YOUNG MARKSMEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1921, Page 4

YOUNG MARKSMEN.

N.P. HIGH SCHOOL’S FINE RECORD. PRESENTATION OF TROPHIES. Among a number of branches of sport in which teams from the New Plymouth Boys’ High School havq been prominently successful are the rifle shooting competitions, and the honors won by them in the Empire contests and Dominion events have been highly creditable to the school, the boys showing excellent marksmanship of a consistent order. Last year the school secured third place for the Empire, both in the senior and junior divisions of the Imperial Shield, and added further to their laurels by winning the Weekly Press Challenge Shield match in 1920, this being for the third year in succession.

At a gathering at the school yesterday the Empire medals and the Weekly Press Shield and medals weje presented to the teams by Brigadier-General C. W. Melville, C.M.G.. D. 5.0., commander of the Central Military District. The cadet companies were drawn up on parade in cliargg of Captains Ryder and Papps and Lieut. Diprose, and were inspected by Brigadier-General Melville prior to the ceremony. Visitors present included members of the Board of governors and friends.

In addressing the parade, BrigadierGeneral Melville expressed pleasure in participating in the presentation. In the Weekly Press Shield matches New Plymouth had been the best team, not only in the North Island, but in both Islands." and it was a record of which they should be proud. Personally, as commander of the district, he was very pleased to know that he had at least one good shooting team. Rifle shooting, the speaker said, as distinct from its military value, was a great sport, because a good rifle shot had to be a clean liver. It tended to develop self-control, was good for the eyesight, and, when shooting for a team, a boy had to play the game, as in all sports. As regards the military value of rifle shooting, this was clearly shown in 1914, when “the contemptible little army” held hordes of Huns by their magnificent rifle shooting. The Germans, as shown by the book? written by Ludendorff and other officers, thought that the British had a lot of machine guns on that occasion, but it was due to the good shooting that the advance was checked, and it was not till later that the machine guns played a prominent part. In speaking of the medals won in the Imperial matches, the speaker said that if it had not been for the New Plymouth teams New Zealand would not have made a very good showing, and it was a most creditable performance they put up. The medals were then presented by Brigadier-General Melville. In the case of the Weekly Press competition, three lots of medals were due, but only those for the first two years (1918 and 1919) were to hand. The 1920 team have yet to receive theirs. The list of the teams who won the medals is as follows: IMPERIAL CHALLENGE SHIELD. (Third place for the Empire in the senior competition.) No. 1 Platoon, No. 24 Company.— Cadet C. Bell, Cadet L. Abbott. Cadet P. Wills, Sergeant J. H. Boon, Corporal I. M. Sutherland. Corporal 11. S. Herbert, Corporal R. A. Candy, Corporal M. Borak.

No. 2 Platoon, No. *24 Company.— Cadet L. J. Linn, Cadet A. M Moyes. Cadet G. W. Bracegirdle, Cadet K. 11. O’Halloran. Q.M.S. W. Hughson, Corporal E. B. Waters, Lance-Corporal H W. Hunt. Cadet G. H. Holden.

No. 3 Platoon, No. 24 Company.—Cadet A. Gibson, Cadet A. Brodie. LanceCorporal 11. Brown, Corporal R. Mcßae, Corporal L. P. Rawson. Cadet M. Goldstone, Cadet H. W. Rickard, Cadet A. E. Smith. Junior Competition. (Third place for Empire.) No. 1 Platoon. No. 110 Company.— Cadet R. H. Oaughley, Cadet C. J. Rogers, Cadet E. Chivers, Cadet R. Kidd, Cadet K. R. Lambie, Cadet I. Jackson, Cadet T. L. Penn, Cadet F. T. Williams. CHRISTCHURCH PRESS SHIELD. (First for New Zealand) 1918. Cadet L. Malt, Cadet L. Abbott, Cadet E. Pearce, Cadet M. Barak, Cadet E. Waters, Cadet R. Candy. Cadet R. Hair, Cadet S. Jackson, Cadet R. Wills, Cadet S. Herbert. 1919. Cadet P. Wills, Cadet L. C. Malt, Cadet H. W. Brown, Lance-Cor-poral M. Barak, Cadet R. D. Mcßae, Cadet K. D. Baker, Lance-Corporal R. Hair, Cadet J. E. Jackson, Cadet C. J. Rogers, Cadet M. L. Jonas. 1920. —jCadet F. Davis, Cadet K. R. Lambie, Cadet H. Mason, Cadet J. Rogers, Cadet G. Bracegirdle, Cadet J. Mackson, Cadet A. E. Smith, Cadet E. Chivers, Cadet T. Penn, Cadet A. Moyes.