CAMP JOTTINGS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10846, 11 March 1921, Page 7

CAMP JOTTINGS

SERVICE AND PERSONAL NOTES Firing at the 900 yards range to-day, in the Australasian match, a veTy old marksman who had attended every meeting of the Dominion Rifle Association at Trentham, had got to a stage when he was compelled to use glasses to assist his failing eyesight. He arrived in camp minus his glasses, but a friend lent him a pair and he did quite well, but yesterday the friend did not make his appearance, and the “old shot” could only discern a hill in front of him to fire at, consequently his card was a succession of “duels'eggs." This morning Sir Heaton Rhodes (Minister for Defence) was a visitor to the camp. He expressed himself satisfied with the way the meeting was being conducted, and congratulated Oblonel Collins and the association executive on the management. It is generally admitted by competitors that the present meeting*has been the worst they have experienced i at Trentham during the progress of the annual meeting of the Dominion Rifle Association in regard to shooting con- ' ditions. At times the wind has been 1 extremely tricky,_ while the light has ’ been of a changing nature, and the ' mirage baffling. Riflemen, like any other member of a sports body, have a tendency to blame anything aid everything but himself when he make* a poor shoot, but there has been few com- 1 plaints this year. Sergeant R. E. Hester (N.Z. Railway < Engineer*, Wellington) who won the ’ Service championship with a score of ' 266, is a clerk in the railways, and is ] stationed at Petone. He has shot ex- J ceedlngly well throughout the meeting, and last year he was twenty-second on the list of aggregates with a score of , 197.

Rifleman C. M. Moss (Dunedin) won the Service championship in. 1920 with a. score of 222, and Lieutenant A. J. Green (No. 8 Company, N.Z.G.A.) run-ner-up, was only two points behind him.

There‘was a pronounced “fish-tail” wind in evidence* more especially on the

Sedcicm range, to-day, and there was hardly a competitor in the Australasian match who did not miss the target on mare than one occasion, while in several instances blank cards were returned. Nearly every shot required a different windage allowance, and it was not- unusual for a "windage alteration of from 4 degrees right to be made in order to find the target. At other times ‘-dead in” shooting was necessary in order to secure a bull's-eye. The" best shoot at the 900 yards range was that of Rifleman Crimp; (KSwi, Dunedin), who put on 69 out of a possible 75. Considering the conditions that obtained the marksmanship display by this competitor was extremely good. The figures an his card j read—s, 5,5, 5,5, o, 5,5, 5, o, 5, 5. 3,2, 4-—69 To register twelve “bulls” in succession is a great performance, but it is impossible to compare the shooting with other matches, as it is the initial occasion on which a fifteenshot match has been placed on the pro. gramme.

Rifleman J. W. Milroy ( Waimea), who won the Australasian match with an aggregate of 129, made a ecore of 62 at the 600 wards range and 67 at the 900 yards range. His card at the 600 yards read —3,4, 4,4, 4,3, 5,4, 2,5, 4,5, 5, o. o, —62: and at the 900 5, 4, 5, 4,5, 4,4, 5,5, 4,5, 3,5, 5—67.

Others who did well in the long range in the Australian match were— Rifleman W. H. Thomas (Linton) 61, Captain Simmonds (Eketahuna) 62, Rifleman J. F. Atkinson (Auckland), Rifleman C. Dunstan fWaihi) 60, and Rifleman H. Melntoeh (Blenheim) 62. Of the local riflemen, J. Cotterill (Suburbs), C. Whiteman (Suburbs), R. H. Nieholl (Petone), F. McDonald (Suburbs), A. J. Jackson (Petone), W. Haase (Suburbs), L. Lewis (Suburbs), E. A. Ballinger (Petone), J. M. Bertram (Karori), and D. J. Guiney (Petone) succeeded in getting into the prize-list. Last year the prize-money allotted to the Service championship was £55. The winner received £is, the Kynoch Cup, and gold medal; the runner-up £6 and silver medal; and the third man £5 and bronze medal. This year the prizemoney was increased to £64; the winner takes the Kynoch Cup) gold medal, and £2o' the second man £lO and silver medal; the third man £5 end bronze medal; the fourth man £4; and the fifth man £3. An innovation so far as the meeting is concerped is the Imperial aggregate, for which substantial prize-money was offered. The aggregate which was successful in securing the first prize was secured by Rifleman W. H. West (Blenheim). The winner has been one of the most consistent shots who has attended the Dominion Rifle Association meeting for same years. There was considerable argument amongst competitors, who are members, or have been members of a military force, respecting the advisability otf continuing the_ shooting at long ranges at the Dominion Association meeting. It was argued that long-range shooting had proved to have little or no military value, and that as rifle shooting J has, for its object, the perfecting Of marksmen for defence purposes, short i ranges .should only be shot from. In 1920 the Colonial Ammunition i Company’s Cup was won by the Opaki 1 Rifle- Club No. 1 team, with an aggre- < fate score of 894, the team being R . King (163), F, Bolton (175), W. , Winslade (181), W. Feast (188), and H. i H. Mawley (187), Christchurch Rifle Club No. 1 team was second with 885, and the Suburbs Rifle Club No. 1 team third with 877. This year Akarana B ( team, the winner, registered a score oi 92C; Frankton team was second with ; 918, Petone B team third with 918, and Opaki No. 1 team fourth with 917. Rifleman D. McLeay (Te Kuiti) and A. E. Ballinger (Petofie), and Sergeant F. W. Ching (Wellington)* are leading for the grand aggregate gold medal. The scores in the King’s Prize count, and until this has been fired the result will not be known. Rifleman G. Loveday (Ohura), father of Rifleman L. Loveday, who won the champion belt, is a competitor at the < meeting, and won an extra match of ten shots at 900 yards with a score of

34. The members of the Suburbs A team who won the Champion Teams match weve-r-H. R. Hunt (91), H. T. Boon (97), A. J. Dodd (90), C. Whiteman (90), and F. J. McDonald (94). The members and scores made by the Petone A team who were the rnnners-up were—E. J. Guiney (901, A. Ballinger (81), R. Barkle (92), J. C. Carter (92), and A. E. Ballinger (94).