CHAMPION SHOT

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 134, 2 March 1922, Page 7

CHAMPION SHOT

D. ROOTS WINS BALLINGER BELT

THE KING’S PRIZE LIST

BY TELEGRAPH-PE.KSS ASSOCIATION. Greytown, March 1.

Not for years has the King’s Prize Match been fired under such favourable conditions as prevailed to-day at Grevtown. With tried shots like those leading the fifty, it was not to be expected that there would be any breakdowns, as sometimes happens at Trontham, and Roots’s lead of four points made his chance of lifting the Belt a second time practically, a certainty. West, who is perhaps the finest marksman in Now Zealand today, especially when fighting against odds, gave a taste of his quality. Indeed, he might even have snatched victory but for the good generalship of the Hawera man, whose win was warmly acclaimed. Had West won, however, it is certain that such a culmination to the great efforts he made in 1919 and 1920, when he was runner-up on each occasion, would have evoked widespread congratulations from sportsmen everywhereThe match was fired in two sections. The first comprised the last twenty on the list. F. J- King and Low were best with 47 each. Then tho balance of thirty went on to the moqnds, and the spectators, of whom there were quite a number, crowded round Roote, West, and other leaders. Roots and West were on adjoining targets, and when they got up the boards read: — Roots, 5355455555—47, aggregate 539 West, 5545555555 —49, aggregate 537 Both men found the “bull” with the first shot. When each had two shots to go Roots was about to fire when the breeze, which had been lazily flapping the flags, dropped suddenly and caught various men napping, with the result that 3’s and 2’s appeared along the line. Roots spotted the lull and made the necessary allowance, so that he kept in the “bull.” / Had he been caught like tho others, there was just the chance that West could have tied him. Pimm, who was in second place last nipht, got into difficulties and had a miss recorded against him, thus: 5534545045—40, so that he went down to fourth place. Halmshaw got- on 48, only dropping his first and seventh shots into the inner ring. Guy, with nine points leeway to make up, made a fine start with five bullseyes. Then the variation in breeze apparently’ found him unmindful, and an outer was signalled, followed by a ragged string, 3533, making him 41 for the range and sending him down a place. H. C. Lovedav, starting with an inner, put all the rest into the. black and got up ahead of Guy. > At the conclusion of the match the King’s prizeman was chaired in timehonoured fashion, and afterwards the prizes were presented to the winners by Sir Walter Buchanan. Colonel Collins briefly addressed the gathering, giving a review of the position as affecting rifle clubs and shooting to-day, and urging the need for continued support of tho Dominion Rifle Association on the old lines. He complimented the AVairarapa Association on the excellence of the arrangements, which had enabled the meeting to be conducted in an orderly and expeditious manner. KING’S PRIZE LIST. Ten shots-at 900 yards, added to aggregate. si -E ® Ballinger Belt, Bidwill Shield, gold medal, and £40 —D. Roots (Kaponga) 47 539 £2O—W. H. West (Blenheim) 49 537 £15 —A. Halmshaw (Christchurch) 48 534 £10 —-L. Pimm (Christchurch 40 628 £5 —H. C. Loveday (Hawera) 49 526 £4 —A. H. Guy (Kaponga)... 41 524 £4 —R. Piper (Christchurch) 44 523 £4 —T. G. Bryan (Auckland) 44 521 Th© following take £3:—D. J. Guiney (Petone), 42 —520; G. A. Eyles (Dannevirke), 44 —520; AV. K. Williams (Ohura), 46—520. The following take £2: —H. R. Hunt (Wellington Suburbs), 45—519; H. Neilsen (Napier), 43—519; P. Morgan (Christchurch), 45 —518; A. J. Henderson (Sounds), 44*—518; R. C. Barklo (Petone), 43—518; H. V. Croxton (Karori), 43 —517; AV. Duncan (Westport), 47 —515 ; AV. N. Masefield (Marlborough), 45 —515; F. H. Janies (Okawa), 45 —515; J. Bryden (Kaiapoi), 44 —515; H. Simmonds (Wanganui), 46 —513. The following take £l:—J. C. Feast (Greytown), 37—512; F. J. King (Okawa), 47 —511; H. Reynolds (Christchurch), 44 —51'1; J. AV. Milroy (Nelson), 43—511; J. F. Atkinson (Aka.rana), 39 —511; J. G. Ritchie (Hawera), 45—511; G. Hood (Opaki), 45—509; J. L. Turner (Wellington Suburbs), 49—508 ;P. Goldfinch (Wellington), 42—508; S. Mayhew (Linton), 39—508; J. C. Low (Karori). 47 —507: F. J. Causley (Thames), 46 — 507; R. Caughley (Karori), 39—507; A. S. Barnett (Wakapuaka), 43 —505; R. McLeay (Te Kuiti). 38 —505; E. R. Moss (Greymouth), 41—505;; C. M. Broughton (Rangitikei), 44—504: H. (Greytown), 36 —504; F. Clark (Ashburton), 43 —503; AV. J. Green (Okawa), 37 —503; H. C. Evans (To Kuiti), 36—503; A. J. Green (Westport), 43—502; D. W. 'Mehrtens (Rangiora), 36—502; A. J. Dodd (Wellington Suburbs), 34—498: H. Dockery (Christchurch), 29 —493: F. E. Patchett (Blenheim), 29 —488; J. A. Munro (Wyndhhm), 28—487. A. Govcnlook (Linton), who had an aggregate of 460 yesterday, was absent.