RIFLE SHOOTING

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26662, 22 February 1952, Page 3

RIFLE SHOOTING

AIR FORCE TITLES DECIDED (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. February 21. The .champion marksman in the Royal New Zealand Air Force at the conclusion of the 1952 inter-station rifle shooting championships at Trentham to-day. Squadron Leader H. L. Homer, of Air Force Headquarters, was awarded the Watt Cup by the president of the Nation Rifle Association (Major-General W. H. Cunningham). Squadron Leader Homer, with a total score of 320. won the cup from Group Captain A. B. Greenaway (Wigram), last year’s champion. The run-ner-up was Sergeant J. C. Nicholson, of Hobsonville. with a score of 313. Hobsonville station, which produced the winner and the runner-up of the B series championship and the runner-un in the A series championship, also won the interstation teams championship comfortably, with a score of 758, beating Whenuapai (last year’s winner) by 25 points. Taleri was third, and Air Force Headquarters fourth. In presenting the trophies, Major-Gen-eral Cunningharp said that the National Rifle Association welcomed the ever-in-creasing participation of the Air Force in the association’s annual meeting, and he expressed the hone that some servicemen be in the New Zealand representative team, which the association hoped to send to Bislev next year. Air Commodore S. Wallingford, president of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Rifle Association, speaking of the score of 172 nut up by Squadron Leader Homer in the teams’ match, said that at Bisley 150 was a good representative score and 160 was considered very good, so the performances at Trentham could be regarded very favourably. The members of the winning Hobsonville team were Warrant Officer F. B. Haycock. Warrant Officer T. D. O’Connor. Flight Sergeant ,T. D. Caughley, Flight Sergeant J. S. Nicholson, and Sergeant L. P. Boyd. The team captain was Flight Lieutenant S. G. Thompson. Results were:— Series A, for the Watt Cup.—Squadron Leader H. L. Homer (Air Force Headquarters), 320 points, 1; Sergeant J. C. Nicholson (Hobsonville). 313 points, 2: Sergeant A. Cowley (Ohakea), 308 points. 3; Sergeant R. O’Connel (Woodbourne), 301 points, 4. Series B, for Silver Sun.—Warrant Officer F. B. Haycock (Hobsonville), 245 points. 1; Flight Sergeant J. D. Caughley (Hobsonville). 243 points. 2; Squadron Leader H. L. Homer (Air Force Headquarters). 242 points, 3. Inter-station Teams’ Championship, for the Rose Bowl Trophy.—Hobsonville, 758 noints. 1: Whenuapai. 733 points. 2; Taleri 692 points, 3; Air Force Headquarters. 69’ ■points. 4. Results yesterday were:— 800 Yards Deliberate.—Warrant Officer F. B. Haycock (Hobsonville), 48, 1; Air Commodore S. Wallingford (Headquarters). 48, 2; Flying Officer D. M. Leary (Taleri), 48, 3. 900 Yards Deliberate.—Squadron Leader A. R. Grimwood (Te Rapa), 47. 1; Air Commodore Wallingford, 47. 2; Sergeant T. F. Langley (Whenuapai), 47, 3. Aggregate. F.R.B. Series—Warrant Officer Haycock. 245, 1: Flight Sergeant D Caughley (Hobsonville). 243, 2; Squadron Leader L H. Homer (Headquarters). 242 3.