NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10731, 20 February 1897, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL PRIZE-FIRING,

(Pbe United Phess Association.)

Auckland, February 19. The weather was most enjoyable for shooting to-day, but the sun in the forenoon was rather too bright for the marksmen, and there was a light mirage near the targets. The wind was light, and though it freshened in the afternoon it remained steady. It ig proposed to have Pnnthe^nn Ch *« I**™ to-morrow at, perhaps, 200 and 500 yards. Messrs AVhitney cannot explain the cause of the bad quality of the ammunition used yesterday in the District Representative Match, bub think the bad shooting with ib must have been due to the men being used to the other ammunition. They assert that from the fixed rifle charged witn this ammunition the bullet was never outside of a seven-inch mark. As the ammunition was a present to the association they have generously taken it back and made a donation ot £25 to the funds of the association. As proot of the excellence of the shooting this year, it may be mentioned that A. Ballinger g * present aggregate, and there are 10 shots yet to be fired, is within one ot the scores which won the Championship m Oamaru last year, and it was then admitted that the shooting was of a very high standard. • The shooting of both Ballinger and AVilliams to-day was very steady, and the former is, so far, the highest winner of prize money at the I meeting, though AVilliams has finished first in i three matches. After lunch the last match I counting for the aggregates was begun. In tha I Grand Aggregate Match the utmost interest was ! centred,' as the long range mostly changed the ! positions. At 500 ysrds still another possible ! was recorded, M'Hattie, of AVairarapa, be'mg responsible, and others were only a point behind. At 600 yards the men kept equally well I on the mark, although there were no possibles i At 700 yards the best score was D. M'Lean's j (Wairoa) 31. The following are the results of '.to-day's firing:— • ■ i Christchurch Match.-600 yards; 10 shots. AVilliams, AA 7ellington, .£S . . 4S -, AVakelin, Christchurch, £5 _ ' au i Howe, AVellin**?ton, £i ." "" |g 1 AY Loveday, AVoodville, £5 .. '" "' jr ! Crow, Little River, £2 *~ 45 \ A. Ballinger, Wellington, £2 ... '"! "' 45 ! Banks, Christchurch, £2 * ." . \'T. 45 i Ingpen (AVoodville) 45; Simpson "(Kaiapoi), j Ross (Napier), AVilkie (Upper Hutt), Shepherd i (Thames) Cox (Auckland) 44 each; Hawthorne ! (Wellington), Love (AVellington), Kirk (Petone), i Barstow (Carterton) Grace (Petone), Hardin? I (Blenheim) Weir (Thames) 43 each ; Oates (Car- 1 tertqn) M'Kay (Christchurch), .G. Loveday ! (WoßdviUe) 42 each; AVinslade (Wanganui),-' Churton (Wanganui), -Head (Whangarei), G. bpinley (Eonsonby), Henderson (Auckland). Manning (Christchurch), Hall (Wellington), Wil! m.S s l W°°^vi, Ue) 41* each ; M'Lean (Wairoa), M Carthy (Auckland) 40 each—£l each Counted out: Phillips (New Plymouth). Buchanan (Auckland), King (Oamaru), Kruse (Wanganui), Henderson (Thames). Beiug top scorer in the Christchurch, Auckland, and AVellingfcou Matches A. Ballinger takes the Union Company's Cup with a score ot -230, Steadman coming next with 220, then King and Loveday with 219.' Tne Champion Teams' Match for the highest aggregate (five men from any one company or club in the Belt matches) was 'won easily by the AVoodville Rifle Club with a total of 200*'. itie AVellington Guards were second with 1979 and the Petone Rifle Club third with 1978.

Grand , Aggregate Match.—soo, 600, and 700 yarda: seven shots. Williams. Wellington, £5 . ne M'Lean. Wairoa, £5 , "*" '" ~* w, i Marshall, Wellington, £3 .. " q? Hawthorne, Wellington, £2 91 W. Loveday, Woodville, £2 ... ' go W. Ballinger (Petone), So, Hollard (Petone), A, SX-K' lhn#u on)' ? anks (Christchurch^ wi ?Vnl^L(lh,smes) and Manning, S7; Wakelin (Christehureh), Robinson (Upper Hutt), Henderson (I'hames), S3 each; -Robilliard (Kaiapoi), Turner (Wellington). Kin*? (Oamaru) tt bpmley (Ponsonby), S5 each; Bollyn 84Simpson (Kaiapoi), O'Neil (Wanganui), Kruse (Wanganui), 82 each; Lester (Christchurch), fcmuth (Oamaru), Bairstow (Carterton), Sl eachCounted out: Parsons (Christchurch), M'Hattie TrevYtS y <Thame«>. Rosa (Napier), The following are the 50 highest aggregates in Championship matches who fire iv the^final stage for the Belt (10 shots at 700 yard*) tomorrow. The scores in the above are added to tne previous aggregates, and the highest grand llfT?^ 6 Wll- bB cham P'on of New Zealand for A. Ballinger, Wellington... t-->n Williams, Wellington ... .' m," King, Oamaru ... . ciS Head. Whangarei ... . ¥7% Hawthorne, Wellington ... '.".'. *** '" raw 0.-Loveday, Woodville ... /" m/; i Banks, Christchurch ■ ... ."' ££. Holland, Petone ... -rJr Weir, Thames ... '/.. '" °Js. Bairstow, Carterton \ ... .' '" eno Steadman, Whangarei .' .' mj ' Kruse, Wanganui ]'.'. TT. "' 'w Simpson, Kaiapoi ... „, ] jqSRobinsou, Upper Hutt ... 401 Love, Wellington " 40? Crow, Little River ... '/.', '" "' T£ M'Hattie, Wairarapa ... "" "" " ' 401*1 Smith, Oamaru ... ... '" 7ai Turner, ... 215 W. Ballinger, Petone ... '." ~" - \VWiudslake, Wanganui ,' 454 Henderson, Thames *~. ... "" "" 400 Howe. Wellington „. ' jrj Robilliard, Kaiapoi ... '" 40} M'Farlane, Christchurch... ..'.' "' '" 2so Grundy, Thames ... ,„ ." \'T. "' 4S>!) G. Spindey, Ponsonby ... " 470 O'Neill. Wanganui... „. ". TT. "~ 479 Grace, Petone , ... 'TT. "' 470 Hale, Wellington "j \'T T' 478 Wakelin, Christchurch ... TT. '." '" 477 Okey, New Plymouth .„ ~',' "" '*' 4*-*; Wilson, Woodville... .., #>i "\ ."' 47*3 Phillips, New Plymouth ... ..',' • 'TT '" iii M'Carthy, Auckland [.. "" 473 W: Loveday, Woodville ... ... '". '.". 473 Buchanan, Vuekland *" ."' 473. Lestor, Christchurch ...^ . "" *~ 470 MIT -..t . ...^ ... ... ... Xi Liean, Wairoa M 45-3 Harding, Blenheim ... ... '". '". 470 Parsons, Christchurch ... ... ,'T "' T. 471 Strachan, Wanganui 'TT **" 470 Gardiner, Auckland ... ... TT. TT. 470 Churton, Wanganui ]" "'. 470 Sommerville, Wanganui "* "* 470 Ingpen, Woodville 'TT "7. 469 Robinson, Christchurch *] " 4fitj Marshall, Wellington ... ... ,'.'.' '" 463 Ross, Napier ' 4*j'g Wilkie, Upper Hutt j'.j '". 467 At the conclusion of fche Aggregate Match 50 of those who had not won over £6 in previous matches were paraded to fire in the Last Try Match. The following is the prize list :— Last Try Match.—Ten shots at 500 yards. Halpin, Wellington. £6 ... ~. ._ . 45 Hanley, Te Aroha, £5 '" 47 Welsh, Manaia, £4 " '" 4(5 Robertson, Riverton, JE3 "' 4g Willoughby, Petone, £2 "' 46 Scott, Wanganui, £2 '" 45 ; Hastie, Oamaru, £2 " '" 44 Robson (Napier), Purnell (Wanganui), Lang. ham (-Woodville), Pollock (Duuedin), Hastie (Oamaru), 44; Maungay (Te Aroha), Smith (Oamaru), 43; Robertson (Christchurch), M'Farlane (Wairoa), Bunckcrberg, Rule (Oamaru), Shepherd (Thames), 42; Gibbons (Thames), Cook ! (Oamaru), Haggard (Auckland), Johnson (Wai. j 10a), 41; Hoffeins (Wairaraoa), Johnston (Southland), Salmon (Te Aroha). Grant (Woodville) 40Cochrane (Te Aroha), Henderson (Auckland),' Holland (Petone), 39; C. Hoffeins (Wairarapa) Sergeant Haggard (Auckland). 3S each ; Lieutenant Coleman (Waimate), Willasson (Welling, ton), M'Cartney (Portobello), 37. each ; Matthews (Wairarapa), 36—each £1. Counted but: Stanley (Auckland), Humphries (Napier), Orr (Auckland). The next match was devoted to colts, and some fair shooting was made, the light being bettter thau it had been at any time of the day. Prize list: — Nursery Handicap.—Ten shot 3at 500 yds. Morgan, Ponsonby, £G . 4s M'Farlane, Wairoa, £5 ... 47 Crane, Little River. £4 ... .','.' \ 41; Williamson, Wellington, .£3 '". '.", '46 H. Hoffeins, Masterton, £2 45 Gibbons, Thames, £2 415 Kelling, New Plymouth, £2 'TT 'TT 'TT. 45 Boleyn (Auckland), 45 ; Burnand (Ponsonby). T. I Johnson (South and), 44 each; Gundry (Thames), I Marshall (Wellington) O'Neil (Wanganui j M Dona d 43 each; Honrford (Marton), Irvine I (Wairoa) Johnston (Wairoa). Pollock (Dunedin), [ Salmon (Blenheim), Nutt (Auckland), Hill, 42 each; Langley (Ponsonby), Treston (Auckland), 3 otter (Avondale), 41 each; Hanley (Te Aroha)

Countedout: Cox (Auckland), Hastie (Oamaru), Hazard (Auckland), Dickson (Dunedin). .n^,B^ was made with the Bronze Medal Match (200, 500, and 600 yards, seven shots), bufc darkness came on before the second range was completed, and * postponement was made until to-morrow. So far Head (Whangarei), who made the possible at 500 yds, is leading with a score of 68.

ANNUAL MEETING

, A} annual meeting of the New Zealand Rifle Association Major Sommervillu presided. The following members of council were elected:—Captain White (Auckland), Corporal Allporfc (Nelson), F. W. Williams (Napier), W. H. Ballinger (Wellington), A. C. Atkinson (Taranaki), Lieutenant Coleman, A G. Creagn (Oamaru), Captain Proudfoot (Dunedm), J. Welch (Wairarapa), W. Smith (Invercargill), Captain Harman (Christchurch), Private Harding (Blenheim), R. Hughes (Wanganui). A new district was formed, to comprise Woodville, Palmerston North, Feilding. and Pahiatua, and J. G. Wilson (of Woodville) was elected to represent it. It was decided thafc the next meeting be held at Oamaru during the lasfc week in February next year. The question of having paid register keepers was discussed, and it was decided to make no change. Major Sommerville said he had done nothing with regard to senfling two representatives to join the Australian team to vieifc Buley as be saw two difficulties iv the way—firat expense aud secondly the election of representatives. His opinion was thafc if a team was to be sent it should be a New Zealand team. Another question waa that of sia-iing a

team to compete at the Federal meeting at South Australia iv September. He thought a committee might be set np to consider ways and means. The selection of a team would have to be made from each district.

It was suggested that Major Sommorville should select a committee to discuss the matter. This he promised to do, and he would submit the names to membera on parade to-morrow. The District Representatives Match will be completed to-morrow, and at 4-.15 p.m. the Championship will be decided.