RIFLE SHOOTING

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10578, 8 March 1912, Page 5

RIFLE SHOOTING

| TRENTHAM MEETING. BELT WON BY; LOVEDAY. (By Telegraph —Press Association.) Following are the principal _ nrizeI winners in the Service Championship. —Mcrrilees (6tli Regiment), £lO, 277; .Dutliie (Christchurch) £B, 266; Russell (Petone) £5, 265; Mayhed ,j (Feildj ing) £4, 264; Law (Dannevirke) £3, 256; £2 each, King (Opaki), 256; Speck (Stratford), 252; Beck (Feilding) 249 j Guy (Kaponga), 252; Ross (Blllft) 2-18. ■King's OPrize, 1000 yards, 10 shots, £<3s and Ballinge.r Champion Belt, 1 .gold medal and the gold badge of the iD.IR.A.— L. Loveday (9th Regiment), 450., 26, 485; £2O, 'silver, star, and D.R.A. ibadge, •. N.V ; Wood (Christ-, church),V444, 34, >178; £ls, silver star and D.R.A. badge, A. W. Cawood (Apiti), 4-18, 27 , 475; £l2, .silver star and D.R.A.- badge, A. Noilson (9th Regiment), 449, 25, 474; £5 each and D.R.A. badge, Caldwell (Karori), 473; Masefield (Sounds), 473; Roots (Kivponga), 472; Milroy (Nelson) 4/1; Banks (Kimbolton) 469; Maingay (4th Regiment), 468; Willoughby (Karori), 468; £2 - each, and badge— Atkinson (Auckland), 468; G. Clark (Rangitikei) 446; W. F. -Sandford (Christchurch) 464; W. A. Kenning (Nelson) 463; T. H. Carter (12th [Regiment), 460; W. West (Blenheim) 460; A.'Henderson <Sounds), 460; C. Williams (Oliura), 459; F. James <Okawa), 4.59; J. A. Munro (Munhiku), 459; G. Wooley (Auckland) 458; F. Haitnell (iaranaki), 457; F. Needham (Lincoln), 457. PRIZE DAY AT TRENTHAM. SPEECH BY THE PREMIER. During the prize presentation at Trent/ham, Colonel Collins said that the meeting, considering it was the -.first under the new conditions, had been very successful. Loveday, in completing 459 before starting on the | final shoot, had broken the record for , these meetings, the previous best being 451. Roots'. possible at 1000 yds was the first scored at that range. The trouble with Rifle Clubs had been happily settled at a confei once held that morning .between General Godley and the Presidents of Olubs. : Sir Joseph Ward congratulated the officials and competitors on the success of the meeting. Ho especially j mentioned Colonel Collins, who now had been connected with rifle shooting for 4-5 vears, and had been nine years in control of the Trentham meeting. The Government was _ helping the , meeting as far as possible, and this year had provided equipment, trans- j port, 'markers, and £750 cash. He hoped his successor would, increase the amount to £IOOO. This money was not being wasted, and shortly this Dominion would be able to boast of a ibodv of men as well trained for j the defence of their country as any in I the world. He heartily congratulated j Loveday and the other prize winners on their success, and praised the efforts of the less successful. Lady Ward presented the prizes, and also, on behalf of the whole of the competitors, presented a handsome gold watch to Lieut. Roach, the secretary of the Dominion Rifle Association.

To-day was the final day of the Championship meeting, two championships being decided, the Service and the Ballinger Challenge Belt. The Service Championship, in which the highest fifty m the aggregate took .part, occupied all the morning, and •the afternoon was devoted to the 'King's Prize. When the -shooting started in. the morning, it was raining heavily and blowing a gale, truly service conditions, but several of the men put up good scores, notably the winner, Merrilees (Tauranga), and Duthie (Christchurch). During the interval between the two championships, the Rifle Club delegates held a conference with General Godley, in which several matters, pertaining-to Rifle Clubs, as well as to the future meetings of the Dominion Rifle Association were discussed. At 3 o'clock the King's Match, ten shots at 1000 yards, by the highest fifty aggregates in the Championship series, was commenced. The match was fired in a heavy storm, rain pouring down at times, while the wind blew from the rear in great gusts. As I a result the scoring was very poor. ! The championship-was won by the j youthful iWoodville rifle shot, Leslie Loveday, who is only 21 years, of age, I and the youngest man who has ever ' won a New Zealand Championship. Loveday's score was only 2(5 out of a 'possible 50, but as all the leader:-: suffered badly by the gale, his low score did not harm his chance of victory. The second place went to that brilliant young Christchurch shot, (Norman Wood, who piled on 34, which was the highest individual score made, and also secured nun the Rifle Cup. The Championship was the most boisterous ever fired at. Trentham, and is only equalled in New Zealand shooting history by that at Oamaru in 1.898. Merrilees, of Tauranga, Service champion, wins the Kynoch Cup.

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(United Press Association—By Bitetrie Telegraph — Copyright.)