TRENTHAM RIFLE MEETING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9046, 12 March 1908, Page 5

TRENTHAM RIFLE MEETING.

CHAMPION BELT WON BY G. HYDE (OPAKI). A CLOSE FINISH. BY TELEGRAM- I'KGSS ASSOCIATION. TRENTHAM, March 11. Rain greeted the competitors this morning as they went to the post for the Champion Teams Match. Fortynine teams had entered, which constituted a record for the Association. Among these were the finest teams in the dominion. The following are the scorss: — CHAMPION TEAMS MATCH (five men, 200 yards, 500 yards and 600 yards). Hawke's Bay Mounted Rifles (Sergeant - Major Hyde, 98, Private McMurray 94, Sergeant McCormack and Private We 11 wood 91, Sergeant Humphries 82), £2O, 456 1 Napier Rifles, £lO, 451 2 Green Island Rifles, £7 10s, 449 3 Wanganui Rifles, £5, 447; Upper Hutt Rifle Club, £5, 447; Opaki Rifle Club No. 1, £5. 447; Petone Rifle Club, No. 1, £5, 446; Karon Rifle Club No. 2, 445; Opaki Rifle Club No. 2, 443; Studholme Mounted Rifles, 442; Pal merston North Rifles, 1 441; Linton Rifle Club, 439; Nelson < Kifle Club, 439; Blenheim Rifles, j 438; MiUerton Rifles, 437; Christ- ' church Defence Rifle Club, No. 1, '> 437; Victoria Rifles, 437; Kaimatu Rifles, 437; WellingtDii City Rifles 436; Ranfurly Rifles, 436; Manches- , ter Rifles, 432; Nelson Rifles, 432; . Post and Telegraph Rifles, Welling- ( ton, 431; Waimea Rifler, 431; Ohinemuri Rifles No. 3, 429; Timaru Port . Guards, 427; Petone kifle Club No. ( 2, 426; Dannevirke Rifles, 424; , Christchurch Rifle Club No. 2, 423; j Wellington City Rifles, No. 2, 422; ( Sounds Rifle Club, 422; Imperial , Rifles 419; Chorlton Rifle Club, 418; ( Te Wbarau Rifle Club, 416; Karon" } Rifle Club No. 1, 414; Patea Rifles, . and Timaru Rifles, 409; Taranaki , Rifles, 404; Petone Rifle Club No. 3, , 402; Karori Rifle Club No. 3, 396; ( Linwoo.l Rifles, 395; Marlborough £ Mid Rifles, 395; Weber Rifle dub, } 390. , i The last try match at 500 yards , and 600 yards for those who had not , won a prize of the value of £1 at the , meeting was then taken, and later , the ties were fired for the Carbine { and Kynoch Cups. The former was | f won by Peerson (Timaru) and the t latter by Captain King (Christ- . church). Matters were now clear for the x championship, and at 3 o'clock the ( fifty highest aggregate scorers were t lined up in pairs at the squadding ( points. A draw was made for targets. { Randell, the leader, being on No. 1, ( G. Hyde on No. 13, Timbrell on No. t 11, Kitchen on No. 22, and Bairstow on No. 15. There was a slight £ puffy wind, but the light was anything but good, as there was a dull _ shadow over the targets, which tende/i at to deceive tha competi- j tors. The most intarest was centred j in the shooting by Randell, Hyde, t Timbrell and kitchen. Cameron was £ first to fire, his shot registering two. r Matters were taken philosophically £ for the first two or three shots, and ( then the report ran down the line j that Randell was making poor shoot- t ing, but that Chapman, of Takapau, t who had started ten points below the ] leader, was doing fine shooting, and j with bis first four shots had regis- ( tered 18 points. Masefield, who had < started with 384, got three bulls to start with, but although he might ( have a chance for the Rifle Cup the ( belt was surely beyond him. In the , meantime Randell had set red 3, 4, 3, \ 3, 2, 0, 0, with his first seven shots, j and all interest had faded out of this score. That G. Hyde and Timbrel! were the two now who would fight , out the championship with Chapman J was evident, and as they were laying ( close together there was the greater ( interest taken. Chapman was the , first to finish, his last hits being 4, ( 4, 3, and his total 36, which gave , him a grand aggregate of 428. Timbrell was the t<ext to finish, hid last j hits, being 4, 3, 4, 3, and his total 31, and his aggrgate -130. G. H-.de and Edwards were now absorbing all the attention, as Randell had finished up with 19, and a total of 421. G. Hyde had opened with 2, 2, followed by a couple of bulls, and a 3. Ed- , wards who had started badly with 0, 2, got a couple of bulls with his next two shots, got an outer with his next and followed this by 4, 3, 5. Hyde, in the meantime, had got off his sixth shot, which met with no response, and in reply to his challenge -the fatal clean target was signalled. He must now make 13 with four to beat Timbrell, whose rifle was already in the hands of the range i officer ready for testing. Hyde's next shot was 4, followed by 5, and now the hopes of his supporters were high. His next shot was a long time in being marked, but at last the outer disc went up. He must now hit the target to win. Standing behind the mound were Sir J. G. Ward with Colonel Collins and a lot of notables. It was here the greatest crowd gathered behind the ropes. After what seemed an interminable time Hyde fired again. It was a long time before the marker drew the target down. Then the outer disc came up, and the crowd sent forth a cheer, for the Opaki man had won the champion belt for the second time. With two shots Edwards had a great chance, but he lost it when he made an outer with his 9th shot. The following are the scores of the competitors : Rifleman G. Hyde, Opaki Rifle Club, 431. champion bait, gold mpdal and £SO. Lieut. Timbrell, Linwood Rifles, j 430, silver star, £25. Sergt. S. Edwards, Australian Licht Horse, 429, silver star and £2O. Rifleman Chapman. Takapau Rifle 1 Club, 428, silver star and £l2. - Corporal Kharland, Stoke, 425, I £5; Private Patrick, Victoria .Rifles, ! 424, £5; Captain Masefield, Sounds, ■ 413; Sergt. Dippie, Dunedin Rifles, 5 421, £5; Rifleman W. Randell, Lin- ' ton, 421, £5; Rifleman L. Kitchen, ; Upper Hutt, 420, £5; Sergt. Mc- \ Cormack, Hawke's Bay, 418; Captain Collett, Waipawa, 418; Sergt. Ching, Nelson, 417; Rifleman Feast, Opaki, 415; Private Carlson, Vic- ; toria Rifles, 415; Rifleman Bairl stow, Opaki, 415; Rifleman Narbey, Duvauchelles, 414; Rifleman G. Love-

day, Ohara Rifle Club, 415; Sergt, - Major Evans, Canterbury Engineers, 413; Rifleman Cameron, .Opaki, 412; Lieut. White, Franklin, 412; Col.Sergt. Hadfield, Blenheim, 441; Trooper A. McMurray, Hastings, 411; Lieut. Martin, Timaru; 411; Rifleman H. Hawthorn, Petone, 409; Rifleman J. Kinnard, Linton, 409; Sergt. Needham, Palmerston North, 408; Sergr.-Major Hyde, Hastings, 407; Rifleman F. Wilkie, Upper Hutt, 407; Captain King; Linwood, 407; Rifleman J. W. Milroy, Nelson, 406; Private Frank, Nelson, 406; Private Boys, Timaru, 406; Captain G. Craw, Linton, 404; Lieut Irvine, Nelson, 404; Sergt. Johnstone, Owaka, 404; Sergt. Smaill, Kaitangata, 404; Rifleman Turn bull, Opaki, 404; Sergt. McCalley, Australia, 402: Corporal Ayson, Murihiku, 402; Rifleman Franklin, Weber, 401; Sergeant James, Napier, 399; Rifleman J. Turner, Karori, 399; Rifleman McLeay, Opaki, 399; Rifleman Rabe, Karori, 398; Private Mugridge, Palmerston North, 398; Rifleman McCalmont, Opaki, 395; Rifleman A. France, Karori, 393; Private Westwood, Wellington, 383.