SCHOOL-BOY MARKSMEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 288, 29 August 1908, Page 6

SCHOOL-BOY MARKSMEN.

THE " ROBERTS'S " IMPERIAL TROPHY. NEW ZEALAND TEAM- AT THE BUTTS. The New Zealand representative team of school-boy marksmen,' selected to capture, if possible, the. imperial trophy presented by Earl Roberts for' competition among the schools of the Empire, went up to the range at Polbill Gully yesterday morning and made a very creditable attempt to beat the Natal Schools' 1 team,'.'which "was reported to. bo. leading with 1 a score'Of'497. The conditions of the match havo already beon published in Tip; Dominion. With a light left wind, ■ and : a dull, variable light, thei boys managed' to compile, with seven shots .bach .at 200 and,soo yards, the respectable aggregate score , of, 431, Private B. O'Connor, of the Rangiora Boys' High School heading the list'with a creditablo 6Core of 59 out, of-a possible score of 70. The run-ner-up, Private,.]?.. C. Brent, of the Dunedin Boys' Hig;b School, also scored a total of 59, but his score at. the longer range was beaten, by one point, by O'Connor.

Tho ago limit was 16 years; and included in the Dominion's'; representatives was a 13-year-old marksman, who made an aggregate score of 52. •. • The result ,of tho firing left Now Zealand 66 points behind ; Natalj and 28 points", behind' England, whoso .score was 459. The following are tho details.of the scores: — 200 500 ' Tula. T!

' 4543355-29. Private' B. O'Gonrior, Rangiora Boys' High "' r School. -.

Major J., G.' Hughes, D.S.O. (inspecting officer of .rifle" clubs), officiated as rangeofficer, and; Lieut. Duigrian (inspecting officer of engineer services) as trench-officer, while Staff-Sergeant-Major Hose, of the District Staff, "was record-taker. Captain T. 11. Cresswell,' of the Rangiora High School Cadets,: and Captain Matheson, of the Wellington College Cadets, also lent assistance. During the firing, Colonel A. W. Ilobin, C.8., Chief of the" General Staff, and Colonel R. J. Collins, V.D., finance member of the Council of Defence, and tho popular patron of rifle-shooting in New -Zealand, and Lieut.Colonel A. Bauchop, C.M.G., Officer Commanding the District, were present, and at the conclusion-of-the shooting, Colonel Robin addressed, a few words ,of encouragement to the boy's. It: was, he said, the first occasion upon-which a representative team of schoolboy marksmen had assembled together to uphold' the j honour, of this country, and he congratulated them on their results. ■

; ; yas. yas. ti. Pte. B. O'Connor, Eangiora ... 30 29 59 Pte. B. 'C. Brent, Dunedin ... 31 28 59 Sergt. L.' J.' Ivory, Duuedin ... 28 27 5!) Sorgt. Wi' Cowens, Eangiora ... 2G 23 54 Pte. J. H. Williamson, Wellington "College -i.. : ... 27 26 '53 ■Pte. E. M'Intyre,< Auckland ... 27 2G ' 53 Pte. 'J: ,C.i Williamson,; Wellington College ... ■ 28 2G . 52 Pte.' \V; Bennett, St. Patrick's College ... ... ... ». 23 23 4G Aggregates —218 213 '.431 At GOO yards.