WIN FOR AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 249, 17 July 1937, Page 11

WIN FOR AUSTRALIA

Kolapore Cup at Bisley (Received July- 16, 5.30 p.m.) London, July 15. In the rifle shooting meeting at Bisley, Australia <von the Kolapore Cup with an aggregate of 1121. Other totals were: Guernsey 1114, Canada 1110, Mother Country 1108, India 1095, Jersey 1076. The Australian P. M. Gillies won the Northland competition with a total of S 3. Immediately the Australian win in the Kolapore Cup was announced Merrett, the Australian captain, was overwhelmed with congratulations from the other team captains and many prominent shooting officials, including the 70-year-okl Lord Cottesloe, president of the National Rifle Association, who is still competing at Bisley.

A number of Australians watched the team’s triumph, including Mr. A. Ford, of the Smallarms Factory at Lithgow, which made the rifles the Australians used. Merrett told the Australian Associated Press agency that he was delighted Australia had won, as in some respects the visit so far had been disappointing, the team not doing itself justice and suffering from insufficient practice, due to its late arrival. “I am most pleased that they have shown in such conditions that they are still able to live up to their Australian reputations, and hope this success will influence the Commonwealth to remember its promise that a team should visit Bisley every four years. “Surely if the isolated Falkland Islands can send a team regularly it shows the importance of Bisley to rifle shooting in the outposts of the Empire.

“I find the opinion at Bisley is that the Australian rifle is superior to the ‘sniper’s rifle’ used in war time and which is issued to many competitors at Bisley, and is also better than the British service rifle.” The Australian team in uniform and wearing slouch hats and emu plumes, in which it competed, was photographed in front of a giant score-board, surmounted by the Commonwealth crest and the Australian flag.