KING’S FORTY RIFLEMEN

Taranaki Daily News, 11 March 1933, Page 8

KING’S FORTY RIFLEMEN

TRENTHAM PERFORMANCES FOUR EX-CHAMPIONS IN LEAD. EXCELLENT MARKSMANSHIP. By Telegraph—Press Association. Trentham, Last Night. Ex-champions filled the first fourplaces in the contest for the King’s prize in to-day’s shooting at . the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association at Trentham. The forty highest aggregate scorers in the series of championship matches decided during the past three days will fire in the final of the King’s prize match of ten rounds at 900 yards to-morrow afternoon, the belt going to the marksman with the highest grand aggregate in all matches. H. Simmonds (Auckland) and H. V. Croxton (Karori) are at the head of the King’s Forty, each with a score of 523 of a possible 555. W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) is in third place with 521 and E. S. King (Wanganui) occupies fourth position with a score of 518. Simmonds won the belt in 1924, Croxton in 1920, Masefield in 1914 and 1929 and King in 1928.

No fault could be found with the conditions in the early moaning, and when the first squads were firing at the Auckland match there was hardly a breath, of wind, with good visibility. Possibles were registered at this range by J. H. Kearney (Napier), H. W. Feast (Greytown), T. H. R. Boon (Karori), L. H. Warburton (Petone), V. Donald (Opaki), R. J. King (Opaki), G. Burford (Wanganui), F. Clark (Ashburton) and W. Green (Okawa).

Back at the 900 yards of the Auckland match; much more caution had to be exercised to cope with a mirage and breeze that commenced to blow. Here there were two possibles ■ only, F. Bowes (Auckland) and B. B. Jones (Nelson) placing all their shots on the bull. Bowes, who had 98 for the two ranges, won the match. J. Bryden (Kaiapoi) and Warburton .also finished with 98 but on the count back had to be content with second and third placed respectively. SOME FINE SHOOTING. In spite of tricky conditions in the afternoon the . standard of marksmanship was high and the two matches decided, the .Otago match and. the Witcombe and. Caldwell match, each consisting of ten rounds at. 900 yards, produced some .fine shooting. C. J. Nix. (Featherston) won the Otago match with a possible, and the next nine places in the prize list were Ailed by competitors who had dropped one point only. P. G. Hills (Greytown) was the winner in the B grade in the Witcombe and Caldwell match. R. C: Barkle (Petone) and L. G. Benton (Featherston) registered possibles and a shoot-off was necessary to decide the winner, as the result of which Benton collected the first prize of £7.

E. 'M. Wrigley (Opaki) and F. N. Monk (Ngatiawa) tied for third place each with 59 for the highest scores in the various combinations of individual matches. A number of aggregate prize lists were awarded, and with the completion of today’s shooting the compilation of most of these was possible. The Australian aggregate for the highest aggregate scores in the Canterbury match, the Wellington match and the Auckland match was won by F. Bowes (Auckland) with 241 of a possible 250. Two points behind him was J. Sim (Okawa) in second place, and J. E. Farley (Wanganui) was third with 238. In the Bisley aggregate, awarded for the highest aggregate scores in the four long range belt matches, T. W. Warburton (Petone) and W. Kenning (Nelson) each finished with 239 of equal value; . They will -shoqt-off to-morrow morning 'to decide the first and second places. The B grade aggregate for all belt matches was won ’by M. F. Wakefield (Auckland) with 315 of a possible . 555. Marksmen to obtain places in the King’s Forty are H. Simmonds (Auckland) 523, H. V. Croxton (Karori) 523, W. N. Masefield (Blenheim) 521, E. S. King (Wanganui) 510, C. Whiteman (Upper Hutt) 517, F. H. James (Napier) 517, C. J. Nix (Featherston) 517, E.M. Wrigley (Opaki) 516, T. W. Warburton (Petone) 515, R. F. Wakefield (Mount Albert Grammar School) 515, D. F. Keir (Ashburton) 514, F. J. Jeune (Gisborne) 512, R.. C. Barkle (Petone) 512, W. Oakley (Christchurch) 512, H. H. Harries (Christchurch) 511, H. King (Opaki) 511, F. H. Sharland (Nelson) 511, C. H. Gower (Wanganui) '5ll, R. H. Nicholl (Petone) 511, H. W. Feast (Greytown) 511, L. G. Benton (Featherston) 511, J. C. Feast (Greytown) 510, F. Bolton (Opaki) -510, H. Cromie (Ashburton) 510, B. B. Jones (Nelson( 510, W; H. Ballinger (Petone) 510, H. L. Mason . (Christchurch) 510, I. J. Nicholls (North Bank) 510; H. Frankland (Karori) 509, W. J. Green (Okawa) 509, A. H. McDonnell (Petone), J. C. Carter (Petone) 508, F.'Clark (Ashburton) 508, W. West (Blenheim)' 508, R. Nicholson (Napier) 508, P. C. Hamilton (Wanganui) 508, F. Bowes (Auckland) 508, C. M. Pickering (Opaki) 507, F. Ching (Karori) 507, -A. V. Swanson (Karori) 508, W. Kenning (Nelson) 507.

The last four competitors will fire tomorrow morning to determine the last two places in the King’s Forty.