Griebel has first win

Press, 11 April 1977, Page 4

Griebel has first win

I After many years of trying, Leon Griebel (Blenheim) gained his first national smallbore rif!e-shoooi:ng title when he won the New Zealand 50 metre championship at the Burnett range on Saturday. Griebel, second in the 1972 national 50m championship on the same range, was a trialist for rhe 1974 Commonwealth Games, but was dropped from the final (squad. i in recent years he has not ibeen prominently placed at ithe national championships. I but those failures were for•gotten as he fired 589 from |a possible 400 and beat the imulliple Olympic Games representative, lan Ballinger. Christchurch on a countback. The wind was strong towards the end of the competition and Ballinger and Grieble shot superbly to record 199 s for their last cards. The count-back was then applied to the second match where Griebel. with 196, was three points better than Ballinger. Ballinger, in spite of verylimited practice, shot in the! 'calm and competent manner expected from a master .marksman who has reprejsented his country in three ’Olympics and who has won isix national smallbore titles. 1 A count-back was also |needed to separate Lindsay (Arthur (Hutt Valley), lan McKenry (Australia) and Ray Mitchell (Christchurch), • all of whom finished on 588. i Arthur, only 20, was nominated with Ballinger for the Olympic Games team last

year, but missed final sedition. He also finisficL (•strongly with a final card . 499 to take third plate McKenrx (19(0 and Mitilu (195). McKenry. twice the Aus tralian smallbore champ:. ■ had his best placing in • championships, as did V chell, a Commonwealth a: Olympic Games trialist. w . won the New Zealand chan, pionship in 1973. John Fleming (Ashbunor, and Mrs Nan Barlow (Hu Valley), two of the three shooters who tied for the Canterbury title on Fridas, again shot the same scores of 587 to take the sixth anti seventh platings. Results were;— A grade.— L. Griebel (Blenheim), 589. 1; I. R. Ballinger (Christchurch), 589. 2: L. Arthur (Hutt Valley). 588. 3; 1. McKenrx (Australia) 588, 4: R I Mitchell (Christchurch), 588. 5: .1. A Fleming (Ashburton). .587. 6; Mrs N. Barlow (Hutt Val:ley), 587, 7: R. Travers (Wanganui), 586, 8: B. E. Lacey (Levin), M. P. Watt (Hutt .Valiev), S. MacFarlane (Hutt 'Valley), 585. 9. B grade.— Mrs J. Watson (Hutt Valley), 587, 1: P. Neilson (Hutt Valley). 586. 2; D. M. Banks (Ashburton). 578, 3; R. Nixev (Nelson), 579, 4. C grade.— I. W. Lake (Ternuka), 571. 1; Miss .1. Beattie (Hutt Valley). 562. 2 J. Uden (Tauranga), 561. 3. D grade.— G. Hudson (Christchurch). 564. 1; D. Stephenson (Christchurch. 556, 2; R. Fleming (Ashburton), 538, 3.