SHOOTING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 28 March 1938, Page 11

SHOOTING

MILROY SHIELD j WON BY MARLBOROUGH NELSON BEATEN AT ALL RANGES The annual inter-provincial competition between Nelson (holders) and Marlborough (challengers) for the Milroy Shield, was fired on the Seabourne Range, Wakapuaka on Saturday and resulted in a meritorious victory for the visitors. Competitions for the Milroy Shield are held alternately in Nelson ana Blenheim irrespective of which province holds the trophy. This arrangement is a particularly good one as interest has been kept alive and the very best of sportsmanship has always characterised the meeting between these two sister associations. As Nelson has held the trophy for the past five or six years it is particularly fitting that Marlborough should beat Nelson on its own ground and prove conclusively its superiority. The conditions for the match were 7 shots, plus 2 optional sighters, at each of 300. sfo and 600 yards' ranges. The teams consisted of 10 men aside. The weather was brilliantly fine and when the match commenced at 10.20 n.m. a light S.W. breeze blew across the range from 8 o'clock direction. During the afternoon the wind changed to the sea, coming across the range from 2 o'clock direction. Nelson opened at 300 yards very auspiciously. the first two men scoring j possibles to their opponents’ 32 and 33. However, this was too good to last for j Marlborough finished this range one point ahead: 317 to 316. At 500 yards, where Nelson usually score well they could not respond and were eventually outclassed by the visii tors, six of whom dropped only 8 points in the aggregate. Nelson dropped back a further 7 points here and were thus called upon to make up 8 points at 600 yards to be on even terms. At 600 yards the match became quite exciting. After the seventh man of each side had completed his shoot, Nelson had made up 6 of the 8 points and were only 2 points behind Marlborough. It was now a fight between Adams. Manssen and Sharland of Nelson, and C. Hadfield. Eden and Anderson of Marlborough for those two points. Adam's 32 to Hadfield’s 33 put Marlborough 3 points up. Manssen’s 31 tc Eden's 34 put them in an almost unassailable position which D. Anderson ounded off with a 34 to Sharland’s 31. •>rlborough thus winning by 10 points, DISTRICT RECORD TO W. A. KENNING The highest scorer for the day was W. A. Kenning, who wins the A. Barker Challenge Cup for the highesl scorer in the shield match. Kenning's score (104 out of 105) is a record for the competition and the range. The late J. W. Milroy made 104 in the Irvine Shield match over 200. 500 and 60C yards, some 25 years ago. The bullseye at 500 and 600 yards was then 20in as against 18in now. Hearty congratulations were extended to Rifleman Kenning on his great shoot. Kenning’s card was: 300: 5 5 5 5 5 5 5—35. I 500: 5 5 5 5 5 5 5—35 ! 600: 554 55 5 5—34 104 D. Anderson, who won the New Zealand championship in 1925. was top scorer for the visitors, with a fine 102. Details of scores:—

The Nelson Defence Rifle Club will complete the club championship next ] Saturday with a shoot over 800 and 900 l yards.

MARLBOROUGH Rifleman. 300 500 600 Tl. D. Anderson 34 34 34 102 M. Taylor 32 33 34 99 C. Eden 32 32 34 98 C. Hadfield 30 33 33 96 L. Pask 33 32 31 96 A. Hadfield 30 34 31 95 W. Adams 31 34 30 95 W. F. Cheesman 33 34 28 95 Mrs J. T. Lovell 32 31 29 92 A. F Paynter .... 30 32 28 90 317 NELSON 329 312 958 W. A. Kenning .. 35 35 34 104 R Catley 35 32 32 99 P. Coote 32 33 33 A. Adams 32 32 32 96 A S. Barnett .... 32 32 31 95 H. G. Dpv 31 32 30 93 N. Manssen 30 31 31 92 F. H. Sharland .. 29 33 30 92 K. Inwood 31 31 29 91 W. A. Mitchener 29 31 28 88 316 322 310 948