RIFLE SHOOTING

Southland Times, Issue 23142, 8 March 1937, Page 8

RIFLE SHOOTING

National Meeting SERVICE CHAMPIONSHIP WON BY MASEFIELD (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 7. - After a shoot-off to determine first place in the final of the service championship, the title was won by W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) at the national rifle meeting at Trentham yesterday. Masefield and J. H. Kearney (Napier), the 1930 service champion, tied in the championship, each having a score of 251 out of a possible 300. In the subsequent shoot-off, comprising one compulsory sighter and five rounds application, Masefield made 21 and Kearney 16. Although Masefield has won the King’s Prize three times this is the first occasion he has become the holder of the Ross carbine champion belt, awarded to the winner of the service championship. Third place in the championship was filled by E. M. Wrigley (Opaki) with a score of 249.

The conditions on the range provided a good service test. Throughout the day fresh, but variable and blustering winds blew down the range and, towards the end of the afternoon, heavy clouds passing overhead were responsible for a rapidly changing light. Considering the weather prevailing the general standard of shooting was exceptionally high. The firing of the compulsory service matches occupied all day yesterday. Not to Everybody’s Taste Rapid fire, and snapshooting at disappearing targets without the help of sling supports and aperture sights, does not appeal to some of the marksmen who attend the national meeting, but service practices are necessary to satisfy the musketry demands of the military authorities. Most of the older competitors are no longer as active as they were in their younger days, and they prefer a fixed target and the permissive use of devices by which the wind velocity can be measured, and adjustments made to eliminate degrees of error. The service series comprised four matches. Three of the matches involved application, rapid fire and snapshooting practices at 300 and 500 yards. The 500 marksmen to make the highest aggregate scores in these three matches qualified for a place in the service 50 to fire ten rounds application at 600 yards for the service championship, which is awarded to the competitor with the highest score for the complete series. The first man in the 50 was E. M. Wrigley (Opaki), whose 212 out of a possible 250 gave him a one point lead over J. H. Kearney (Napier). W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) occupied third place in the 50 with 208. With his final 10 rounds Wrigley could not do better than a 37, and Kearney dropped 10 points. Masefield scored 43, he and Kearney each having a grand aggregate of 251. A shoot-off was therefore necessary to determine the winner of the championship. The Simmonds Cup, which is awarded for the highest individual score in the final of the service championship, was won by R. Congreve (Old Navals) with 47. Service Teams Match Twenty-six teams competed in the champion service teams match which was fired concurrently with the service matches. The match was won by Auckland City No. 1 team, which also won the match last year. The team holds the Sir John Logan Campbell Shield for one year and the Islington Cup, which is awarded for snapshooting at 300 yards. The Christchurch No. 1 team finished in second place. The Petone No. 1 team, which was fifth, also won the Dawson Shield, awarded for rapid fire practice at 300 yards. The results were:—

SERVICE CHAMPIONSHIP (All scores in service matches) Ross Carbine champion belt, N.R.A. gold medal and £5. —W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) 251. N.R.A. silver medal and £3.—J. H. Kearney (Napier) 251. N.R.A. bronze medal and £2.—E. M. Wrighley (Opaki) 249. £1 each.—E. C. Crocker (Auckland City) 244; C. J. M. Clark (Auckland City) 242; J. E. Farley (Wanganui) 240; C. J. Robieson (Auckland City) 240; W. J. Burton (Okawa) 240; H. King (Opaki) 238; R. Congreve (Old Navals) 237. 10/- each.—T. H. R. Boon (Karori) 237; R. H. Nicholl (Petone) 237; A. G. Devore (Auckland City) 237; E. Hiscock (Royal New Zeland Air Force) 236; F. Jeune (Gisborne) 235; H. R. Hunt (Suburbs) 235; R. Catley jun. (Nelson) 234; D. P. Donald (Opaki) 234; D. F. Keir (Christchurch) 234; J. C. Feast (Greytown) 232; F. Hickenbotham (Christchurch) 230; I. L. Ford (Wanganui) 230; H. L. Mason (Christchurch) 229; S. C. Parkinson (Auckland City) 229; F. J. Soler (Wanganui) 227; I. J. Spry (Auckland City) 226. The following were the 50 marksmen to secure places in the service 50:—E. M. Wrigley (Opaki) 212; J. K. Kearney (Napier) 211; W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) 208; E. C. Crocker (Auckland City) 204; J. M. Clark (Auckland City) 202; A. G. Devore (Auck-

land City) 201; R. H. Nicholl (Petone) 200; T. H. R. Boon (Karori) 199; W. J. Burton (Okawa) 199; C. J. Robieson (Auckland City) 199; J. E. Farley (Wanganui) 198; D. E. Keir (Christchurch) 197; D. F. Donald (Opaki) 196; H. King (Opaki) 196; I. L. Ford (Wanganui) 195; R. Catley jun. (Nelson) 195; F. Hiscock (Royal New Zealand Air Force) 195; H. R. Hunt (Suburbs) 193; F. Jeune (Gisborne) 192; F. Hickenbotham (Christchurch) 190; J. C. Feast (Greytown) 190; R. Congreve (Old Navals) 190; H. L. Mason (Christchurch) 189; S. C. Parkinson (Auckland City) 189; S. A. S. Elliott (Akarana) 185; E. J. Soler (Wanganui) 185; O. W. Sandford (Wairoa) 184; H. Brehaut (Okawa) 184; J. Paterson (Wanganui) 183; W. H. Ballinger (Petone) 183; F. R. Truman (Christchurch) 183; F. S. Hood (Featherston) 183; G. H. Taylor (New Plymouth) 182; J. C. Ashman (Petone) 182; I. J. Spry (Auckland City) 181; W. A. Whyte (Paparangi) 181; R. E. Stuart (Cheltenham) 180; R. J. King (Opaki) 180; D. H. Small (Karori) 180; R. F. Wakefield (Akarana) 180; A. J. Bruning (Christchurch) 179; W. A. Kenning (Nelson) 178; A. J. Brown (Hautere) 178; J. R. Keoghan (Westport) 177; D. S. McKenzie (Opaki) 176; D. McLeay (Te Kuiti) 176; E. J. Reston (Akarana) 176; J. Gapes (Royal New Zealand Air Force) 176; P. R. Catley (Levin) 176; H. K. Smith (Opaki) 176. NO. 1 SERVICE MATCH (Five round application and ten rounds snapshooting, each at 300 yards) £4.—W. N. Masefield (Blenheim), 67. £3.—E. M. Wrigley (Opaki), 67. £2.—F. S. Hood (Featherston), 66. £1 Each.—A. J. Bruning (Christchurch), 65; P. Hiscock (Royal New Zealand Air Force), 64; A. G. Devore (Auckland City), 63; W. J. Burton (Okawa), 63; F. J. Soler (Wanganui), 63; C. Milroy (Suburbs), 63; W. Oakley (Christchurch), 63; A. W. Harris (Auckland City), 62; W. A. Whyte (Paparangi), 62; D. Wilton (Whangarei), 62; R. B. McKenzie (Rangitikei), 62; G. Crew (Linton), 62; F. Hickenbotham (Christchurch), 62; R. Congreve (Old Navals), 62; J. E. Farley (Wanganui), 62. Sixteen competitors took 10/- each. NO. 2 SERVICE MATCH (Ten rounds rapid and ten rounds snapshooting, each at 300 yards) £4.—R. H. Nicholl (Petone), 87. £3.—E. C. Crocker (Auckland City), 83. £2.—J. H. Kearney (Napier), 82. £1 Each.—E. M. Wrigley (Opaki), 81; F. Hiscock (Royal New Zealand Air Force), 79; C. J. Robieson (Auckland City), 78; C. J. M. Clark (Auckland City), 78; H. R. Hunt (Suburbs), 78; T. H. R. Boon (Karori), 78; I. L. Fore (Wanganui), 77; J. H. A. Blatch (Wakatipu), 77; W. N. Masefield (Blenheim), 76; W. J. Burton (Okawa), 75; D. P. Donald (Opaki), 75; H. King (Opaki), 75; J. Paterson (Wanganui), 74; R. Congreve (Old Navals), 74. 15/- Each.—J. E. Farley (Wanganui), 74; R. Catley jun. (Nelson), 74. Fifteen competitors took 10/- each.

NO. 3 SERVICE MATCH (Five Rounds Application and Ten Rounds Snapshooting, each at 500 yards) £4—H. G. Day (Nelson) 71. £3.—T. H. R. Boon (Karori) 69. £2 —D. F. Keir (Christchurch) 68. £1 each—A. V. Barrow (Cheltenham) 68; S. H. Haroldson (Napier) 68; J. H. Kerney (Napier) 68; C. J. M. Clark (Auckland City) 67; W. Oakley (Christchurch) 67; C. J. Robieson (Auckland City) 67; A. G. Devore (Auckland City) 67; O. W. Sandfore (Wairoa) 66; J. Watters (Culverden) 66; W. N. Kummer (Opaki) 66; J. Paterson (Wanganui) 66; R. C. Holt (Napier) 66; R. Ellis (Takapau) 66; L. T. McNatty (Ashburton) 66; H._ R. Feast (Greytown) 65.

Sixteen competitors won 10/- each. CHAMPION SERVICE TEAMS MATCH (Teams of Four Men, for Highest Scores in Service Matches) Sir John Logan Campbell Shield, Islington Cup and £4—Auckland City No. 1 (C. J. M. Clark, S. C. Parkinson, A. G. Devore and I. J. Spry) 773. £3 —Christchurch No. 1 (D. F. Keir, H. Hiscock, H. L. Mason and E. R. Truman) 764. £l—Wanganui No. 1 (J. E. Farley, I. L. Fore, R. Show and F. J. Soler) 745. £l—Masterton-Opaki No. 1 (D. S. McKenzie, H. K. Smith, H. King and R. J. King) 728. £1 and Dawson Shield—Petone No. 1 (W. N. Ballinger, J. C. Ashman, R. H. Nicholl and A. H. O’Donnell) 718.

SOME LOCAL PERFORMERS SHOOT WELL NONE QUALIFY FOR THE FINAL (Special to The Times.) WELLINGTON, March 7. All day Saturday was taken up with the service matches. The standard of scoring was very high for this type of shooting. Some of the Southlanders shot well but their scores were just too low to qualify for the final. The series was won by W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) after shooting oft a tie with J. Kearney (Napier). The Southland scores were:—A. R. Wills 170, N. Mac Williams 167, A. A. Ford 167, J. Clark 167, J. Munro 167, Weeds 163, Black 163, J. Tansley 157, W. J. Murray 150, Wilson 149, Mackenzie 148, B. Broomfield 140, W. McChesney 139, R. Henderson 138, A. E.

Henderson 133 and S. L. Wall 129. The matches for the King’s Prize will be continued this morning, It is intended to complete the Wellington, Otago and Hawke’s Bay matches ' today, when some idea will be formed as to the leader in the King’s Aggregate. It is now raining, and the prospects of fine weather are not too promising.