ON THE MOUNDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 450, 8 March 1909, Page 6

ON THE MOUNDS.

1 • NOTES ON THE SHOOTING. . Service matches are not yet 'treated seriously ty marksmen, who, regard these events as comedy shooting supplying more "fun" than serious sport. .Of course, some of-those who participated in. these events at Trentham on Saturday took the shooting seriously enough,' tut, ■ generally speaking, the principle underlying this kind of snooting did-not'appear to be. properly appr&i ciated. The outstanding feature of the shooting was the number of "possible"- scores recorded, the honours being fairly evenly; divided between: the volunteers and the rifle-club men. There is no doubt ;that interest iri.thi3 kind of shooting is growing, which is', a' healthy, and pro-' gressive sign. The necessity for rapid firing in some of the matches on Saturday, was responsible for some laughable mistakes on the part of several martsmen, who, in .their, haste, fired at wrong targets. Lieutenant Skelley, of D Battery, had the misfortune to get his breech-block jammed in one of the matches, and fired only three shots.: Not-' withstanding this,, however,, ho found that ow-. ing to a, kindly optical'illusion on the' part. of, his comrade, he had been credited with eleven hits out of seven alleged shots.' In another case, one .target w;as riddled with" eighteen shots;There .were also other instances, proving that tho mistake, of two men firing at one target .was a common occurrence. . . , • . According to one marksman, these rapid-firing inntplies afford opportunities for . ingenious pointing";, he did not suggest that any rifleman could so far lose'his self-respect as to stoop to any subterfuge which would place him within the category of "pointers," but, he stated, collusion-was easily possible. Two competitors might, for example, be detailed to positions on the mound within easy, distance' of each other, and agree to fire five of their shots on the same target mth a View, to'scoring at least one possible," dividing the prize afterwards, on the principle that one "possible" by both was better than none by either. That may be so, but any,two "pointers" who decided upon such an unsportsmanlike artifice, inspired bya sordid desire for mere gain, could only hope to succeed' when their, score totalled the "possible," or less. Should they, in their ingenious endeavours, register more than the possible, the score would be disallowed altogether. ' 'he snap-shooting event all was plain Bailing. Tho men went down on the 200 yardß mound, and fired reven shots at a disappearing head-and-shoulders" target, "which was exposed for -three seconds at irregular intervals varying from five to thirty seconds. Each registered hit was awarded' five points. In this match no fewer than 125 marksmen secured the . Possible' —35 points—qnito exceptional shoots ing. The weather conditions,'-of course, were perfect. . 1 . ... ..... ... It had originally been intended to decide toes on tho Bisley system, and.to.have a-target with an eight-inch bull's-eye,, invisible to the iirer, placed _on • tho figure, bull's-eyes only counting in the settlement of ties. Owing to some oversight, this invisble target was not arfor, and it was therefore impossible to place the 125 scorers of "possibles," and the simplest way out of the difficulty 'was taken; instead of apportioning the prize-money ln'tho ratio of £5 for tho winner, for the runner-up, ,£3 each for the next two, £2 for tho foil owing four, and XI each to the remaining **'•"." was-decided- to divide the .£SO evenly among the 125 "possible" scorers, who thus received Ss. each. There was some grumbling, as might have, been expjeted, but, generally speaking, it was recognised that the mistake was a puro oversight, and the majority of the winners made up their minds to make the best of it. -The rapid-firing event embodied in its conditions a hovel and very sensible idea. The targets were square, the lower half bein» coloured: green, as a foreground;' a khakicoloured figure occupied the middle distance, while the background was colonred ■ brown, iheso w-ere exposed for 45 seconds, each competitor being allowed to fire as many, shots as he could get off, up to ten. The "possiblo" was 50, and the nearest to that was 46, by Rifleman J. L. Turner, of Petono; Captain Potter, of Anckland, rattled on'4s, and.Rifleman ChapmJ!], of Te Kapo, 44. There were three 43's, while the other prize-winners straggled from 40 down to 36. The m "c°Ter" match was an interesting contest. Tho competitors cronched behind cover at, 200 yards range, and on tlid word "ready" loaded their arms. On the whistle signal for • Fire" they rose, fired a shot, and retired, all in tho space of four seconds. Seven shots were fired, the prizes, £2 6s. each, being awarded to those only who scored "possibles," of.which there wore 2.s—an excellent result, whon it is considered that marksmen generally do not train regularly for such matches. Tho niost interesting event, from a spectacular point of viow, was the "advanco .in attack '' match, the competitors moving at an easy run from 500 to 400 yards, firing three shots; then to 300 yards, with three more shots; and finally to 200 yards, with a final three shots. Tho run from range to range and tho delivery of the three ronnds at tho figure target (stationary) had to be carried out within the space of 4o seconds, with an interval of 15 seconds 'between each engagement. - This match waS iron by Sergt. ,T. Peck, Waikato Mounted Rifles, with, nine .points, the rtinnerup being I'te. A. Eden, "VVaimea Riflos,' also wth nine " points,' but placed second on the "count-back."

"Then© nmf,cho9 are very good—they are an excellent idoa." said Lieut-Colonel Bauchop

during a short conversation with a Dominion; representative on Saturday. "But," said the reporter, "they are not quito what wo mean.by activo service conditions"Well," rejoined Iho colonel, "tho idea is thero. Tho priuciplo matter is" tp - "get them interested in this sort of thing, to understand what it weans." THE PRIZE LIST. The following is the list of prizo-winners in the various events:— SNAP-SHOOTING MATCH. 7 shots each; 200 yds.; prize-inonoy, .EGO. The following marksmen, numbering 125, secured "possibles," with seven hits each (35 points), and divided the wholo of tho prize money, the proportion being Bs. encli:— Surgeon-Captain. M'Knight, Captain Jcssop, F. C. Franilin, A. Butler, E. A. Holdgate, Captain Barltrop, I 1 W. Mackay, Privato Uazley, C._ Craw, W. Drummond, Lieutenant Duncan, AV*. H. Moslen, W. H. Boys, Captain Dodds, ■ G.' Anderson, Corporal- M'lvcr, R. llced, I'. -V. Stephens, W. Banks, J. Riddle, J. Beckinghain, S. i\ Nelson, I'. Standish, S. Sorenson, A. Nielson, Lieutenant .Bolton, l'\ W. Ougley', H. Bringau, G. Tinney, D. Roobs, 11. Rogers, J. A. Pearson, Sergeant \Vhiteloy, Lieutenant Shanks, Privato ProQit, W. Harbour, A. K, Wills, SI. I'. Chapman, J. Carter, D. W. Soper, L. Kitchon, A. Cameron, Quartermaster Shaw, M. Tobin, J. B. Bairstow, H. L. McElrea, J. A. Munroe, WV G. Lane, Privato Morrison, T. H. Hall, G. M'Kco, W. ■G. Tarr,. Sergeant Montgomery, Quartermaster Wells, Private Hill, Al. W. Neville, Private Davidson, B. M. M'lntosh,' W. :T. Clyde, A. E. M'Donald, W. S. Mills,'' A. Dippie, A. J.. Cameron, Rifleman Smith, ■' A. V. Wayte, R. J. King, W. Linchal, R. J. Kennard, W. Kenning, R. M. Harding, T. J. Noonan, A. Eden, T. Whiteman, E. C. O. White, W. Olsen, H. Marshall, T. Jones, E. O. Lewer, J. Porteous, E. S. Vennell, J. G. Wilson, Sergeant Lee, Corporal- Sharland, Private Deihl, Private Duncan, J._ Boleyn, Private Duley, Sergeant Brorley, ,C. Wilson, Private Pleasants, Private Garlick, N. Mawley, Private Potter, S. Hollard, Sergeant Moye,. Lieutenant Atkinson, Gunner Watson, Corporal Forbes, G .Dick, J. Cooper, J. Moore, W. Crimp, Sergeant Morgan, Sergeant Gilbert, S. Heighway, A. Lang, F. Preston, H. Barnes, Lieutonant Jlerrielees, D. M'Leay, W. Narbey, E.'Bennington, Sapper Tonkin, Corporal Moore, Lieutenant Skelley, T. Whiting, T. Benton, Corporal Melh'uisli, 6. Waddington, Lieutenant Johnson, W. Webb, Colour-Sergeant Dewar, Sergeant Renkin, Private Johnstone, Sergeant Ryder, A. France. COVER MATCH. 7 shots each; 200 yds., at stationary and head-and-shoulders target. Prize-money, iGO. The following marksmen each scored "possibles," with 7 hits (35 points), and were awarded'J22 Gs. each:— Priyat Lowe, Gisborne; Captain Barltrop, Feuding; Private Druminond, Westport; Rifleman Moselen,- Kaeo; Rifleman J. R. Franklin, Weber; Private G, Anderson, Kaitangata; Corporal R. A. Bent, Tarauaki; Sergeant P. A. Stephens, Ashburton; Corporal R. Jackson, Wellington; Rifleman F. Standish, Tarata; Private J. A. Pearson, Timaru; Private Prollitt, Napier; Rifleman Ciirrie, Riversdalo; Sergeant Wickens, Wellington; Rifleman Kitchen, Upper Hutt; Lieutenant Irvine, Nelson; Bugler Wayte, Mataura; Private Eden, Nelson; Corporal Cameron, Palmerston North; Gunner Watsou, Wellington; Rifleman Nix, Apiti; Lieutenant Merrielees, Johnsonville; Private Frederick, Marton; Sorgeant-Jlajor Simpson, "Waikoto; Rifleman Loveday, Ohura. . ' the kynoch cup'. Awarded to . the highest aggregate scorer in *. i fl nd "cover" . service % ■ following marksmen secured "possibles, .with fourteon hits, scoring 70 points each:—, • . r . Barltrop, Feilding; Pte. Drumniond, IJenniston.; Riileman Moselen, Kaeo; Pte. Anderson, Kaitangata; Sergt. Stephens, Ashburton; Rifleman Standish, Tarata; Pte. Pearson, limaru; Pte.. Proffitfc, Napier; Rifleman Kit- ®^ e n>_ypper'lTutt; Bugler Wayte, Mataura; Pte. Eden, Nelson; Gunner "Watson, Wellington; Lieut. Merrielees, Johnsonville. The above competitors, having tied in aggregate scores for the Cup, will be required to fire iseven shots at 500yas., "loop-hole cover" conditions, probably to-morrow (Tuesday). RAPID-FIRING MATCH. 500 yds., ten shots; maximum exposure 45 seconds.- Prize-money, «£GO, . ' ■ • ' . Pts. Rifleman Turner, Petone ... 46 ■--i Capt. Potter, Auckland ... ... 45 President Chapman, Te Kapo... 44 £2 Gs. Bd. Pts. Frederick, Marton ... 43 £2 6s. Bd. Rifleman M'Leay, Opaki ... 43 £2 6s. Bd. Rifleman Brenton, Pongaroa ... '43 13s. 4d. Sergt. Rait, Gisborne ... ... 41 i£M3s. 6d. Rifleman M'Calmont, Opaki ... 41 £1 I3s. d. Rifleman Soper, Tua Marina- ... 41 £1 prizes:— ; •Pte. Fisher, Wellington; Rifleman Winslade, Opaki; -Sergt. Lieut. Ongley, Oamaru; ! Sergt. Wilson, Caversham; Sergt. Hugo, Wellington; Pte. Mackay, Dunedin; Corp. Kells, Palmerston; Sergt. Lee, Oreti; each 40 points. Lieut. Nielson, Dannevirke; Pte. Brown, .-Dannevirke; Rifleman Mellor, 'Petone;' Pte. Eden, Waimea; Pte. Wing, Marton; Lcc.Corp. Purnell, Wanganui; Sergt, Tail, Pahiatua; Gunner Boon, Wellington; each 33' points. Corp, Dunmil, Timaru; Pte. Mugridge; Palmer- , ston-.North; Pte. G. B. Preston, Auckland; Q.M:S. Shaivj' Auckland; Rifleman Stephenson, Shannon; Pte. Griffiths, Wanganui; Pte. Wellington; Rifleman Duthie, Christchurch j 'each 38.

1 17s. Gd. prizes:— ; Rifleman Lyford,. Newton; Rifleman H'Lachlan, Petone; Rifleman R. J. King, Opaki; Lieut. Collins, Wellington; Rifleman Lewer, Karori; Pte. Feasey, Wellington; Lieut. M'Cormick, Hawke's Bay; each 37. • Bs. prizes:—Col.-Sergt. Butcher, Dunedin; Rifleman Dick, Riversdale; Pte. Olsen, Eketahuna; Rifleman Moselen, 'Kaeo; Pte. Harrison, Wanganui; Corp. Smaill, Kaitangata; Pte. Riddle, Taranaki; Sergt. Melville, Waikato; Gunner MTlonold, N.Z.G.A.Y.; Rifleman Kenning, Tadmor; Pte. Tong, Hawko's Bay; Pte. Murphy, Newton; Gunner Primer, Wellington; each 36 points. : AUCKLAND MATCH, Ten shots each at 2&0 and 600 yards. 100 .prizes, value .£llO. ■ Appended are the principal scores at the 200 yards range (Auckland Match),' which was fired on Friday evening. The 600 yards' stage will be fired on Tuesday morning on the Sommerville. range:— Q.-M.-S. Shaw, Ohinemuri ... 50 Rifleman Milroy, Nelson 50 Corp. Kells, Palmerston North ... ... 43 Rifleman Grant,. Taradale ... 49 OoL-Sergt.' Higgins, Timaru '49 Rifleman Dick, Riversdale .' 49 Pte. Sorensoh,- Auckland ' ... ... ... 49 Sergt. James, Napier 49 Sergt.' H'Elrea, Asliburton ' ... 49 Pte. Riddles, Taranaki ... ... 49 Gunner Greenfield, Dunedin ... ■ ... ... 49 Rifleman Salmon, Ohinemuri ... 48 Rifleman Wilson, Petone 48 Rifleman Kenning, Tadmor' 48 Pte. Guy, Nelson ... .... ... , 48 Pte. Buntin, Christchurch 48 Pte. Kitchen, Upper Hutt ... ... ... 48 Pte. Currie, Riversdale ... 48 Pte. G. Loveday, Ohura, 48 Lieut. Irvine, Nelson ... ' ... ... ... 48 Sergt. Wallis, Waikato 4S Sergt. Frank, Nelson , ... .;. 48 Sergt. Whitley, Kaiapoi ... 4S Col.-Sergt. Dewar, Oamaru 48 Rifleman W. , Tarr, Karori 48 Pte. Murphy, Newton 48 Pte. Brown, Dannevirke' 48 Pte. Maekay, Dunedin 48 Pte. Frederick, Marton ... 43 Gunner Milroy, Wellington ... 43 Capt. Potter, Auckland ... ... 48 Rifleman Glachen, Hautere ... ... ... 43 Sergt. Bradley, Dunedin ... 48 ATTACK MATCH. Three 6hots each at 200, 300, and 400' yards. Position—standing, sitting, kneeling, or prone; figure target, with an 8-inch bull's-eye to firer; scoring 5 marks for each hit on the figure; ties to bo decided by the greatest number of-bull's-eyes. ■ Eighty-six prizes, value ,E6O. £2 12 6 Sergt. J. Peak, Waikato ... 9 hits. £2 12 6 Pte. A. Eden, Nelson 9 hits. ,£1 10 0 . Corp. Pankhurst, Colac Bay S hits. ,£1 10 0 Rifleman Henry, Opaki ... 8 hits, ill 0 0 Rifleman Zimmerman, Tariki 7 hits, ill 0 0 Rifleman Cameron, Opaki ... 7 hits. .£lO 0 Col.-Sergt. Ching, Nols'on ... 7 hits. <£10 0 Gunner Milroy, Wellington ... 7 hits. • 15s. prizes, with, six hits each:— ; Rifleman Butler, Petone; Pte. Cox, Auckland; Pte. Fisher, Wellington; Corp. Duiitnill, Tirnarn; Sergt. Melville, 'Waikato; Pte. M'lvor, Auckland; Pte. W. Preston, Auckland; Rifleman Wilson, Canvastown; Pte. Rose, Manriceville; Corp. Buschl, Nelson; Sergt. Wills, Southland; Rifleman Kitchen, Upper Hutt; Pte. Morrison, Dunedin; 'Rifleman Halliday, Karori; Sergt. Wallis, Waikato; 1 Bugler Wayte, Mataura; Lieut. Collins, Wellington; Corp. White, Franklin; Corp. Cameron, Palmerston North; Gunner Day, Wellington; Rifleman Wing, Marton; Rifleman Feast, Opaki; Pte. Cannon, Gisborne; Sergt. Gilbert, Wellington; Rifleman Atkins, Pongaroa; Rifleman M'Leay, (Opaki; Pte. Frederick. Marton; Lieut. White, Christchurch; Sergt. Law, Dijnnovirko; Capt. Wilson, Mauriceville; Pte. Sonntag, Dunedin; Pte. Webb, Temuka;-Lieut. M'Jntosh. Waitohi; Sergt.-Capt. M'Knight, Maniatoto; Capt. Barltrop, Feilding; Pte. Mackay, Dunedin. 10s. prizes, with, five hits each:— Pte. Drummond, Denniston; Rifleman Franklin, Weber; Rifleman Standish, Tarata; Lieut.

R Bolton, Pnliintua: Rifloman Booth, Ivaponga; Scrgl. Sopor, Kapanga; Rifleman Keenc, J r , jr? r " a » -^ e ' JJroivn, Dannevirke; Rifleman Mivcc, To Aroha; Rifleman Tarr, Karori; Lieut. Krctschmar, Auckland; Sergt. Neville, Auckland; Pte. Davidson, "Wellington; Kiflcnian Dutliie, Cliristchurch; Sergt. Clydo, Waikare; Rifleman R. Vennell, To Wharait; Riflemnu M'Miirrav, Taradale; Rifleman JL'Lachian, Petone; Sergt. Lang, Wellington; Pte. Lenelian, .Otago; Pte. Guy, Nelson; Rifleman Marshall, Karori; Tto. Jones, Dunedin; Sergt. Wellington; Gnnner Jenkins, Dunedin; 1 te. Cooper, Linwood; Capt. Searlc, Railway Tioneers; Rifleman G. Vennell, To Wharau; Gunner Boon, Wellington; Corp. Alborough, Nelson; Rifleman Craw, Linton; Rifleman otaekhonso, Kimbolton; Lieut. Merrieleos, Johnsonvillo; Rifleman Kyle, Linton; Pte. Holland. Nelson; Capt. Wain, Studhotme: Sergt.-Major Evans, Cliristchurch; Corp. Kells, Palmerston North.