CLAY TARGET SHOOTING

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28561, 15 April 1958, Page 7

CLAY TARGET SHOOTING

Australian Champion’s Visit

New Zealand has some good clay target shooters, but the novices among the country’s 2000 shooters have lacked the benefit of a standardised method of instruction. It is to provide that method that Mr J. Newton Thomas, the Australian double-barrel champion and winner of 108 championships in Australia, is visiting New Zealand. Mr Thomas is touring the country giving instruction to embryo instructors. He said in Christchurch last evening that like other sports, clay target shooting had certain basic rules for the novice shooter, but frequently the novices had no chance to develop on a standaidised pattern. He had introduced training schools in Australia. In New Zealand, he was meeting representatives of most of the gun clubs, and hoped that they would be able to impart to their members what he could teach them. The sport had grown throughout the world since the last war. Mr Thomas said, and Australia now had about 6000 clay target shooters.

Mr Thomas has been- shooting most of his life. As well as being double-barrel champion, he has held the record of 321 breaks without a migs since 1953 Earlier he had established a record of 178 breaks without a miss

The standard of shooting had improved in Australia, he said, but it was probably the result of the increased interest in the sport, and the increased competition. Asked about the standard of shotguns, Mr Thomas said there were probably more cheaper guns of high quality today than there were before the war With New Zealand’s import restrictions, it was probable that persons who owned guns but did not use them would sell them on the secondhand market, and it could be a long time before any shortage was felt. Ammunition for the guns was made in New Zealand Mr Thomas described himself as “one of those fortunate people whose hobby corresponds with his job.” At home in Australia his work involves travelling throughout the country meeting gun club members and gun dealers.

He will leave Christchurch today to compete in the New Zealand championships at Timaru.