RIFLE SHOOTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 27, 1 February 1934, Page 20

RIFLE SHOOTING.

AUCKLAND MEETING.

SOME GREAT PERFORMANCES

Beautiful weather prevailed for the Auckland Hide Association's sixtieth anniversary meeting at Penrose on Monday. As one of the visitors remarked. "\\ ell. this Is your diamond jubilee. You have a per-i<-et Rem of a morning, and the shooting should be brilliant." l'erliaps the most pleasing feature of tlie meeting was the large number of juniors from the country clubs, and some of these.extended the Penrose shooters in most of the matches. It was no great surprise to see Simmonds win the King'sin fact, the surprising tiling is that he has not won it before. Simmonds dropped It points witli HO shots, and has probably established a record for the association. llis win is the more meritorious in that he lost his kit on Saturday and had to use borrowed gear for the championship. A. G. Devore made perfect scores at 800 and 900 yards, and tied with Bowes for the position of runner-up with 238 points, with E. J. C. lteston next with 23G ; then came J. K. DratHn. G. G. Kelly. A. G. Robertson, and K. Wukelield. all with 233. B. Wakefield opened with a possible at 300 "yards, and shot creditably throughout. D. Calder has had little practice this season. and shot brilliantly in the 500 yards natch, which he won. 'i'he GOO yards, that grave of many hopes, was won by A. G. Degenkolhe with -18. when he counted out K. C. Bussell with the same total. Degenkolbe and Kussell have the extraordinary trick of winning difficult matches in hot company, and yet fail miserably on occasions when everything is. in their favour. The City A team won the championship by a wide margin. The team was. on club performances, a formidable one. and comprised 11. Simmonds, F. Q J. M. Clark and G. G. Kelly. The fatuous Waihl Booster is the coveted trophy for this particular match. It has been shot for since 1!)02. Among the visitors one noticed Harry Doughty, tlie veteran rilleman. who has the distinction of boing the only rifleman to bring the New Zealand championship belt to Auckland. Doughty did this in 1892. Another tine old marksman, Ajidy Patrick, came to watch proceedings and "lend a hund." Patrick lias held his own on many ranges, including Bisley. He lias shot in Canada. Australia and South Africa.. Most of the riflemen to-day are using the old magazine Lee Enfield rifle, the barrel of which is cut down by five inches. The ammunition used was 1931 cordite mark VII., and was donated to the association by the Colonial Ammunition Company.