ARMY RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Evening Star, Issue 19196, 12 March 1926, Page 6

ARMY RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIPS

FURTHER EVERTS [Pee United Press Association.] TRENTHAM, March 11. The Territorial battle practice (on the same lines as that for the Cadets in the morning) was completed in the afternoon, and created a good deal of interest. The results were* £9—Northern Command, 453. £4 10s—Southern Command, 362. Central Command, 360. VICKERS GUN MATCH. Eire with movements, three bursts of ono bolt each time, while traversing ground from 600yds to 300yds ranges. £ls and Vickers Challenge Trophy—--Bth Mounted Rifles, Marlborough, 91. £lO and trophy—Mounted Rifles, Canterbury, 74. £7 10s—1st Battalion, Hawke’s Bay Regiment, Napier, 64. £5 6s—lst Battalion, Auckland Regiment, 62. £2 10s —Ist Wellington-West Coast Regiment, 60. Sixteen teams competed. SERVICE MATCH. TEAMS’ RIFLE MATCH. EIGHT MEN ASIDE. £l6 and challenge shield—N.Z. Permanent Force, 669. £B—N.Z. Naval Division, 588. £6—Northern Command Territorials, 549. Six teams competed. COMMAND CADET TEAMS’ MATCH (Eight Cadets and Leader). £9 and C.A.C. Shield—Northern Command No. 1, 542. £4 10s—Northern No. 2, 614. £2 ss—Southern No. 1, 467. Also competed: Southern No. 2 465, Central No. 1 459, Central No. .3 454. The Staft'ord Challenge Shield for the best aggregate in three machine gun matches was won by Ist Battalion, Auckland Regiment, with 758 points. WIN FOR " OTAGO NUGGARS " March 12. The work done by the Vickers machine gunners last night was highly eulogised by staff observers as a fine performance for men to most of whom practice was quite new. The idea was that the guns were maintaining a barrage to cover the advance of a raiding party, and the job presented novel and interesting features, which kept a considerable number of men watching the fifteen teams engaged till tho end of the shooting, after 10 o’clock, despite tho fact that the air grew keen. Some teams did not get a hit on the target, which is a very small affair —a Cft by 6ft screen in the dark, 600yds away. ' But, as Major Wallingford pointed out, they need not be discouraged, Their shots would be very near the target, and make things unpleasant for tho enemy if a party was there. The match was won by the sth Mounted Rifles, Otago Hussars (Leader, Trooper Logan), who take £lO. The Ist Canterbury Regiment (Leader, Sergeant Forbes) are run-ners-up, ancl tho Ist Auckland Regiment (Leader, Sergeant Marriage) are third.

In connection with yesterday’s demonstration of the effect of concerted rifle and machine gun fire it should be noted that the party of sixteen riflemen were just drawn haphazard at the squadding posts, and were not in any sense a picked body. They might, however, have been selected and specially trained to judge by the cool and collected manner in which they went about the job, and the effect of their fire on the “enemy.” It was a fine tribute to the quality of instruction given the Territorial forces. The King’s Medal Match is being fired this morning by the hundred highest aggregate men in the championship match, using the same ranges and practices. LEADING FOR KING’S ML The hundred highest aggregate men have fired four practices for the King’s Medal, with the result that StalT-scr-gcant J. S. Thomson (Palmerston North) and Sergeant- A. J. Howard (IT.M.S. Diomede) tied, with 157 points. As Thomson had the best score at the Inst practice (fire with movement from 600yds to 300yds) In’s score is best. In any case the naval man is ineligible to take the modal, but deserves special recognition for a line performance.