WITH THE RIFLE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XI, Issue 200, 17 August 1921, Page 2

WITH THE RIFLE.

CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING AT TBENTHAM, AUSTRALIAN TEAM TO COMPETE. In responding to the toast of the , Dominion Rifle Association at the Wellington Suburbs Defence Rifle Club’s annual dinner and presentation of prizes last week, Colonel R. J. Collins, C.M.G., • chairman of the Executive Council of the association, said that the coming rifle champion meeting at Trcntham iu March next should, in view of the promised visit of the Australian rifle team, be specially interesting. The Australians were to have come to the last meeting, but owing to the uncertainty of steamboat connection the visit had to be abandoned. The position this year appeared to be more favourable; they might look forward to the visit of a strong contingent of rifle shots from Australia; therefore it was essential that tho association should provide a programme worthy of their visit. A first-class programme had been prepar- ’ ed, and a large entry was anticipated. Tho executive had decided to increase the total prize money to £2175, while the individual prizes in tho championship series had been added to. In this series there were now eight matches of 0 £122 each, divided into 90 prizes, made g up as follows: £lO, £B, £7, £6, £5; others u ranging down to £l. The highest prize “ heretofore had been £5. 0 BEST OF FIFTY. o The King’s Prize Match, 1000 yards, ® in which the highest fifty in tho championship scries compete, was fixed at £2OO, the first prize being £5O, which accompanies the Champion Belt and q gold medal. The other prizes were £25, •| £2O, £l5, eight of £5, and thirty-eight of smaller sums. s In connection with this series there & wore two aggregate prize lists of £lOO - each, one for short range shooting, and t the other for long range. The first prize ' in each event, was £10; then followed . £B, £6, £5, £4, and forty-eight others, 3 down to £l. Additional money prizes had been sot aside for competitors who had never won a prize of over £1 at any “ previous meeting, while returned sol- ” diers and Senior Cadets had boon catcrI cd for. j As a compliment to the visitors, two f additional matches had boon included in . the programme of £l5O each—seventy 3 prizes in each match—the first prize in - each case being £2O, followed by one " each of £l5, £lO, £B, £5, and others of lesser amount. The total amount ‘ allotted to the championship series was ' £1676, with many valuable cups and medals. SERVICE MATCHES. Tho service matches had been retained, and brought into lino with the • principle governing military rifle comi petitions, so as to conform with’strict military requirements. Tho amount ali located for this purpose was £356. REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. ) Provision had been made for a special * match —Australia v. Now Zealand, eight - men a side —and the North Island v. South Island Match had been restored to the programme. 1 The Gordon Highlanders’ trophy was ;to be shot for at this meeting. This was a challenge trophy, presented to the ’ military forces of Australia and New Zealand by the Gordon Highlanders, m j commemoration of their services together in the Boor War, 1899-1902 to 5 be shot for annually by teams of eight , men representative of each State and I of New Zealand, It was New Zca--1 land’s turn next year to have the match . fired for al; its annual meeting, and this ’ match should induce the Australian t State associations to send representative ’ teams to compete for the trophy, which, ; at present, is held by West Australia. Now Zealand had won the trophy twice. It was decided at the last Common- ( wealth Council of Rifle Associations of . Australia that the representation of States in the Australian team (in addition to the captain) should be: New * South AValcs 3, Victoria 3, Queensland i 2, South Australia 2, West Australia 1, ■ Tasmania 1. Other competitors were i encouraged to attend the meeting at their own expense. a Colonel Collins said ho was satisJfed ’ that it was tho best programme yet 1 issued by the D.R.A., which, since its inception, had been a power of immense ; value in encouraging a love for rifle t shooting and teaching the use of the , rifle, ns had always bum tho aim of the association.