INTER-COLONIAL RIFLE MATCH.

Press, Volume IX, Issue 995, 16 January 1866, Page 3

INTER-COLONIAL RIFLE MATCH.

QFrom the " Australasian," Dee. 29-3 t The fourth match is over, and Victoria has suffered a third defeat, more - severe than either of her former reverses —in actual points being seventyfive behind, against forty-six two years ago, and sixty-four three years ago. Looking, however, to the larger scores made on both sides, we may say that New South Wales has on her own - ground asserted just about the same superiority as she did two years ago, and whatever improvement our men have made has been met by a cor- - responding advance in the skill of her champions. On Friday evening, one squad of five men had fired on each side, and the majority for New South Wales j was twenty-seven, a lead which it was J hoped our second squad might reduce. However, the Sydney five did better, and our five worse than their preceding shooting led us to expect. Our five— Douglas, Johnson, Macartney, Mumby, and Bainsford made only lii, or leas than a centre a shot, while the Sydney ( made 165—exactly the score of our first t squad—thus placing "Victoria fortyeight behind. The next range did not improve . [matters. Half of our men could not I get beyond twenty; while, though two j ! of the New South Welshmen lost their j f way completely, the others * did ho \ , captially that'they pullet! them through ' j for 291, Slade making the inaguiffcent t score of lhir.ty-eigh.fc, and giving the! .go-by to Bayner, \sfho , hiid liitherfcqL been ahead of all his side. i J There seems *-ome fatality atiiongyfr ' j its in Sydney. Two years ago, when j ! at the close of 800 varus we were five i

I poiqts ahead, the last range could not • be fired that evening, and next morn- > ing brought an entire change of j weather and half a gale of wind, in which New South Wales seemed quite fat home, and ours were all abroad. So I this year, just when our only chance , lay in a last effort, a storm of thunder , and rain swept over the range, and the effect on the Victorians was a score of , 226 —two and twenty less than, with \ smaller targets and with smaller bull's eyes, they made last year. ! " Sixty-eight lost at this range, and ! focty-eight before, made up a total of ■ Hβ" points, which must have made New South Wales feel safe, and Victoria despair. Yet the effect on the shooting at 900 yards was the opposite from what might have been expected, ! the Victorians shooting much the best, i and fetching up no less than forty-one | of their leeway; Macartney making j the capital score of thirty-four, and i uoue falling below twenty, while Rayner, who had up to this point been shooting beautifully, made the lowest score of either side —thirteen only. So the fourth match ended with New South Wales, 2201; Victoria, 2126—a majority of seventy-five, all but accounted for by the utter breakdown of our men at 800 yards. Had they shot there in anything like the form they showed at.the other ranges, the match would have been a very close one, and the ultimate decision it may be, have been reversed. However, there is good hope that next year, on our own ground, victory may be with us, for the Sydney men say that no better team could be mustered among them, while it is well known that several at least of our best men were unable to compete in the match. At this rate, the shield will i be long ere it be won, for New South < Wales is now exactly in the same J position as she was in 1862, one on towards three consecutive victories. The highest score was made by Slade, { 243; followed by Brownlow, 234; s Lynch, 232; aud J. IV. Fawcett, 229 Only Brownlow and Fawcett managed to score thirty or upwards—that s is, an average of at least a centre a shot at every one of the seven ranges. J Cole deserves very high credit for i 213 he got, though comparatively a low score, when it is remembered that t he had not fired a single shot in practice on the range The highest scores were :—By New " South Wales—At 300, Eayner, thirtyseven points; at 700, Slade and Brown 1 low, thirty-nine ; at 800, Slade thirtyeight. By Victoria —At 500, Colonel Rede, thirty-nine ; at 600, Douglas, thirty-eight; and at 900 J. W. Fawcett, { thirty-four; at 200 the honor is r divided. Mumby and Slade having each t made thirty-seven. The last named gentleman wins the medal offered to the highest scorer on the New South Wales side, and a sweep of £50.