SHOOTING AT TRENTHAM

Taranaki Daily News, 16 March 1928, Page 11

SHOOTING AT TRENTHAM

COMPETITIONS NEARING END HAWKE’S BAY MOST SUCCESSFUL. BATTLE PRACTICE INTERESTING. / . By Telegraph.—Press Association, Trentham, Last Night. Fine weather again favoured the riiootists at the meeting this morning, when the competitions were advanced to the final stages. Friday morning will see the conclusion of the meeting, which has been the most successful yet held. The most interesting feature to-day was the battle practice competition by both territorials and cadets. The competition represents an enemy attack in force over 1000 yards reduced to scale, Its object being a trench occupied by the competitors, who represent a piato ?n of four sections with the remainder of the company on either flank. The teams taking part consisted of eight men representing each company selected from those who registered the highest scores in the regimental teams match. Forty rounds per man were allowed, points being given for hits on targets, for fire direction, control and discipline. It is assumed that aeroplanes have reported that an enemy is concentrating In force behind the landscape and a platoon has been instructed to hold them at all costs, while the supply of ammunition is limited. The enemy is advancing under ga« and high explosive shells. The enemy is represented by mechanically operated figures which increase in size as they advance. A model airplane passes overhead. Bursting powbr represents gae bombs. The competitors’ masks and the enemy deploying and taking cover give a realistic loach to the competitions. Each figure hit represents a casualty and drops out of *ction. The climax is a bayonet charge at lifesized figures and the possession of the trench is the signal fur “cease .fire.” Competitors from Hawke’s Bay collectively have proved the best marksmen at the meeting, and will take away with them more than half tne prize money. In snapshooting practice Ser-geant-Major Stitchbury, Gisborne, obtained the remarkable score of 48 out of a possible 50.

SERVICES TEAMS MATCH. £l6 and Challenge Shield, silver sprxm for each member. —New Zealand Permanent Forces (Captain. Clifton, leader, Lieutenants Denton, Moore, SergeantMajors Bates, Kearney, Stitchbury. Thompson, Sergeant McCurrie), 675. £B, and silver spoon each.—Central Command Territorials, 567. £6. —Southern Command Territorials, |22. Five teams competed. BATTLE PRACTICE. For cadets, teams of eight. £4 10s.—Northern Command, 513. £2 5s. —Southern Command, 422. Central Command also competed. CADET TEAMS’ RIFLE MATCH. £9. —C.A.C. Challenge Shield, ilver spoon for each member.-—Southern Command A team (Cadet Boyce, leader, C. S. Mackie, Corporal Watts, Cadet Duff, Sergeants Yook, Hudson, Hancox, Beatlie, Cadet Homer), 533. £4 10s, silver spoon each member. — Central Command B, 487. £2 5s. —Northern Command B, 480. Six teams competed. MACHINE GUN MATCH, VICKERS. £l5 and challenge trophy.—First Mounted Rifles (I. Lloyd, L. Cresswell, W. Sanford, R. Davidson, J. Collen), ill. £lO. —Seventh Mounted Rifles, 109, £7 10s.—Waikato Mounted Rifles, 88. £5. —Wellington West Coast Regiment, £5. —Wellington West Coast Regiment, £2 10s.—Wellington Regiment, "8. MACHINE GUN MATCH, HOTCHKISS. £l2 and challenge trophy .--Nelson-Marl-borough Mounted Rifles (A, Brown, W. Brown, R. Brown, T, Mills), 43. £lO. —Auckland Mounted Rifles, 38. £s.—Manawatu Mounted Rifles,. 37. Seven teams competed. LEWIS GUN MATCH. £l2 and challenge trophy, silver spoon for each member.—First Battalion Hawke’s Bay Regiment (Sergeant Hampton, Lance-Corporals Carmichael, Symonds, Hood), 184. £lO, silver spoon for each member.— First Battalion North Auckland Regiment, 90. £5. —Third Field Artillery, 87. £2 10s.—Central Depot Engineers, 87. Sixteen team competed. STAFFORD CHALLENGE SHIELD. Open to all battalions of territorials. Score awarded battalion whose teams gain the highest aggregate score in regimental teams, Vickers and Lewis gun matches. First Battalion Hawke’s Bay Regiment, 756. Wellington West Coast Regiment, 710. First Battalion Wellington Regiment, efNi. BATTLE PRACTICE, For territorials, teams of eight. £9.—First Battalion Hawke’s Bay Regiment (Sergeants Graham, Hampton, Slade, Stewart, Corporal Ellis, LanceCorporals Carmichael, Symons, Burton), 693. £4 10.—Southern Command, 518. £2 5e. —Northern Command, 344. NIGHT FIRING COMPETITIONS. MACHINE GUN MATCHES. Trentham, March 15. The army rifle meeting was advanced u further stage last evening, when night firing competitions were held between teams of the Vickers, Lewis and Hotchkiss gun sections. The conditions of the Vickers competition provided for a shoot at 800 yards, 200 rounds and team of four men. At sunset the leader marked tho position of a tripod and placed a peg ten yards distant in alignment with the target. It was a dark night, and to give the direction of the target a lamp was hung on the peg. The First Battalion Hawke’s Bay Regiment made a remarkable shoot, belli- easily a record for New Zealand

and comparing favourably with the records of the British Army. The possible was 460, two points being awarded for each hit. The Hawke’s Bay team secured 264, of which over 60 were in the centre or the target. Last year this match was won by tho Waikato Mounted Rifles with a total of 47, when 15 teams competed. Tho Lewis gun competition, also under service conditions, proved spectacular. The possible was 141. The teams weie of seven men, Three of whom fired 47 rounds each. To give direction. Verey flares were used. The gun will fire 600 rounds a minute, seven being allowed each marksman. It takes three seconds for a flare to rise and burst, so that the actual time was five seconds. The ground being dry, tho lights set fire to the grass on, descending. Consequently the men were firing through a smoke screen. The Wellington-West Coast Regiment, who were the winners, secured 60 points, which is two points ahead of the First Battalion North Auckland team, last year’s winners, when the conditions were more favourable. The Hotchkiss section was similar to the Lewis, but the result was not equal to that of 1927, when the First Mounts! Rifles C.Y.G. won with 54 points. To give additional interest. Colonel Burgess stated that he would endeavour to secure dummy tanks fo? next year’s competitions. To-day the regimental teams rifle match, New Zealand services Vickers, Lewis and Hotchkiss gun match will be fired by the Territorials, in addition to battle practice, while team rifle matches and a battle practice competition is the programme for Cadets.

Results were:—< Vickers Guns.—lsos, Hawke's Bay Regiment (D, R. Graham, W. J. Burton, P. T. Crawford, J. O. Cater and J. M. Forrest), 264; 125©, Otago Mounted Rifles, 86; 100 s, Auckland Regiment, 61; 755, Canterbury Regiment, 46. Seventeen teams competed.' Lewis Guns. —.160©, Wellington-West Coast Regiment (W. Hutchinson, I. James, L. H. Reardsmore, S. Trott, F. Signal, R. Ruedeh, G. Hayward, 0. M. Mowatt), 66; 120 s, Hawke’s Bay Regiment, 43; 80s, Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regiment, 39; 40s, Southland Regiment, 38. Fourteen teams competed. Hotchkiss Guns.—l2os, Auckland Mounted Rifles (W. Butimore, H. Waddington, J. Harcombe, K. McPherson, E. Vipond, A. Keriah, E. A. Kerr and J. Jamisou), 22; 120 s, Nelson and Marlborough Mounted Rifles, 22; 80s, New Zealand Mounted Rifles (Timaru), 19. Six team? competed: