RIFLE SHOOTING.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 62, 13 March 1919, Page 8

RIFLE SHOOTING.

DOMINION* CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING. (By Telcgrapii.— iTpss Association.) TRENTHAM, Wednesday. The Dominion RU\ e Championship meeting wae continued to-day, wlien the preliminary work and the first stage ot the championship wore completed. The weather was fine, font a variable rear wind puzzled the marksmen considerably. Though the nee of slings is now permitted, there were many men who could not keep steady in the gustn that swept down from unexpected quarters. The ammunition to-day was apparently mi improvement on that supplied yesterday, which furnished a number of faulty cartridges durinj* the sen-ice matches. The opinion was expressed, however, that the faults were not alw!i3's real, but were caused by competitors not c.losinp the bolt« properly. To-day very few faults were noticed. Durinjr the morning, the opening match, the first of the J! series, whii-li did not! count for the belt, served to let the men ! accustomed to the ranges at r>01),I 500. and t>oo yards, but the tricky wind upset many calculations. After lunch interest livened up, as the real business commenced with the Wellington match of ten shot* at .">OO and 000 yards. At the firat range, Wilton (Maurieeville). pot -40 on. Mascfieid. the present champion, 4K. as did JMilroy (V.'lbon). It was curious that at thus distance most oi the l>e-.t scores were made. On the Sedclon and Sonimerville ranges tlie store, 17. was put up by llalliday (Karorh, and- McReich, i tyro from the Kiwi Club. Dunedin. Heavy smoke from bush flree on the hills put a thin haze over tbe range all the afternoon, and made sighting dillieult at times. Only one stage of the service series, aggregate remains to be" fired. The leading scores are:— V. W. Ching (Wellington), 158; J. Te Whaiti (Greytown), 155; \V. ,f. Morgan (Akarana), 152; V. 11. James (OkaWa), 152: Lieut. \V. Duncan (Woetport), 151; J. Caueley (Greytown), 131.

By evening the Wellington match had been completed, and there were some reversals of position. Wilton and Musefield dropped back, while Hulliday puiiheil ahead, and Cleaver, Green, and Henderson came along with a run and tilled the first three places in the order named, oacli with a score of 89. The. following ie llie prize list: — OPEXIXG MATCH; seven shots at 300 yds, 400 yds, and OOOyde. P. Morgan, Christchurch, £5 .• 03 R. J. King, Opaki, £ 4 !« D. Browne, Waihi. £4 9-2 F. 11. James, Okavra, £3 '-'I C. Milroy, R.N.Z.A., £3 !>I K. J. CaueleV, Thames, £3 t>o D. Roots, Patea. £ 2 90 J. M. Bartram, Karori, £2 '->0 S. Elliott, Akarana, £ 1 8» J. Burns, Karori, £-> 8» Thirty-five men got £1 each, with scores ranging from 99 down to 84; 10 tyros got £1 each, with scores from 84 down to 82. WELLIXGTOX MATCH; ten shote at 500 yds and 600 yds. \V. D. Cleaver, Tahora, £5 ;.. S9 L. T. .1. Green. Westport, JE4 .... S!) A. J. Henderson, Sotinds, £4 ..... S!> (.i. Halliday, Karori, £3 « 8» Pres. D. Tnit, Gisborne, £3 87 G. G. Ashley, Akarana, £3 *..8/ Four more took £2 each, with scores of 87; 35 took £1, with scores from 87 down to 83, nine being counted out; 10 tyros received £ 1 each, with scores from 83 to 80, five being counW out. ■ To-morrow the programme will be two matches of the Belt series, at five ranges.