RIFLE SHOOTING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23196, 16 November 1938, Page 24

RIFLE SHOOTING

MILITARY MEETING A POPULAR FIXTURE CADET ENTRIES INCREASE A further substantial increase in entries in the cadet matches speaks well for the popularity of the Auckland military rifle meeting, the first half of which was staged at Penrose Inst Saturday. Favoured with excellent weather the staff had no difficulty in handling the heavy programme, and general satisfaction was expressed on the organisation. Special mention should be mado of the range officers, whose work, sometimes under rather trying circumstances, left little to be desired. As regards the programme itself there are a few items which could bo improved, according to the opinion of the competitors, but, taken all round, tho meeting can well be considered the best for a long time. Probably tho most pleasing feati.ro of tho day was the fact that tho top honours in the matches and aggregates were well distributed among the units which took part. In past years ,it has been common for one school or another practically to monopolise the shooting, but on this occasion no school can claim any superiority. The first match was won by A. Berriman, of the Otahuhu High School, by one point, the second by A. F. Tucker, Mount Albert Grammar School, the third by W. F. Boaden, Auckland Grammar junior champion, who incidentally comes from a family of marksmen, while the fourth resulted in a tie between D. K. Abbott, King's College, and F. A. Woodroffe, Mount Albert. Five schools were represented in the six competitors who tied for top in the final match, each scoring the possible number of points. A re-frame .of the conditions of this match is obviously necessary. In the aggregate of the matches with .22 rifles W. F. Boaden secured a win by a wide margin, as did D. K. Abbott in the .303 rifle aggregate. However, neither of these boys showed sufficient consistency to win the cadet championship, which resulted in a tie between 11. Davison, A. F. Tucker and J. E. Rhodes, who all shot excellently with both rifles. The cadet plates match went to the Auckland Grammar School, this being its first win for some years. The A team was defeated and the final was shot off by the B team and Mount Albert Grammar A. The last plates opposite each team fell together and in another shoot-off there was barely a second between the times the last plates were splintered. It was an excellent shoot on the part of both teams, as visibility was exceedingly bad. The machine-gun work on the part of the winning teams was high class, special credit being due to the Pukekohe team representing the B company of the Ist Auckland Regiment, which secured first and second places in the two Lewis Gun matches. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS MATCHES NEXT SATURDAY Tho territorial and open championships will bo staged next Saturday, as well as rifle teams' matches. There is no information available as to the prospects among the former and this 3'ear the issue appears particularly open. In the series open to the Navy, Air Force, rifle clubs and others competition will be particularly keen and interest will be taken in tho shooting of C. J. M. Clark, who will attempt to gain his third successive title. One of the most difficult to beat may be D. F. Perrin, the holder of the Dominion title, who will lack nothing for want of practice. However, the best of the Air Force representatives will be close to the head of the list and a win for one of them is much overdue. The team which won tho Hallyburton Cup in the teams' match last year, S. A. Noble, N. A. Vear, H. H. Smith, F. R. Lawn and G. Kolls, will again represent the Force and it may be the hardest to defeat.