KING’S RIFLE PRIZE

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 7 March 1935, Page 10

KING’S RIFLE PRIZE

YOUNG AUCKLANDER WINS FIVE TIE FOR SECOND BRILLIANT 'SHOOTING \ —— (3y Telegraph—Press Association.) •WELLINGTON, March 6.

Youth triumphed over experience at Trentham to-day when the Ballinger Rifle Championship. Belt, gold medal and gold badge of the National Rifle Association and the Ring’s Prize of £3O were won by F. Bowes (Auckland City), who is 27 years of age. An extraordinary featxfre of the final was that five tied for second place. As a result of the subsequent shoot-offs this was filled by R. Congrove (Old Navals). Congreve is 21 years old and both he and Bowes competed at the national meeting this year for the third time. W. N, Masefield, who was runner-up for the belt last year, finished third. Conditions were tricky for the final matchJor the King’s Prize, a variable) south-east wind blowing across the range. The King’s Forty fired in two batches, the last 20 firing first and the first shooting last. Whea they went down at the mounds for the final ten rounds at 900 yards, A. R. Wills (Invercargill) had a three-point lead over Bowes. Wills is 68 years of age. This veteran marksman could not master the conditions.

Wills shot on target No. 15 and Bowes on target No. 16 and it was around their score boards that the majority of spectators gathered. Bowes was by a long way the first of the leading men to finish and with his 46 in the final match he had an aggregate of 466 out of a possible 500. His performance was a brilliant one, for there was a margin of eight points between his and the next highest scores. The • rapidity with which he got his shots away was an astonishing feature of his shooting. Wills could not do better than 37 to share an aggregate score of 458 with Congreve, Masefield, F. H. James (Napier) and L .G. Benton (Featherston). A shootoff was therefore necessary among these five. This also resulted in a further tie between Masefield, Congreve and James, who each made 22. Benton with 19 took fifth place and Wills had to be content with sixth position. Misfortune had again dogged Wills for in his shoot-off he put a shot on the wrong target. The second shoot-off was on the basis of the shot for shot. Congreve had a hullseye, Masefield a four and James a three which gave them second, third and fourth positions. In the King’s Prize match the Rifle Challenge Cup is awarded and a shootoff was also necessary to decide this. Congreve, Bowes and L. H. Proffitt (Napier) each had 46. Five shots were fired, Proffitt making the best score with 24 and winning the cup. The championship belt is returning to Auckland after an absence of 43 years. The last King’s Prizeman from that city was Sergeant Doughty who won the championship in 1892. Since Bowes first came to Trentham three years ago he has competed with marked success. He is the holder of the South Auckland championship and the Auckland miniature rifle championship.

Congreve has been member of the Old Navals Club for the past four years. He made his first appearance at the national meeting at Trentham four years ago, when he shot as a tyro. He missed two meetings but competed last year as a B grade shot and this year as an A grade competitor.

After his success Bowes was “chaired” and carried shoulder high by his club mates to the Y.AI.C.A. hall where prizes and trophies were presented by Lieutenant-Colonel E. Puttick.

The service championship, the final match of which was also fired during the morning, was won by It. H. Nicholl (Petone). With his final ten rounds application at 600 yards, Nicholl made 41, thus bringing his aggregate up to 200 out of a possible 265. F. A. Hiscock (Christchurch), who had one point lead in the service forty could not do better than 3o in the final match and finished second with 108V' Results are as follow: KING’3, PRIZE Ballinger; Belt, gold medal and gold badge of the National Rille Association and £3O—F. Bowes (Auckland City), 46 ... 464 N.R.A. silver star and badge and £ls. —R. Congreve (Old Navals), 46 453 N.R.A. silver star and badge and £lO.—W. N. Masefield (Blen- . heim), 43 458 N.R.A. silver star and badge and £B.—F. H. Janies (Napier), 42 458

The following take £5 each: L. G. Benton (Featherston), 42, 458; A. H. Wills (Invercargill), 37, 458. £3 each: J. C. Carter (Petone), 44, 456; L. H. Proffitt (Napier), 46, 454.

£2 each: C. J. Nix (Featherston), 43, 454; A. H. O’Donnell (Petone), 38, 454; H. Simmonds (Auckland City), 43, 4 54; F. J. Soler (Wanganui), 42, 403.

£1 each: C. Whiteman (Upper Hutt), 44, 452; R. Nicholson (Napier), 43, 452; F. H. Sharland (Nelson), 43, 451; Jv. Grigsby (MornVisville), 40, 451; H. W. Feast (Greytown), 43, 450; H. V. C’roxton (Karori), 42, 450; F. C. Hogg (New Plymouth), 44, 449; W. Johnson (Featherston), 44, 448; I). McKenzie (Opaki), 44, 448; IX Roots '(Patea), 39, 448; 11. Thompson (Woodville), 41, 447; A. R. Elgar (Okato), 40, 447; L. E. Rraithwaite (Okawa), 41, 446; R. H. Nicholl (Petone), 41, 445; W. N. Kumrner (Opaki), 40, 445.; W- H. Ballinger (Petone), 39, 445; J. C. Feast (Greytown), 38, 445; I. J. Spry (Auckland City), 40, 444; P. W. Congreve (Old Navals), 40, 443; B. B. Jones (Nelson), 39, 443; Ballinger (Petone), 39,

443; J. ,MeKelvie (Karori), 36, 410; F. N. McVidar (Waipukurau), 36, 440; H. King (Opaki), 34, 439; F. Booking (Cheltenham), 32, 439; R. C. Anderson (Invercargill), 30, 435; W. Norris (Whangarei), 29, 434; H. C. Percy (Alfredton), 26 30.

SERVICE CHAMPIONSHIP (Aggregate Scores all Service Matches) Ross Carbine Champion Belt, N.R.A. gold medal and £s— H. Nicholl (Petone) 200 N.R.A. silver medal and £3 A. Hiscock (Christchurch) ... 198 N.R.A. bronze medal and £2—W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) 19C * The following take £1 each: F. J. Soler (Wanganui), 1.92; H. R. Hunt (Suburbs), 191; C. J. Nix (Featlierston), 190; G. G. Kelly (Auckland City), 190; J. IV. Fardley (Wanganui), 18Q; S. -C. Parkinson (Auckland City), 188; C. H. Gower (Wanganui), 186.