Second Belt for Curtis

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33740, 13 January 1975, Page 3

Second Belt for Curtis

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON.

Vem Curtis, a 49-year-old Christchurch gunsmith, won the Ballinger Belt for the second time at the Trentham rifle range on Saturday.

Curtis who won the belt in 1965, shook off a strong challenge from Keith Jacob (Cheltenham) and a string of top class riflemen to clinch the most prized trophy in New Zealand rifle shooting. He finished with a grand total of 531 — five points ahead of Jacob.

It was one of the biggest winning margins for some time.

Curtis admitted afterwards that he was slightly worried that he might nut be able to clinch this year’s championship. But the cool middle-aged bachelor never wavered after a shaky start. New Zealand scored a narrow win over the visiting Canadian side on the final day of the championships at Trentham yesterday. New Zealand finished the match, held over 300, 600, 900 and 1000 yards, with a slender 11-point lead. Roly Cammock, from

Waipukurau, top-scored for his side with an aggregate of 191.14.

He began with a very good 50.4 over 300 yards in the morning and shot steadily throughout to - -st scores of 49.4, 45.3, 47.3 over the other three ranges. But the best aggregate of the day was posted by a Canadian, Colin Ambrose, who managed an excellent 192.17. His performance in dropping only eight points out of a possible 200 in the trying conditions was a particularly fine one. A Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Maurice Gordon, led his Okawa (Hawkes Bay) team to win the champion club title on Saturday. Gordon coached a team of experienced club riflemen who shot far too consistently for the rest of the big field in the Bank of New Zealand champion teams match over 300, 500, and 600 yards. Okawa, which failed to gain a place in the teams event last year, won the title ahead of another strong contingent from Sydenham and an Upper Hutt team. Upper Hutt College, fourth last year, narrowly won the secondary schools title. The team, which included two girls, finished first ahead of Christ’s College and Taradale High School.