RIFLE SHOOTING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 76, 11 March 1933, Page 4

RIFLE SHOOTING

KINGS PRIZE MEETING FINAL RANGE TO-DAY. H.B. MARKSMEN TO COMPETE. Trentham, March 10. Ex-champions filled the first four places in the contest for the King’s prize as the result of to-day’s shooting at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association at Trentham. The 40 highest aggregate scores in the series of championship matches decided during th© past three days will fire in the final of the King’s prize match, of ten rounds at 900 yards to-morrow afternoon, tile belt going to the marksman with the highest grand aggregate in all matches.

H. Simmonds (Auckland) and H. V. Croxton (Karori) are at the head of the King’s 40, each with a score of 523 out of a possible of 555. W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) is in third place with 521, ami E. S. King (Wanganui) occupies fourth position with a score of 518. Simmonds won the belt in 1924, Croxton in 1920, Masefield in 1914 and 1929 and King in 1928. In spite of tricky conditions in ths afternoon the standard of marksmanship was high, and two matches were decided. The Otago match and Witcombe and Caldwell match, each consisting of ten rounds at 900 yards, produced some tine shooting. C. J. Nix (Featherston) won the Otago with a possible, and the next nine places in the prize list were filled by competitors who had dropped one point only. R. G. Hills (Greytown) was the winner in the B grade. In the Witcombe and Caldwell, R. C. Barkle (Petone) and L. G. Benton (Featherston) registered possibles. A shoot-off was necessary to decide the winner, as a result of wllich Benton collected the first prize of £7. E. M. Wrigley (Opaki) and F. N. Monk (Ngatinwa) tied for third place. For the highes,t scores in various combinations of individual matches a number of aggregate prize lists were awarded, and with the completion of to-day’s shooting compilation of most of these was possible.

The Australian aggregate, for the highest aggregate scores in the Canterbury match, Wellington match and Auckland match, was won by F. Bowes (Auckland), with 24.1 out of a possible of 250. Two points behind him was J. Sim (Okawa) in second place, ana J. E. Farley (Wanganui) was third with 238. In the Bisley aggregate, awarded for the highest aggregate scores in tho four long-range belt matches, T. W Warburton (Petone) and W. Kenning (Nelson) each finished with 239 of equal value. They will shoot off tomorrow morning to decide first and second places. The B grade aggregate for all belt matches was won by M. F. Wakefield (Auckland), with 315 out of a possible of 555.

Marksmen to obtain places in the King's Forty are as follow: H. Simmonds (Auckland), 523; H. V. Croxton (Karori), 523; W. N. Masefield (Blenheim), 521; E. S. King (Wanganui), 510; C. Whiteman (Upper Hutt), 517; F. H. James (Napier). 517; C. J. Nix (Featherston), 517; E. M. Wrigley (Opaki), 5.16; T. W. Warburton (Petone), 515; R. F. Wakefield (Mount Albert Grammar School), 515; D. F. Keir (Ashburton), 514; F. J. Jeune (Gisborne), 512; R. C. Barkle (Petone) 512; W. Oakley (Christchurch), 512; H. H. Harries (Christchurch), 511, H. King (Opaki), 511; F. H. Sharland (Nelson), 511; C. H. Gower (Wanganui), 511; R. H. Nicholl (Petone), 511; H. W. Feast (Greytown), 511; L. G. Benton (Featherston), 511; J. C. Feast (Greytown), 510; F. Bolton (Opaki), 510; H. Cromie (Ashburton), 510; B. B. Jones (Nelson), 510; W. H. Ballinger (Petone), 510; H. L. Mason (Christchurch), 510; I. J. Nicholls (North Bank), 510; H. Franklanu (Karori), 509; W. J. Green (Okawa), 509; A. H. McDonnell (Petone), 509; J. C. — (Petone), 508; F. Clark (Ashburton), 508; W. West (Blenheim), 1508; R. Nicholson (Napier), 508; P. C. Hamilton (Wanganui), 508; F. Bowes (Auckland), 508; C. M. Pickering (Opaki), 507; F. Ching (Karori), 507; A. V. Swanson (Karori), 507; W. Kenning (Nelson), 507.