RIFLE SHOOTING.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 52, 2 March 1909, Page 3

RIFLE SHOOTING.

■ m <' iTHE TRENTHAM MEETING, - A resume of tbe programme Tor tbe eighth annual meeting of the Xew Zealand Defence Forces Rifle Association at Trentham, which commences on the 4th a inst., shows that special attention has r this year been given to teams matches, f there being no less than six of these, £ with an aggregate. This has resulted in \ special efforts being made to get a team i from corps to compete. The Victoria Rifles have two teams, the Xewton Rifles one, and the Auckland Mounted Rifles one, whilst the 2nd Regiment Auckland . Mounted and the Hauraki Infantry Battalion can also enter teams for five of _ these matches. i As usual, the younger shots are es- , pecially well catered for, as in the main matches—that is, matches 1 to 5 counting for the New Zealand championship and belt. Of 100 prizes in the match, the last 30 are only for tyros, whilst, 1 of course, tyros can also win any of the s other 70.prizes. Tbe service matches— i sis of them—comprise a variety of events t such as bead and. shoulder targets, sur- " prise targets, loophole matches, and rapid < firing and running-man targets; but these matches arc. not too popular, and three at least are made compulsory. There is also a match for volunteers . only (Bisley scoring), one at same time |' and ranges for rifle club men, a teams' | match of 20 a-side for volunteers and rifle clubs, and also a match, 20 aside, of j teams from any battalion or regiment. I In the last-named event Auckland will have a team from the Ist Infantry Battalion. The principal interest, of course, is in tbe New Zealand Championship or belt matches. There are five of these with a final shoot of 10 shots at 1000 yards for the highest fifty scores in the five matches. These include tbe Auckland match HO shots, at 200 and 600 yards); No. 2 Wellington match (TO shots each, at 500 and 600 yards); Nelson match (7 shots each at 500 and 800 yards); Canterbury match (10 shots each at 900 and 1000 yards); and Otago match (10 shots at 800 and 900 yards). The top fifty fire the King's prize stage (10 shots at 1000 yards. These matches carry (with the aggregate prizes) £773 in cash, and the winner of the ChamI pionsbip carries off the belt, gold medal, gold badge, and £50. There is in the service matches £340 in cash, including ! the service aggregate, whilst in the j team's matches, £ 131 in cash is given, I and in the volunteer and rifle club matches (called the extra matches), J £140. This makes a total of £1354 ito be competed for during tbe 9 or I 10 days the meeting will lake. { Auckland is this year well represented by no less than 62 men, a record for . tbe district, and now that tbe men can travel via the Main Trunk, the entries ' are bound to increase. The calibre of j the men going is of a real good class; i in fact, taken all round, it is as good ,! as from any district in New Zealand, i I and it only requires that element of luck, so conspicuous at Trentham, for any of about a. dozen of the best to win the coveted belt. Shots like Atkinson, Cox, Moselen, Shaw. Maingay, Carlson, and others are good enough to get into any New Zealand team of 25 men, and any one is a likely man to win, if he has only fair luck.