103, and Oates^ 100. l :•:' 7 ' *&>■s■> ' CAVAIjETr-iTH .MATCH. * : !jf V^y,* Eangesf 300, 4o6yand 500 yards. Seven shots at; each range. Ist prize, £7; 2nd, £5. /Y y Cowern, A.C ... 53 Gilpin, A.C 44 Douglas, Wanaka .43. . The Cavalry Championship .being der-, cided by the highest aggregate - score in the four matches it thus falls to Douglas who scored 104, Cowern, 102, being second.

Eoss, Westland ..." ... 34,324 16 Eichardson, Otago ... 33334 16 Douglas, Otago ... ... 42324 15 Hoskin, Thames ... 33333 15 Wileon, Port Chalmers ... 33333 15 , Gray, Wanganui ... 43323 15 Prouse, Auckland ... 33423 15 Treseder, Otago ... 23343 15 Jamieson, Dunedin ... 32243 14 Finnerfcy, A.C 42233 14 Bowater, Wellington ... 22433 . 14 Coleman, Waikato ... 23243 14 Hay, Auckland ... ... 33233 14 Warren, Auckland ... 32333 14 Colin, Christchurch ... 42233 14 Guy, Nelson 32333 14 Mills, Auckland... ... 23333 14 .

Sutton ... ... 43233 3rd prize McLeod ... 43252 4th prize Wales ... ... 42 sth prize

Hay,.Auckland ... ... 43244 17 Eichardson, Otago ... 33433 16 Sutton, Marlborough ... 34323 15 McLeod, Thames ... 23442 15 Wales. Otago 33333 15 Greenwood, Wellington 33333 15 D. Buchanan, Otago ... 23433 15 Fowler, Nelson... ' ... 33423 15 Crawford, Auckland . ... 43332 15 Hoskin, Thames ... 33333 15 Matthews, Militia ... 32334 15 Wilson, Port Chalmers ... 34323 15 Muir, Dunedin 24333 15

Hedge, Waiuku Cavalry ... 23334 15 Cowera, A.C.... 32223 12 Douglas, Waiuku Cavalry ... 42222 12 Cummins, WangaDui ... 30233 11 "Gilpin, "A. C ... 23023 10 Thurston, Aramoho ... • ... 22222 10