RICOCHETS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 762, 10 March 1910, Page 5

RICOCHETS.

Lady visitors were at the range in spmo numbers yesterday: It was evidently" the keen, interest, and, knowledge they, displayed that, they were ''relatives-.of competitors. -The. wives, of many competitors troin afar . make . the Trenthain ..' meeting their annual 'holiday. . ■ : Among.visitors to the.range yesterday were Colonel Kobin, CJ3., Chief-of the General Staff; Colonel A. Banchop, C.M.G., commanding Wellington district; Lieut-Colonel Hawkins, commanding Canterbury district; Lieut.-Colonel Joyce, 0.C., commanding Nelson district; Lieut.Cqlonel Woolf, - commanding Auckland military district;. Captain Trask, staff officer to the Chief of ■Staff; Hon. Cap-' tain O'Snllivan, and other officers. ■' ■", Lady Ward has consented to present the Jrizes on the range to-morrow. Sir oseph Ward, owing to pressure of duty, will not be , able to' attend. The Hon. J. A. Millar and Mrs. Millar, and Hon. Dr. Findlay and Mrs.' Findlay will also be present. ■ .'■ • ,■■''■-■. '•

The man on,the'mound neverseems to quite understand;how fatiguing,.and- diffioult marking is. In several, "shoots" yesterday markers , ' .were, anathemised for slowness. , ■ Sometimes a target may jamb, a'. paste-brush 'iriay fall into .the trench,disc : 'may l>e splintered—one of a -dozen things might happen. Oneiexperienced range officer said he-, thought that every shot should graduate.in'the' marking trench,. and he would then' understand the difficulties of-the position.. ■.- ■

One, of tho visitors'.to'the'range yes•■torday was Mr.-Shand,- who is president of,the Chatham'lslands'Eifle Club. He is on a,holiday,trip in New Zealand, and was greatly interested in. the extent , and perfection of the arrangements' for the groat meeting. .■■■:-, •: , -..-'.'

It appears that marking on "surprise" targets ■ is not altogether ■ a -delightful occupation.- A trench-.officer yesterday was ■struck on the hand with; a .ricochet, but was -merely scratched: ':■ The targets are. not .wholly a "surprise," for they, can be seen on the side;of. the hill even.whenthey are not raised for : practice. V'When the telephone operator at the mound gives the word "go" the .targets are.^ raised one. by one. One target jammed a little, giving ;the filing .squad a. chance to pour a great ■deal of lead-into the "men" and' their surroundings. The markers have to lease their, trenches under cover of the red flag to ascertain the value of the shooting, and are fairly nimble in getting/out of the way., Marking on this class of target is not the pick of the duties to.be done on the'rangel;" '■ ".-:.- Naturally, the "wit" is to be found on-, a rifle range, as elsewhere: In some cases he, may circulate the story of a' phenomenal score, which, if accepted, by public recorders, may lead to mistakes. At tho 200 yards range in the Auckland Match yesterday one man was assiduous in an endeavour to mislead. As he will not be in the, "fifty,". he is probably taking : oit Mβ amusement by this device. Besides the usual "fifty^ , to be included these will be & further list of 50, and all who axe in it will get £1. each. During yesterday' marksmen challenged - the marking 157 • tunes,, , , and paid oat in half-crowns-a- total of JW 12e. 6d.'■■''.. The programme .for '■ to-day will include -the competition of the service, matches, and the united service inaieh (Volunteers v. Eifle Clubs) will be shot Besides these events there . will be the match for the Logaa Campbell Shield,. the Gordon Highlander trophy, and the initial, stages of the. "Empire" match. The follo-wuig have been selected to represent New South Wales in the Gordon trophy match:—o. E. Boyd, W: H. Porritt, W. H. Cutler, ,T. Bitton/ F. Harrison, J. A. Kefford, J. J. Mathison, and M. -H. Tessimond. The New Zealand team will be selected to-day. . An attack match, as near to service conditions as'it is possible to get it, is run in Australian service matches. "Itis the best match of the kind I have seen," said Lieut. Dakini when discussing service matches yesterday. "The'men fall in at 2000 yards, and are marched up to 1500 yards or 1200 yards,-when a target, representing a field gun, appears, and the men open fire on this. After the shot, they advance another couple of hundred yards, still firing , on the'field gun, and then other targets : representing mounted infantry-appear in another direction, and fire is opened on them from several different points.. Several advances are. made on the same targets to within about 600 yards, when the direction is changed and a fresh set of targets, representing heads and shoulders, appear. These are the objectivee at distances from 600 yards up to 200 yards. Points are added by the referee for, the way .in which .cover is taken by the. men in the team. .' This match is carried out on,rough country, fYo m the general range*"

The conditions obtaining on tie Collins range yesterday afternoon were good notwithstanding the strong breeze. The shots went true in the majority of cases, but on the Sommerville and Seddon ranges it required a'lot of manipulation to. keep on or'near the. "bull," as the winds, drifts, and fish-tails were from all quarters. . ' '■ • Humphries, the diminutive half-back, whose skill behind the Taranaki and N;Z. representative packs is still a fond memory in the , minds of Rugby-enthusiasts, has forsaken the strenuous Kugbv. pastime for some , time past, and taken to rifle-shooting.' Humphries is a" competitor at the Trentham meeting, : and . has punctured tic "bull" , with great regularity. His total for the Auckland match was 94, made up of 46 at 600 yards and 48 at the 200 yarSs range yesterday. , ' ■ The Australian thirteen -won.' a total of- .£l3 6s. in the .service '.matches, the' most consistent performer being Arm'.Sergt W/H. Cutler, who -scored-in the snap-shooting, rapid■ firing,, attack,' and loophole matches. The details.are:—Snapshoot: Kifford, £4; W. H. Cutler. £1 16s.'; Boyd, .£l. Rapid firing: W. H. .'.Cutler, £\ 10?,; Bilton, £\. Attack: Kifiord, £\; W. H. Cutler. £1 10s. j. Porritt, ■ £1; Fisher, £1; Ettingshausen, "Mi. Boyd, £1. Cover match: Boyd, £1; loophole firing: W. H. Cutler, £1; Porritt, '£1; Mathison, £1.