RIFLE AND RANGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17347, 30 September 1924, Page 3

RIFLE AND RANGE.

WITH THE .303, BY

“TRIGGER.”

PROSPECTS FOR THE 1924-25 SEASON. The present season will b© in full swing within the next week or two and already some of the clubs have had their opening days. Several new clubs have been formed since last season, most notably the Railway Defence Rifle Club with a membership of something like thirty active members. I believe that a club is also being formed at Culverden which should give the sport a big lift in North Canterbury. Rifle shooting throughout the Dominion is getting hack to the position it had before the war. The Defence Department is giving the clubs every assistance and encouragement, two privileges which were taken away during late years have been restored, namely, free ammunition at Rifle Association Prize meetings and one hundred miles free transport on the railways to riflemen travelling to the meet. This should entail a bigger entry at this year’s meetings and with a grant of £IOOO to the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting at Trentham a big contingent from the South Island clubs should b© seen at the Dominion’s Bislev next March. Another encouragement to South Island riflemen to attend the meeting is a pound less entry fee, than their northern brothers. This. I believe, is to make the difference in the boat fare, which North Island competitors have not to face in the items of expenditure. *•** The Canterbury Rifle Association will again hold its annual meeting at Redcliffs on January 1 and 2, next. In addition a shield is being obtained by the Association for the encouragement of team shooting between the various clubs in Canterbury. It will be called the Oakes Challenge Shield, being named after the first and present President of the Association. It is intended, in order to determine who shall hold the shield, first to write all affiliated clubs in Canterbury to send teams to Redcliffs on Saturday, December 27- This alone should give a big boost to the sport, which is also a national asset in the defence of the Dominion. BISLEY RECORDS. The King’s prizeman at the big Bisley meeting recently was a Canadian rifleman named Desmond Burke, who is the youngest competitor to win the “ King’s ” match, he being only nineteen years of age. In addition he was the first competitor to win both bronze and gold medals at the same meeting. In winning the coveted trophy, which is the greatest shooting prize of the Empire, he won at the same time the only first prize he has ever won. He was the yoimgest member of the Canadian team and also the youngest rifleman competing at the meeting. His aggregate score of 230 out of a possible 250 was a good shoot. Last year when Captain Robinson won with 232, the reduced scoring area on the target was not in evidence. This year it was intended to reduce the bull’s-eye at 200 yards from lOin to Sin, at 300 yards from lOin to Sin, and for 500 and (500 yards from 20in to 16in. The other rings would, of course, be reduced in pro-

portion. The inner ring, it was suggested. should be reduced from 36in to 30in and the magpie from 48in to 45in. The black aiming mark was not to be altered and the alteration in the bull’s-eye would be known as the counting ring or (i invisible bull.” The totals and scores of the first four in the King’s Prize were as follow 7: 2nd. 900 1000 range, yds. yds. Total. Private D. Burke. Canada (King's Prize of £250 and N.R.A. Gold Medal and Gold Badge) . 91 66 73 230 Fulton, late Q. Weetr. Rifles (N.R.A. Badge and £SO) .93 67 68 228 Captain T>. Smith, S. Africa (N.R.A. Radge and £00) . 90 65 72 227 Sapper A. Smith, late R.E. (N.R.A. Radge and £10) . 91 68 68 227 Another competitor scored 227. three competitors scored 226, one 225. one 321. three 223, and four 222. Eight Australians got into the King ? Hundred. Quartermaster-sergeant R. R. Nicholl (New Zealand) distinguished himself in the Kinnaird Competition (instituted as a memorial to the late Lord Kinnaird, treasurer of the National Rifle Association). In this he scored the possible of 35 points and divided

the prizes of £B, £6 and £5 with two others (Quartermaster-sergeant G. W. Church, of the South African Infantry, and Quartermaster-sergeant F. O. Mason, of the 10th Royal Hussars). Eighteen other competitors each scored 34 points. Quartermaster-sergeant Nicholl was successful in arriving at the second stage of the King’s Prize.

The Prince of Wales, as president of the Association was at Bisley on the closing day of the King’s Prize and presented the prizes. After he had distributed the cups and trophies and shaken hands with every individual prize-winner, and with every member of a winning team, his Royal Highness in a speech punctuated by applause, said: *

“I am very proud indeed to have been asked to come down to present thes© prizes. Of all our many national festivals which draw our fellow-coun-trymen to England from all corners of the Empire, this meeting of the National Rifle Association is in a position quite by itself. W© welcome all those who have com© to compete from overseas, and we want particularly to congratulate Canada and Private Burke on having won the King’s Prize. I take this opportunity, too, to congratulate all the prize-winners. As we all know, everything is more expensive nowadays than it was before the war. and therefore it costs the association more to run the meeting. There has been, too, a good deal of reconstruction necessary here at Bisley. For those reasons the association’s financial position is not any too good, and an appeal for help will be launched this autumn. Well. I commend that appeal to the whole of the British public very earnestly. This association, indeed, deserves the name of national, for it does a great national service. I hope this appeal will be generously supported. 1 wish it every posible success, and I shall help it in every way J possibly can. I thank the association for its kind hospitality to me to-day and congratulate it upon a very successful meeting.” CLUB NOTES. The Ashburton Defence Club will open the season next Saturday. A complete telephone service has been installed at the range. The Kaiapoi Club open the season on Saturday next. The members have been putting in a lot of work renovating the range, and have made great improvements. The members of this club, while not very numerous, are very keen and are looking forward to a successful season. A good programme has been drawn up and thanks are due to the ardent supporters of the club who this year have donated trophies, of which there are a large number.

Members of the Christchurch Defence Club journeyed out to Tai Tapu on Saturday and Held their opening day in most pleasant weather conditions. in the absence of the vicepresident, teams were chosen by the president, Mr J. Lummis, and the secretary, Mr W. S. Wharton. The latter’s team was successful by the narrow margin of one point. R. Neill was top scorer for the winners, notching 32 at 300 yards and 32 at 500 yards, total 64. Next were F. Judkins 29-33, total 62, and H. Harris 32-30, total 62. On the president’s side, H. Reynolds was top scorer with 62, scoring 29 and 33 respectively. The teams scores for eight men aside were 450 and 449.

The Rangiora Defence Rifle Club opened the season on Saturday last and with weather conditions perfect a pleasant afternoon’s shooting took place. A match was fired between teams chosen by the president and the vice-president, the latter’s being successful by 17 points. The conditions were eleven shots at 200 yards and ten at 300 yards, with optional sigh ter at each range. The following were the top scorers for the winners:—T. Thompson 51-45, total 96, C. Humphreys 49-46, total 95, and R. Foubister 51-42. total 93. N. Wilson 52-43, total 95, was top scorer for the president’s side. JOTTINGS. L. C. Pimm, the well-known rifle shot.,, will this season be shooting for the Kaiapoi Club. He should be a tower of strength to the North Canterbury club, as he is a great team scorer. Improvements are promised for the Redcliffs range and will most likely eventuate in time for next season’s shooting. Quite a number cf miniature shots have joined up with the big rifle this season, H. Haworth, winner of the Goodhart Cup, being one of them.