THE IRISH TEAM WINS THE ELCHO SHIELD.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 126, 1 October 1875, Page 8

THE IRISH TEAM WINS THE ELCHO SHIELD.

Thb match between England, Scotland, and Ireland for the Elcho Shield waß shot afc Wimbledon on the 22nd July j and once more tho splendid trophy was carried off by tha Irish marksmen. The American riflemen did not take part in the match, but ware present all day watching the shooting. The highe»t grade of shooting at Wimbledon is not to be found in the matches in which the volunteer! alone tale part, but rather in those in which the small bore rifle is the weapon exclnsively^used. These competitions are intended to encourage the production of superior weapons, and of scientific shooting generally among civilians, and though the volunteers ar« not debarred from taking part in thern| they can only do so in their civil and not in their military capacity. The very fine aud careful construction of the weapons employed in these matches enableß them to discharge missiles to great distances ■with considerable accuracy, consequently all competitions with them are at what are termed " long ranges," or, in other words, from 700 to 1200 yards. It is in these small bore riflo matches that the interest in rifle shooting is carried to its greatest extent, the principal contest of this class being that for the " Elcho Challenge Shield." which was originally presented by the nobleman whose name it bears. The competititors for this trophy mtißt bo a selected eight from any of the nationalities of the United Kingdom or of the colonies of the Biitish Empire ; but thus far it has only been contested for by England, Scotland, Ireland, and Canada. Inasmuch as the representatives of each nationality or colony are limited i» number, competitions are ' previously held in the respective countries to decide upon them, who •re thui presumed to be the best shots in each. The match is decided by fifteen Bhots each, at 800, 900, and 1000 yards. The prize is exclusively on* of honor, and the competition not an individual o»e, but on» of country against country, the collective scores of the representatives of each deciding the contest. The trophy ig held by the winners only for one year, at the end of which it is again competed for. It is a magnificent work of art, several feet in diameter, and while in possession of the conquerors for the time being, it is deposited in the custody of the chief magistrate of the principal city of the winning country and exhibited in on« of its principal edifices. The shield waß won laßt year by Scotland, with a scoie of 1437 points, against England with 1405, and Ireland with 1373. In the previous year Ireland was the successful nation. Th« shooting this year was of the most extraordinary character. The Irishmen won by three points, while Scotland was only one point ahead of England. The ranges in this contest nre 800, 900, and 1000 yards, and the possible score at each range is 600 points. At the 800 yards range the English ei»ht floored 575, Irishmen f>o2, and Scotchmen 498. At the second range the Irish eight scored 527, Scotchmen 611, and Englishmen 504. The Irishmen won the Shield by a icora of 1506, to the Scotch 1503, and the English 1502,