DOMINION RIFLE MEETING.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3432, 11 March 1920, Page 5

DOMINION RIFLE MEETING.

_._____.o..___.._ (§‘R().\."l‘o.\’ WINS THE BELT. TR EN'I‘HAM_. Mare}: 10. Another King"s Prize Day lms come and gone, and Ka.rorL's I'epl‘eseuté.tive (Cl‘O:\'ton) maintained .\the position gained in the preliminary struggles by hard work and some good ‘luck. “lest and Barkle kept second and third places, but Feast lost ground. D. (_}uine_\'. who came up from tenth to t'ourth position], Evans‘. and Harris, who when the inateh began lay fifth and sixtli, both struck trouble and dropped away down the list. The afternoon was fine and fair. A nuni-» her of visitors were pa-e.<ent from town. Ainong the otficial party present were the Hon. .T. G. Coates (Act-iiig‘-f\lilri.~‘tei‘ of llefeiive). and Mrs COa:e.<_ .\lajOr-General Sir Edward (‘haytor (General Otiieer Command?:l_,ql. Brigadier-General G. S. Rie.llard..m (general Ottieer in Charge of Administratioiil. and I.ieut.-Co'l. .T. L. Sleeinan (Dire«,-tor of Military Training). When the lllU.[l went down at 300:) _\';n'Lls for the final tesi, the light -c-.-as ln:'igllt and dull, and a fair amount of nzirage running in front of the (:1;-9;.-2, vshen the sun broke thl'on;;h the (‘lota-f:.~‘. The wind varied from 3 ~legl'ee left to 14 right. Croxton at \IT:"'L‘ attravstetl all (‘yes on No. 12 target", \Vn-st‘, his ilnnledia'te (‘,llllSOl'_, being on No. 25. Barkle -on No. l_, and Feat On No_ :3. The wind was in real 'l"rentllam moo:l—lrieky as at any time during‘ the meeting. Cl'o_\'ton got away quietly with a magpie for a sig'lltel', which he I‘ejeeletl. Then eame 4. 3 -L -L and K:lroroi—ites reckoned the Belt was safe, tliough they got a bad jar \\‘hc".n the next sigiltll was :1 2 and then another 2. 'l‘l|ese were t.'ollo\ved by 5 3 3. making the total for the range ($4. and the aggregate 556. .\leanlime West and Barkle both struck very llail luck. \Vest got an elln'g)xil':lgizig 4 for at .~:ig_v-liter. \\'hi<’fh he kept. He got another -1. and then fell 2.1. eropper. two misses being‘ s3gllal'le(l. He managed to screw into the bull again. and Blenheim breathed more easily when a 4 and 5 t‘ollo\\'e<l. and the pl‘oSpe('t of retaining second place lo the prize—man seemed assured. Barkle, right at the other end of the mound, had an unfortunate kick off With a 2 for :1 sighter. 'l‘hc.n- O 3 0 “made him to think." The wind SC0lll0(l to have him beaten, but the next two shots found the magpie ring. Then came 5 5 4 5 3, making; 3.1 for the rungs. and 539 for the aggregate. West had continued ineantinie a dogged uphill figlit, slowly groping his way through a -windy barrage. He got a 2 and then a 3, and hail only to hit

the target, to tie with Barklc, wiio, when he got going rattled his shots in at a good rate, while W'est. had 10st, 3 lot of time, and fired the last shot on the range, which was a 4, giving him the position of runner-up two points ahead of Barkle. Feast, at No. 2 target, had something of Barkle’& oxpel'ienco——-3 for a sighter, and than 0 :1 4 2 5 3 4. 3 0 4. a. total of 29. The fmest shoot of the affm-noon was pufl up by HOIIdL‘I'SOII, of Soumls, viz, 5 4: 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 3, a total of 42, Which! .‘~3"<WO him the Challenge Cup as winner Of the match. Croxton’s win was h.r~artil_v applauded.