ARMY RIFLE SHOOTING

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 302, 13 March 1928, Page 15

ARMY RIFLE SHOOTING

MEETING AT TRENTHAM COMPETITORS ADDRESSED Press Association. TRENTHAM, To-day. The annual New Zealand Army Rifle Association meeting opened this morning. The weather was good, with the usual tricky range wind. Colonel Burgess, addressing the territorials and cadets, said that the entries constituted a record, the number being upwards of 700. Colonel Burgess congratulated the competitors on their soldierly appearance, and lie wished the meeting every success. The competitors are tlie best marksmen in their respective units, being first tested out in their area and military districts competitions. The match in progress, the army championship for a belt, which includes four practices based on active service conditions, is for the purpose of determining the best marksmen in the leading 100. These will compete for the King’s Medal, when shooting will be under similar conditions. The maVh is open to members of the permanent military forces, the Air Force, territorials and cadets. Officers and other ranks of the British Army service in New Zealand are eligible to compete for the money prizes, but not fo.r the medal. The Cadet Champion Belt is open to competitors under 18 years of age, practices being application, snapshooting and rapid and moving targets, all at 200yds. There are '2OO competitors. Last year the belt was won by Corporal G. Parker, of the Wellington Regiment, Lieutenant J. Hepburn, of the Waikato Regiment, second, and Lieutenant C. Cayzer, of the Otago Regiment, third. The King’s Medal was won by Lieutenant T. Denton, of the Air Force, and the cadet championship by Corporal C. Collyer, of Hokitika, Ser-geant-Major R. McGill, of the Boys’ High School, Dunedin, second, and H. Stevens, of Hamilton, thi^d. Ore of the main features of the meeting is tho machine-gun matches, which arm, it is considered, will be more relied upon in future wars. Last year the Hawke’s Bay Regiment was successful with the Vickers gun, the North Auckland Regiment with the Lewis, and the Nelson Mounted Rifles with the Hotchkiss. An innovation in this programme is the a.nti-air craft match.