Rifle Match.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 4025, 22 November 1881, Page 2

Rifle Match.

A rifle match of an interesting kind came off yesterday at tbe Collarbone range, and was confined solely to members of tbe Thames Field Force recently returned from Farihaka. The day on which the contingent arrived at Kahotu camp en route for the front, the Nelsqnians with a team of ten men won a friendly match from the A. C. Force. The Thames men endeavored to get up a match at Bahotu and wrest the laurels from Nelson. Orders to advance on Farihaka on the following Saturday gave no time for this match to come off, and it was consequently postponed till matters settled down, after the march from Bahotu, on sth instant. Therefore after the Nelson men had been again challenged by the. Thames, through the kindness of Major Pitt, leave was granted to fire the match the following day, but before evening orders were received, to march next morning at 8 a.m. to Opunake. Here it was arranged to fire a match by the Thames men themselves. On the 16th instant as it was then understood they would be remaining at Opunake for a day or two, accordingly, through the kind permission of Major Noake, the men had secured the use of the range and targets, and were preparing to fire the match, teams of ten men aside having been chosen, when the shrill whistle of the Hinemoa, followed by orders for immediate embarkation, caused this also to fall through. At last when safe arrived at home, though other matters were not so satisfactory, yesterday's match took place, and in every sense it has been a most friendly one. Teams were chosen by Parslow and Downie, who acted as Captaim. Parslow won the toss for choice, and went straight for the Carbine Champion, and the two ex-ohampions, with himself, five of the remaining best Naval shootists, and one Engineer, and thus placed a team together which seemed invincible. Downie with second place for choice had the Scottish left to weed through, securing nine of them and one Naval. Both team* fired

in the order as given below, and the " coaching " on both sides was something immense. Downie's long experience ultimately succeeded in landing his team winners by two points, and it is certainly gratifying to know that the average shoot* ing of both teams averaged three points per man higher than the score made by the Nelson men when they beat the Constabulary at Eahotu on the sth inst. Downie, on behalf of the winning team invited the losing team to adjourn to the Governor Bowen, and a match of twenty men a side was discussed, and will likely take place to-morrow. We append the result of yesterday's scoring:— Paeslow's Team. Armstrong 6L Thomas, A. 57 Lt. Gordon 58 Thomue, J ... 52 Newdick ... „, ... 47 Jamiesoa 42 White 47 Gordon, J. „'. ... v '... 39 Vine, H.K ... 26 Farslow 54 483 Downie's Team. Weir 55 Preece ... ... „, ... 50 Kendall 53 Coehrafie ... ... ... 45 Schofield 42 Webster, T.N.B 36 LawJor 51 Hawkins , ... 47 Downie ... ... 61 Maunsell ;., 45 '-■ 485