OPAKI RIFLE CLUB.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10088, 8 September 1910, Page 7

OPAKI RIFLE CLUB.

ANNUAL REPORT, SEASON 1909-10.

The following is the Annual Report of the Opaki Rifle Club, which was presented at the annual meeting held last evening:— In submitting the annual report and balance-sheet your committee are pleased to report a very successful season. Our season may be said to have opened with the second annual meeting of the North Wairarapa Association, which was largely attended by members of the Opaki Club. This proved a highly successful meeting, between 60 ond 70 riflemen competing. Members of our team won four out of the five matches, and the Opaki "B" team the Handicap Team's Match, while R. J. King held the honours in the Championship aggregate. At the Wanganui Rifle Association's meeting our team was successful in! securing the first place. R. J. King and D. M. Mcintosh shot in great form throughout this meeting, and finished first and third respectively in the Championship aggregate^ The Opaki team again carried off first honours at the Manawatu Association Meeting at Patmerston, in the Champion Teams Match, with four points lead on the Karori Club's team, which took second place. At this meting R. J. King won the Manawatu Match, the Ferguson Aggregate, and fired into second place in the Grand Aggregate. At the Wellington Garrison Rifle J Meeting at New Year our Club was j well represented, and our team i again took first place, and R. J. I King was once more champion. We were again well represented at the Ruahine Rifle Association meeting at Dannevirke ,our team winning the Franklin Shield, and W. J. W T elch and A. J. Cameron firing into prominent positions in. the aggregate. Following on at Hastings at the ,Hawke's f Bay meeting, our team annexed the CoUins Shield. At the Wairarapa Annual Meeting .at Bapawai, we were again to. the fore, and also at the big meeting at Trentham. Here, although Opaki men were not individually , conspicuous, we secured second place in the Champion Teams Match, and in the United Service Match, in which the riflemen defeated the Volunteers, we were represented by seven men.

At Mangaweka Opaki was again in evidence, and several of our members shot into prominent positions, while G. Hyde carried off the Cup for the aggregate score over ranges 200, 600 and 700 yards. Our next success was at Papawai on May 24th, in the "Daily Mail" Empire Match, and although Opaki was only able to muster ten men, the best eight made a total of 778, an average of 97J per man, topping the list for the Dominion, and winning the silver spoons for the second time. On our own range we had a very successful season. The innovation of holding 'two field days for the championship series proved satisfactory, and we had a good attendance of the members each day. G. Hyde proved himself the Club I champion for the season, very closely followed by D. M. Mcintosh, the ! former winning Captain Welches | Cup outright, (he having won it i three times). G. Hyde also annexes i Mr J. M. Coradine's trophy for aggregate score over seasons 1908-9 and 1909-10. "W. Hodges was the best man in the B Class, and carried off the McGregor Cup. -•'■ During the season D. M. Mcintosh put up the very fine score of 104 at ranges 200, 500 and 600 yards, constituting a Club record and probably a New Zealand one. The thanks of the Club are due to the donors of trophies. It is to their very generous assistance and support that we owe in a great measure our success. We should also like to put on record our appreciation of the ever kindly and lively interest shown to Rifle Clubs, and to the Opaki Club in particular, by pur member, Mr A. W. Hogg, and also the member for the Wairarapa. The balance-sheet shows the clubto be in a sound state financially, and your Committee look forward to a very successful coming season, we already having in hand and promised several valuable trophies.