TO-DAY'S SHOOTING.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 59, 11 March 1909, Page 8

TO-DAY'S SHOOTING.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTEST. FINISHING THE CANTERBURY MATCH. (From The Post's Special Reporters.) (By Pigeon Express.) TRENTHAM, This Day. Another c~lm morning has been experienced at Trentham, and there is every indication of the last range of the last open match being completed in perfect weather. At 9.30 a.m., however, the sun had failed to break through the mingled smoke and clouds, and doubts were expressed as to the prospect of fine weather continuing until the King's Prizemen go down to fire in the final stage', of the championship — to-morrow afternoon. A big programme is on for to-day. Ten shots per man are being fired -at 1000 yards (the Canterbury Match), and when these are got off (probably by 1.30 p.m.) there will be the Champion Teams Match and the Last Try Match to be fired. The running man competition is being completed this morning, and the staff officers are firing a match amongst themselves, and shielding some of the scores from the light of publication. When the running man competition ends (at 1 p.m.) it will be possible to make up the Service Aggregate Championship, in which the leading aggregate up to last night totalled 198 points, made by Rifleman M'Lcay, of Opaki. ♦ The firing at 1000 yards is being keenly followed this morning, and so far as Wellington is concerned there is additional interest from the fact that eight Wellington men were in the first fifty when firing began this morning: One of them (Rifleman Mellor, Petone) made the good score of 45 out of 50, which raised his aggregate to 437, and should place him near the first twenty. Another local man, Rifleman Halliday, Karori, after missing the target with his second shot, got on bulls and, centres, and finished with 435. Rifleman Tarr, Karori, with 36 on, finished with 441. The other Wellington leaders had not fired at time of writing. Captain King (Lin wood), who leads in the aggregate, will fire in o:ie of the latsir squads. Rifiemrn Gny, of Kaponga, scored 42, which s^onld hold him in fifth position or raise him one. Q.M.S. Shaw (Auckland), who went down to fire holding fourth place, got on 38, and is likely to drop down a few positions. An Auckland man who considerably improved his position was Private Murphy, of ! the Newton Rifles, and formerly of Timaru. Yesterday he made 47 at 900 yards, and he followed this to-day witu* 48', which should give him a surety of first prize in the Canterbury Match, besides raising him to about tenth or twelfth place. His targets are given below :—: — At 900 yards. At 1000 yards. 4.5455454555—47. 2.5555545545—48. Corporal Needham, of Palmerston North, made 45 at 1000 yards, which gave him a total of 94 for the match, and an aggregate of 440. An Auckland man who is still fancied for the championship by his follow townsmen is Corporal Patrick, who was third last night in the aggregate, four points behind the leading man. He got on 44 this morning, so he should maintain himself in that position, even if the men ahead of him stall off his latest endeavour, which gives him 451. Since the foregoing line was written Lieut. Duncan has fired. His score was 43, and thus he stands bracketed with Patrick for second place. Gunner Ching (Lyttelton), 38, moves up to 439 points; Sergeant Frank (Nelson), 38, to 436 ; Sergeant Needham (Palmerston North), 45, to 440 ; Colour-Sergeant Higgins (Timaru), 40, to 433 ; Rifleman J. R. Franklin (Weber), 41, to 433. Private Morrison, of Dunedin, who was in seventeenth place, "cracked up" to some extent, his score being but 28. Captain King fired at about 10 o'clock, when the wind had risen a little. He started with a three for his first business shot. Then followed a four and two bull's-eyes, but the fifth bullet missed the target. He got on to it, with an inner, at his next shot, and with four concluding bull's eyes he raised his range score to 41, his total for the match to 88, agd his aggregate to 452, which is one point better than those of Patrick and Duncan respec { tively. CHAMPIONSHIP AGGREGATE. Points. Captain King, Linwood ... 45iJ Lieut. Duncan, Millerton ... 451 Pyt. Patrick, Auckland ... 451 Rifleman Guy, Kaponga ... 448 i Coipl. MX'onne-11, Christchurch 444 Q.M.S. Shaw, Auckland ... 444 j Pvt. Murphy, Auckland ... 442 Col. -Serg£. Ching, Nelson ... 442 Rifleman Tarr, Karori 441 Rifleman Soper, Tuamarina ... 441 Sgt. Needham, Palm. North ... 440 Rifleman Loveday, jDhura ... 439 Gunner Ching, Lyttelton ... 439 Lieut. Atkinson, Auckland ... 438 Rifleman Mcllar, Petono ... 437 Pvt. Mackay, Dunedin ... 437 Captain Dodds, >Pt. Chalmers 4.37 Pvt. Mayhew, Feilding ... 436 Sergt. Frank, Nelson 436 Lance-Corpl. Butcher, Duneain 436 Pvt. M'Murray, Taradale ... 435 Rifleman Halliday, Karori ... 435 Lieut. Hawthorn, Wellington 434 Rifleman Cox, Auckland ... 404 Lieut. Skelley. Wellington ... 434 Private Wing, Mar ton ... 433 Sergeant Waliis, Waikato ... 433 Rifleman Franklin, Weber ... 433 Rifleman D. Roots, Kaponga... 433 Trooper Marenzi, Eketahiuja... 433 Sergeant Clyde, Waikare ... 433 Colour-Sergt. Higgins, Timaru 433 Lieutenant Kollard, Hutt ... 433 Rifleman Henry, Opaki ... 432 Rifleman Milroy, Nelson ... 432 Kells, Palmerston North ... 432 James, Napier 431 Nielson, Danne-virke .., ... 431 Bairstow, Opaki 431 Frederick, iMarton ... ... 431 Soler, Wanganui - 431 F. C. Franklin, Weber ... 431 Winslade, Opaki 430 Yates, Napier 430 Searle, Dunedin 430 Buckingham, Timaru 429 Mills, Dunedin 428 Drummond, Denniston 428 Spencer, Shannon 428 Farley, Auckland 428 Carlson, Auckland 427 Pearson, Timaru 427 Bulford, Karori 427 Morrison, Dwiedin 427 Johnston, Dunedin 427 Reynolds, Christchurch ... 427

Nurse Mander, of Chriefcchurch, has • been appointed district nurse by the /Palmerston District. Nurse Committee. Her duties will commence early in May. On the eve of his approaching mar- j riage, Mr. H. L. Nathan was last night presented with a token of esteem by the staff of Messrs. W. M. Bannatyne and ' Company. Mr. Nathan, left for Christchurch last night. j