Riflemen at Trentham.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 March 1904, Page 3

Riflemen at Trentham.

I'lilHAY'S \Y() KK. KIIOOTIXC STOIM'KI) 1(V UALY TIIH WKLLIN'UTON MAT'..'! t. fPur Press Association.) I TUIvNTI lAM UAXCK, March 1. .1 Firing in thi' Wellington Malch, < (i<M) and 7<K) yards. Ml shot s. si ar- I ted'at tin* lirst range promptly at... M a.m. ' i The iiu'ii mustered in a drizzle, i and only hall' went out at a lime, leaving the rciuaiihlct under -over. < The light was dull, lull lli-re was a good wind, The wind v. as i from the rear a( Use start, bu 1 , veered round to ihoril4 ii ( front before nine o'clock while rain Icll steadily and hard. greatly marring the shooting. Ip l<> Ihe p:e- ( si-nl -l(> is the 1 oj> score. !la\er (I.)' lion's R.C.), and Marsh,ill *Karori) niade •!.">, Winskide ,i<)iiali) and \V. 11. Hallanger f IV'litiu') each •!•>. ilovvo (Wellington (Juards) 'I-, lliggins ('l'imani), Shanks ((lore), and Captain Pomigan ((lore) 11 each, N'ichol (HhilT (! nards). McLean (Welling) on) and Hadge'r {(!rey mouth) -10 each. Later. firing in the Odd yards <-r the Wellington Match was continued in heavy rain and under disomI'ort. The trenches are sodden and t he targets washed, rendering marking diMicult. One target was entirely disabled. Patches were constantly washed oil', the cards of thi' register-keepers soaked, and the scores on the boards frequently washed off. The shooters are drenched and the ground sodden and fell of pools. Under the circumstuices (!;<• shooting is considered good, though no possibles occurred. In addition to the principal r.cores sent the following may be included '.—(''lark (Ohininmri) -1.1, ItaUray (Lytlelton) -M, Papans (Stoke) 12. rurnell (Wanganui) 11, Arinitage (Taranaki), Bland (Christchurch 1, Harkle (Charlton), Pobbs (Zealandias), Harrington (Wanganui) Nelson ( Wood vi Me), Crow (Pinion), and Holland (Petone) 10 each. King, Hie champion, only scored 151. and Turnbul] (Opaki) who v\as previously leading, only ?».1. Colonel Collins has received the following lelegram from the Premier " Uegrct exceedingly shall not In- present lor firing of championship ne.M Wednesday. Accept yourself. and convex' to officers, my best wishes for successful meet ing." At 2 p.m. shooting was <:erlared till, owing to the persistent ruin. Humphries, of Hastings. (? Taranaki) made top score, 17, in Ike morning shooting. Uain is still falling (S p.m.) and the outlook for 10-morrow is not iheering. The camp is thoroughly sodden and uncomfortable. Clung (Wainiea) is now leading with KW)—three points ahead of TurnbuU. 1 NOTKS ON TI(( USDAY'S SIIOUTi INC. (Special to News.) TIiKNTIIAM UA.NCK, March :i. The conditions to-day are good, aud the great est cavillers—pret (y common among shooting men. whose "tin luckiness'' is proverbial—could find nothing to grumble at. There, was an entire absence oi that "dwelling" on shots so perceptible a.l Ihe last meeting. While the firing was in progress at the C.UHwis range of H.e Auckland" match, the Commandant of the forces (Ma.ior-deneral I>a king ton) and party arrived, and Colonel Co'ikis received the visi'ors, The Commandant. was much interested in the fjioot-

Taking the liring all round at litis range il was hardly what could be expected ; but the older hands bad not got into their stride, while the younger ones were measuring Hair powers against those ol the veteran :• hols.

As iias been the ease e\cr since 1 he in! roduclioii of the rille, the buiiet from which makes ■ rll a small hole in the target, challenges were frequent ; but Inking on the whole, the marking was good, while the scorers knew their work. r ! he same may be said of the range ollicers, who did excellent service.

The folio win,; Were the principal scorers at .Vxi yards W, llallinger (Pitoue), Piling (YYainica Rilles), and ■I. .MeKeiizie ( en's Rilles. (>amaru) made the possible. P. I'U'Wii (1 lauraki Rilles), Wilson 11Vlone), Marett (Victoria Rifles) sic, Smithies (Kai wai wai), Cornes (Ohinemuvi )and Major OUfV tTaranaki) .*>l ; Walshe ( ( ppi.-r Hull). Uinslade (Opaki), Chapman (Takaka), Martin (Tiniarit j. T. .lack (I.inwoodj. Hay c ."Mi rea!:iih■ Rilles), Stevenson < Untilrt.onj (1. Hyde (Opaki), Wain ; Studludme Chrislenson < Riiiieiiin City 'iuards), M.R.). Handseombe (Awarna), (.'ato (Taradalej, .Maekcn/.ie Ciueenstown), Shaw (Ohineimiri), Moselcii i.Kaeo), Ready (Ohinemnn;. Rarkle (Chrislchureh). Cauxley ('I hames), and Hawthorn (Karori)

When the 0U!» yards ratine was started the light was absoluieiy perfect. and all were fairly sellling down lo work. "Possibles" were rung on. and one board showed a total of |o.'{ for three men. and another Improbably two of the must remarkable <iU(i yard boa.rds ever seen at an essoeialiou meeting. Scores of Ul were soon common along 'he i.ne ; hut it was quickly recognised that these would have little show in the prize iist.

Some ornamenlal soldiery are whimpering in Wellington because, wilh the exception of ihree coinpetilions, the (i'overnineiil has abolished arlilicial aids to straightshooting at Trenlhani this year, and conipeiilors will ha\e to shoot under service conditions. The ornamenlal soldiery don'i want service conditions. They want nice, Hat, dry, :-.o!'( places lo lie down on, at aet iirately-d-.'iiih.'d distances from bright com-.picuous, Ntal ionary targets, and an i.-l icail\-smoked sights. and plenly oi direction llag.s, and carefullygraduated v<-rn»i>: «s and wind gauges. I hen the oi'immenlal soldiery can hil Ihe bullse\e so ollen that a man

. landing in l roil 1. oi Ihe target would be in great danger of gelling hurl si. vera! limes in the course of a dav. As we are Irving to tench our \olunImts shooting so that they can hit the head <>] an em in\ peering over a lock, ami as the en,-my is not usually courteous enough to wail until i lie diHaire is measured and Unwind gauged, unless lie has died el disgiisi already, the (Jovermnent is Irving io make Treiitham of some pi at I icul v nhie. The ornamenUil sohlii ry complain that they won't gel any practice for liislev.' They are actually labouring under thedeliifcion that ihe colonv is encouraj."IK lIIWVI.V ill order lhal somebody im,y ha\ en I rip J I'-in", and Hint possible invasion |,y .in.\ ioi s is a \er.v seci>ndar\' .-■iiiHili'l'iilioii, So sa\s the Chrisliliurch Trulh, and so s:iv all those tnne st en acliie si'r\ icc. SupI 1"-'"- '"r a Inoment . thai we became embroiled will] a foreie;u pou- ' n'l'l some of our ornamenlal sol«K a recomioilriiiK paii.v. Suddenly there appeared a ,s 1 i'e l " lv '' HiUiin ruiiK'e. Would ii 1" ::eml a lo Ihe ''er 111 command of the I'liene, lo ' 1 ' ,M " <on,ct hl < " )| . dl . r thai our lire mi,"Jit prove eflecti.e.