THE EMPIRE MATCH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 218, 8 June 1908, Page 6

THE EMPIRE MATCH.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN SCORE-IS IT - POSSIBLE? , ■ (by telegraph.—special correspondent). Christchurch, June (!. Major Cossgrove writes to tho "Times'" concerning the doubts that have been east upon the bona-lides of the fine score by'the East London Rifle Club (South Africa) of ,824 in the "Daily Mail" Empire match. He asserts, with over forty years' experience of rifle shooting, that a score of 824 is not by any means impossible. He writes:— ; " I have fired on the East' London range, and: have seen' some romarkable shooting done there-by the rifle club, as well as by members of volunteer corps. Tho rifle club in East London is composed of ex-volunteers and. sportsmen, all of whom are recognised shots, and when it is borne in mind that the atmosphere in South Africa at certain seasons is remarkably freo from refraction, and the range at East London is an ideal one, I see no reason to be surprised at tho score. j ' , "When I first 1 went to the range with Colonel Long, a team was firing at the 600 yards mound, and possibles were quite common. I thought tho men were firing at the 400 yards mound, and could scarcely credit that it was the 600 yards, the targets looked so near. I had obtained permission from the commandant (Colonel. Smythe) to take the New Zealanders, who were in the depot, to the range for practice, but after seeing .the scores put up that day I took the men eight milos into tho back country, where wo had'a good practice at a fiOO feet bluff in Horseshoe Valley.' I am confident that there are in Christchurch a dozen men who, under like conditions, could emulate the East Loudon eight."