RIFLE ASSOCIATION

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4314, 25 March 1901, Page 5

RIFLE ASSOCIATION

i i CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING. THE THIRD DAT. PEEBSASBOCIATIOI.’. . ■ /WANGANUI/ -March 23. There was fine weather again ior“shooting, hut a fresh wind was experienced during the greater portion of the day. This caused the shooting to be below the standard of previous days. Sharp at S a.m. the men paraded, and.began with the Ladies’ Match, at which the following are the prizetakers:— Ladies’ Match, 200yds, ten shots, scores not counting for Belt.

Sontag, Dunedin, 46; Tobin, Auckland, 46; Duley, Ruahine, 45; Turnbull, Gore, 45; Henry, Tuapeka,. 46; ; Hughes, Wanganui, 45; Christchurch, 45; Messenger, Taranaki, 45; W Ballinger, Petone, 45; A. Baljinger, Petone, 45; Feist, Wairarapa,. 45; Carey, Pa tea, 45; Bunting, Petone, 45; Cox, Auckland, 46; Williams, Woodville, 45; Williams, Karori, 45; Hawthorne,' Earori, 45; Hollard, Petone, 45; Kretchmar, Auckland, 45; Carlson, Auckland, 45; Pearson, Timaru, 45; Kemp, Canterbury, 45—each take £l. Counted! out Sergeant Allport, Stoke. - . , _ Last meeting Turner won ■this match with 47, and 43 was counted out. The next match taken was the Oaraaru Match, which is the third counting for the Belt. Those who were; down first had a deiaT the worst of the conditions; as the wind was very “puffy,’’ and there were numerous misses; Wakelin, an exchampion, missed several shots. Harding, of Bletoheim, failed to find the target at all. Following is the prize list: — Oamaru/Match, ton shots; 700yds.

41; Turnbull, Gore, 41; Gunderson, Christchurch; 41; G. Lc.veday, Woodville, 40; Kemp, Canterbury, 40; Smith, Kaitangata, 40; G. Fraser, Kaitangata, 40.; :■> Webster, . , Auckland s .-;39; .piling, Waimea, 39;; Purnell, Wanganui,' 38; : Hyde, Hawke's Bay,. 3,8; Parkes, Palmerston, 38; Waldon, Wairarapa, 38'; Trevethick, Petone, 38; Taylor, Auckland; 38; ’ Hoirard;-'Cpllege 38; Watts, Ohristchurclv 38;' NblsOn > ' s ville, 38; ? Thorpe;;; Murray, Wanganui, ! 38 jj Sefgeant‘'Oakey ; Taranaki, 37 ; Hobbs, ' GKinemuri, *37 ;• Wocllett, Dunedin, 37 —each take £l. v Counted , v out —.McFarlane; -Christchurch; Gee, Liliwcod; -Manning, Christchurch; King, Oamaru. - 1 King won this match here-two years ago with" 4G, and 35 was counted but. After lunch the men -were taken to 600yds to decide the Christchurch Match; which-also--counts'’for’ the'Belt. Shooting hero was • three points behind that of’ yesterday, morning; b’ut:,one or two narrowly escaped gaining the,-pos-sible,’ notably Diiley,' who, - after ringing on nine bulls, registered the dreaded outer. Begg,- who is-shooting with a Martini, got on -45, and,' with" Ins handicap, tied the leaders, j. G. Wilson, who was-second in the last match, tied -with the leaders, and on leaving this-match was leading' for ■ the" Belt,■ .Following is the'prize list:- ■■ ■ > ■ ' Christchurch Match, ten shots; 600yds. Pearson," Timaru, £5 ‘ " ... 47

McCullough, Waipawa, £2 46 Perkins, Christchurch, 45; Buntin, Christchurch,. 45;' Feist,. Wairarap'a, 45; G. Loveday, Woodville, 45; Webster, Auckland, 44-Nelson, Woodville, 44 ; A. Ballingdr, Wellington, 44; Turner, Wellington, 44; Sergeant Okey, 44; J. Wilson, PetomvM; Humphreys, Hastings, 44; Best, Kaituna, 44; Martin, Timaru, 44; Kretchmar, Auckland, 44; McKuight, Dunedin, 44; King, Oamaru, 44; Kilman, Mart on, 43; Purnell, Wanganui, 43-; Stephen, Timaru, 43; Grace, Petone, 43; W. Ballinger, Wellington, 43; Woollett, Dunedin, 43 ; Hoffeins, Wairarapa, 43; Harris,'Wellington, 43—each take £l. Counted out —Adam's, Patea; Mills, ‘Dunedin; Remington, Wanganui; Taylor, Auckland. At last gathering Bur ford won this match with 48, and 39 was counted out. At the finish of this match the leading

. The majority of the competitors are prepared to admit that the .303 weapon is more sensitive to a slight variation in wind than, the Martini-Henry, and from the,erratic shooting .at, 700. and_ <3OO yards, it would appear that this opinion is borne .out by tact.' Still, there are some who hold that the degrees to_ be allowed differ only slightly. In the first range of the Wellington Match (500yds, seven shots) the .303 was giving six, degrees and the Martini a shade under five. The competitors using the former rung on possibles, while one Martini representative was even with them. It is hard to get a true comparison of the respective weapons, as the admittedly best shots in the colony are using .303, and here they have the advantage of using English ammunition. _ Further, the recoil from the weapon in question is very slight. Therefore, those using it have not such a trying time as : those shooting with .the-Martini,, from wnioh the recoil is somewhere about 90lb. Marshall (Wellington), Tngpen (Woodville), Sontag and Begg (Dunedin) are shooting, best out of the thirty comnetitors using the Martini. It would be interesting to got some unfavourable weather, as then the point as to wnether the Martini is better: in wind' than the .303 could be settled, as none of the quartette mentioned are novices in tlxe use of -the rifle. lip‘to the present the weather has been so favourable that the top-rangers for the Belt are all of a heap, and, to use racing parlanqe, a iahoet would cqver the first ten. ... cor the Christchurch Match, the first range of the »* ellington Matcn (cOU, 600 and 700 yards, seven shotsreach) was taken. The wind, which had been anything from “puffy” to light, now remained steady, and with a dull light, some really fine shooting was made, seven competitors ringing on the possible, and. securing a prize of Ids j each. , These were Greenwood, Randall ! and' Grace (of Wellington), Cox and lientderson (of Auckland), lagpen (Wood-

ville'l and Lester (Christchurch). Hie remaining ranges will bo fired on Mondav Zrning J. G. Wilson i y to this time been leading for°the Belt, scored only 30, .but though i tr, resign first position, he is » He for second George Loveday, nf Woodvillo, got on 34, and ho heads I Rifle Championship agSJS$SiS%ik hif dub Wilson (as mentioned above) and Nelsom are a tie for second place and only-two points away. The Woodville «£««- tntivea have so far shot tluougn rue meeting with commendable consistency, and their team in the Champion Teams Match (which is decided by aggregates in the first seven of the Belt matches , comprising Loveday Brothers, Wilson, Nelson and Ingpen, “ KtfSri match by about 70 points. The Rifle Club team led for a time, bub the Canterbury Engineers are non in second place, though with very little chanoa of catching the men from the Bush district. The prizes in this match are £ls, £lO and £6. The trio in front fox the Belt are all well-known and seasoned shots, and with the, beautiful weather enjoyed for the meeting, it is C 0“ ei? more than likely that one of them wiU secure the coveted trophy. None of the ex-champions are shooting w to expectations, A. Ballinger being about ti e best of them. There : are, however, still 76 shots to be fired before the Championship is won, so there may be a great shuffling of cards before Friday, on which day it is expected the Championship will ho fired and, the meeting close. • ■ _ ■

Hoffeins, Wairarapa, £7 ... 48 Ciiing, Waimea, £6 ... , ... 48 Oakley, Nelson, £5 • ... 47 Waingay, Piako, £4 ... ' .;. ..; 47 Whitley, Kaiapoi, £3 ... "... 47 Trevethick, Petone, £2 ... ' ... 47 Skinner, Auckland, :£2 ... 47 Manning, Christchurch, £2 ... 46 Woollett, Dunedin, £2 - ... ...' 46

Balfour, Najrier, £7 ;,. ... ' 44 Wilson, Wpodville, £6 ..; 43 Allport, Stoke, £5 .... ,, ... ... 43 Wilkie, Hutt, £4 ... 1 43 Gleadow, Napier,-£3 ... 42 Bunt in,- Christchurch, £2. ... - ; ... 42 Wain, Studholme,- £2 ■ .:. . - ..1 42 Mills, Dunedin, £2 ..." 42 Hardford, Feilding, £2 ..: 42 Domigan, Gore, 41; Drew, .Wanganui^

Begg, Dunedin, £5 ... ... 47 Irvin d, Waimea, £5 ... ...' 47 ■Wilson, Woodvalle, £5 ... 47 Duley, Dannevirke, £5 . • ... :47 W. Loveday,- Woodville, £2 . ... 46 Wakelin, Christchurch, £2 . ... 46 Sont4g, Dunedin, £2 ... 46

aggregates. for. the Belt were: — Wilson, Wbodville ' . .. 225 G.'.Loveday,. Woodville ■ ■; - . . 223 Buntin, Christchurch . ... .. ;. 223 Nelson, Woodville ... , ’ ... • . 222 A. Ballinger, Wellington, ... .. 216 Domigan, Gore ... ... . • ..216 , March 24.