RIFLE SHOOTING

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10573, 2 March 1912, Page 5

RIFLE SHOOTING

THE TRENTHAM MEETING. INDIVIDUAL SERVICE MATCHES (By Telegraph—Press Association.) mENTHAM, Last Night. The Trent'ham camp presented ah animated appearance this morning, when competitors (mustered at the squadding posts for individual service matches to hear an announcement which it had been understood Colonel Collins, Chief Executive Officer, was to make. Among the competitors were ex-champions G. Hyde, R. J. King, W. S. King,' Roots, Milroy, Ross, Duncan and Halliday, also Rifleman James, champion of the Wairarapa, and Moss, champion of Southland, as well as most of the prominent shots of Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. Of the champions who have won laurels on the Trentham range, only Ballinger, Ching.and Irvine are absent. Colonel Collins, in an address to the men, referred to the cause of dissatisfaction among the shooters at the small attendance. This, he explained, was due to the esablishmentt of the Territorial forces, and matters being in a transition stage. All things considered, the attendance was good, being 325. Rifles having had to be withdrawn from the Territorials, these had, small opportunity for, practice. The meeting, was" really-on-, ly commenced to-day, the previous two days being devoted to practice matches, and it showed the keen interest taken in them yesterday. There were 700 entries in those events. A great improvement had been made in regard to service matches, and the men would know the result of their shots as fired. He thought there would be no trouble in securing an alteration' in the constitution of the Association'in the direction of allowing competito'iVtohave a voice in the electioh;. of. Ithe, executive. Arrangements were being made 'to-' further encourage rifle clubs. Although the prize list was reduced, on account of the reduced attendance, the amount provided was in a higher ratio than in previous years. He believed this meeting would be the forerunner of great meetings in the future, and he expected at the next meeting to secure ICOO entries.' ' . ■' I

The men then marcned, in a heavy shower, -to the Collins and Somerville ranges, vAt the former, snapshooting at 300 -yards was taken, half the men taking part in that, while the other half went on with the Loophole Cover Match at 500 yards. In the snap-sl*ooting match, the men had to ftre at a kharki figure target, representing a head an<t shoulders exposed for four seconds, : seven times. An innovation was, I made, every shot being spotted or j the exact position of it shown. The improvement turned what has formerly been something of a farce into earnest shooting, and made men take.far :greater pleasure in their task. Eight of the men got all their hits on the target, Mayhed (Folding)) and Floyd (Tauranga) each .scoring; six bull'seyes. . Twenty4ih(ee got' six hits,' and 'a large number five lnts^a'great • ad- , vance on former years. The Loop-hole Cover Match, at 500 yards, presented great difficulties to those men who fired in the first match. The figure was of ' a light kharki colour, which hardly showed at all against some of the -patches of clay on the bilj. ,'J'he steady, warm ; rain created u ; . nasty haze, and at -times utterly ■ obscured the targets. As a result of-this, the . scores were uniformly bad; but those who fired later on did much better, McCalmont (Opaki) getting 9 hits and Melville (Waikato) and R. J. King (Opaki) 8 hits.

The Rapid-shooting Match, in which competitors fired ten rounds at a 6ft figure target at 500 yds, produced excellent results.. The last match of the day was a slow practice competition at 6(Dyds. Tin's, like the others, was at disappearing targets; but the men were allowed -lots of time to aim. Tb-morrow the individual service series will be completed. The principal prize winners in the snap-shooting .were:— 300 Yardc, 7 shots:. Mayhow (Feilding) and Floyd (Tauranga),. each 35, with 6 bull'seyes, £3 v los each;. Evans (Wellington Suburbs), 35, £2.*

The principal winners in the Loophole Cover matches were McCalmont (Opaki), 45, with one bull's-eye, £4.; Neville, Waikato, 40, with one bull'seye, £2 10s; R. J. Ring (Opaki), 40, with one bulL's-eye,/ £2 10s. The principal ipnze-winners in the Slow Practice competition, 600 yds', figure target, 7 rounds, 1 shot each exposure, were:— Sharland (Nelson) £4, 32; Gilshnan (Patea) £3, 32; Carey (Patea) £2, 31 . IRapid Shooting Match, 500 yards, figure target, ten rounds.— Fellows (Karori) £4, 46; Facer (Port Chalmers), £3, 45; Morgan (3rd Regiment), Russell (Ptetone), and Caldwell (Karori), each £1 6s 6d, 43.