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[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 26 April 2014 The L Williams Cup 500yards[/b]

The measure of the difficulty of the days’ conditions was the high scoring particularly by the F-class shooters. With one double possible and a near perfect stage, the scoped warriors found the conditions very much to their liking.

Geoff Willis was the standout and Cock of the Walk winner with a pair of 60’s which included 75 percent of his shots hitting the super bullseye, a tiny circle 6.5 centimetres in diameter. Jeff Eppleston almost duplicated Willis’ score but dropped a point on the last shot in the first stage. He did however top Willis’ super bullseye count with 16 supers and almost achieved a perfect stage but for a 6 finish on his last shot for a 60.9.

Lyndhurst visitors Greg Emms and Bruce Rowlands had their own personal tussle with Emms holding a slightly tighter group, doubling Rowlands super V count as they each shot a pair of 58’s. Stephen Pelin a new recruit for the F-class group also shot well and quickly came to grips with the conditions, his second stage 58.5 up there with the more experienced Lyndhurst pair.

Target rifle was a cake walk for Steve Williams but he lamented his early first stage inner four which ruined a double possible chance. He followed his 49.03 with a second stage 50.04 to win the A grade COW. Graeme Bright was not in the hunt as he succumbed to three inner fours in each stage. 

In B grade Dennis Lavelle extended his run of COW wins to four on the trot. Lavelle finished all over his competitors with a 49.01 although John Coghill shot more centre bulls eyes. Coghills’ 94.07 included a 47.06 first stage whilst Darren Crimston slowly returning from a serious arm injury was pleased with a second stage 48.02 after a rusty 43.01.

The L Williams cup will conclude next week at the 600 yard mound in a shoot that will be the last 600 yard round of the 2014 Club Championship. With just the three rounds left of the championship Williams has a good lead in the Target Rifle division whilst B grade and F-class are very tight with Lavelle, Eppleston and Geoff Willis still needing to post scores in the remaining shoots to qualify in their respective divisions.

Scores:
G S Willis (FSA) 120.15 (3/4) 100 J Eppleston (FSA) 119.16 (1 ¾) 100 J Coghill (TRB) 94.07 (6 ¾) 100 S Williams (TRA) 99.09 (3/4) 99 ¾ D Lavelle (TRB) 96.04 (3 ¾) 99 ¾ D Crimston (TRB) 91.03 (6 ½) 97 ½ G Bright (TRA) 94.06 (2 ¾) 96 ¾ G Emms (Lynd-FSA) 116.8 B Rowlands (Lynd-FSA) 116.4 S Pelin FSB 114.4

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 12 April 2014 The L Williams Cup 300yards[/b]

Numbers were boosted with the return of several members and visitors from a successful Queens Prize meeting at Bendigo recently. The Willis brothers were particularly pleased with their results picking up badges in the F-class A grade division in both the Queens Prize and the Grand Aggregate competitions in a very classy field of shooters. 

Geoff Willis picked up a 4th badge in the Queens just one point and 5 super bulls ahead of Grahame Willis in fifth place. In the Grand Aggregate the margin was just one super bulls eye as the brothers won fifth and sixth badges.

        Their effort however did not extend to the return to local competition as both had very mediocre shoots in the last of the 300 yard Championship ranges. Jeff Eppleston who shot well below his best in the Queens hit back hard as he attempts to consolidates his lead in the 2014 Championship. Eppleston put his poor form down to a scope rail that had worked loose unnoticed on his rifle. His effort on his home range on Saturday, shooting 117.10, put him in an almost impregnable position to defend the F-class champion cup for 2014.

Liz Willis returned briefly and carried on as if she had never taken a break. Studying in Goulburn, Willis has little time for her chosen sport but her 115.3 score would have been eagerly accepted by her own kin folks.

The target rifle group which is fast becoming a minority player in the scheme of things was out numbered nine to six in the number of competitors. However Lyndhurst’s Queens Prize winner Jim Jeffrey joined his F-class club mates to inject some class into the day. Jeffrey shot a lazy 100.16 double possible to take the Cock of the Walk from Bathurst’s Steve Williams by one point and seven centre bulls eyes.

The B grade competition has been invigorated by the return from injury of Dennis Lavelle who has won the last three Cock’s of the Walk straight. Ron Gibson has now turned his attention to countering the Lavelle challenge as other threats to his crown fade.

The next shoot is on 26th April at the 500 yard mound.

Scores: S Williams TRA 99.09 (1 ½) 100 J Eppleston FSA 117.10 (3 ¾) 100 E Willis FSB 115.3 (5 ½) 100 R Gibson TRB 92.04 (7 ½) 99 ½ G Bright TRA 96.03 (3) 99 D Lavelle TRB 93.06 (5) 98 J Coghill TRB 87.03 (11) 98 G S Willis FSA 109.4 (7) 96 ¾ G P Willis FSA 112.6 (3 ½) 96 ¼ J Jeffrey TRA (Lynd) 100.16 B Rowlands FSA (Lynd) 118.8 G Emms FSA (Lynd) 116.3 L Sim FSB 101.3 G Toon FSB (Vis) 104.1 D Crimston FSB 50.0- Rtd

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 29th March 2014 The Captains Trophy 800yards[/b]

There were two fine overall performances at the range on Saturday with Graeme Bright rising from the floor, so to speak, after weeks of under-performing. Brights’ recent shoots have been so far below his best it has been difficult to believe it is the same past Club Champion.

With little resting on the days shoot Bright set about righting his poor form by leading from the front. A first stage 49.02 gave him an early lead and he left nothing to chance with a 50.07 possible second stage to win the A grade Cock of the Walk (COW). Steve Williams was not far behind and although matching Brights’ big finish, he was always behind the eight ball after two inner fours in his first stage.

Dennis Lavelle was the other top performer with a great 98.10. Lavelle was returning from a serious hand injury and not much was expected of him for a few weeks. After a couple of wobbly sighters Lavelle dropped two points with a magpie three on his first counting shot. This was to be the last point he dropped all day finishing with a 50% centre count and closing out his shoot with a 50.05, second stage possible.

With the F class contingent planning to invade Bendigo on mass, Saturday was a chance to fine tune rifles and ammunition on a day of extremely mild weather conditions. Geoff Willis, recent Tasmanian F-class Queens winner was the best on the day dropping just three points but Bruce Rowlands produced the best stage of the day a 60.2 possible.

Greg Emms had a poor first stage 47.0 but rectified that with a much improved 56.0 and Greg Doyle returned for another shot at the F-class discipline before attempting target rifle. Doyle had another steady shoot, although the breeze got the better of him late in the day. His 105.4 was a good result at only his second competitive shoot.

        With several club members as well as our regular visitors planning to attend the Victorian Rifle Association Queens Prize Competition in Bendigo next week, local competition for the final range of the Captains Trophy over 900 yards will be a quiet affair.

Scores: G Bright TRA 99.09 (2 ¼) 100 D Lavelle TRB 98.10 (2 ½) 100 G S Willis FSA 117.7 (2 ½) 99 ½ S Williams TRA 98.11 (1/4) 98 ¼ G P Willis FSA 112.5 (2 ¼) 95 ¼ B Rowlands FSA (Lynd) 116.4 G Doyle FSB (Vis) 105.4 G Emms FSA (Lynd) 103.0 J Coghill TRB (Retired)

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 22nd March 2014 The K Redding Trophy 700yards[/b]

 Saturdays shoot was conducted in widely varying conditions with a hail storm sweeping over the range just prior to the commencement of shooting. The early shooters experienced hot and humid conditions with a strong mirage but later in the day cloud cover hid the mirage and a breezy westerly wind caused some havoc with the scoring.

Gordon Shepherd and Grahame Willis were the only competitors who showed any consistency and they easily won their respective Cock’s of the Walk. Steve Williams looked like he would walk away with the spoils after a 50.05 possible first stage, as first Shepherd 48.03, and then Graeme Bright 47.02 and John Coghill 46.02 failed to handle the mirage.

Shepherd having the advantage of shooting his second stage just before the conditions changed slotted another 48.03 to set up a reasonable target. However the change of conditions had a dramatic effect on the scores as first Bright 43.01, and then Coghill 45.02, fell to the vagaries of the breeze. Williams was slowly losing the plot when he put himself right out of business with a bullseye on the wrong target, gifting the COW to Shepherd.  After weeks of high quality shooting Gibson had a shocker and a change in the composition of his ammunition seemed to be the only possible explanation.

Grahame Willis is throwing out a strong challenge to current F class Club Champion Jeff Eppleston and his brother Geoff Willis, securing his third COW in a row and his ninth for the season. Willis is reaping the benefit of a program of bullet testing which has led him to a settle on a combination of powder and projectile which perform well in his rifle.

Eppleston has not had a good recent period and his Club Champion status is under serious threat from both the Willis brothers. Greg Emms and Bruce Rowlands are welcome frequent visitors to Bathurst while their Lyndhurst range undergoes changes due to licencing arrangements.

 Shepherd won the K Redding 700 yard trophy from Coghill, both shooters finishing on maximum handicap points. The two day Captains Trophy will commence next Saturday at 800 yards.

Scores:
G Shepherd TRA 96.06 (6 ¼) 100; J Coghill TRB 91.04 (9 ¼) 100 G P Willis FSA 117.8 (2) 99 ¼ J Eppleston FSA 111.5 (6) 97 ½ S Williams TRA 91.07 (5 ¼) 96 ¼ G Bright TRA 90.03 (5 ¼) 95 ¼ R Gibson TRB 77.03 (9 ½) 86 ½ G Emms (Lyndhurst) FSA 112.3 B Rowlands (Lyndhurst) FSA 106.3

[b]Bathurst Shooter excels at Tasmanian Queens Prize Championships[/b]

Geoff Willis brought more glory to the Bathurst Rifle Club with a win in the F-Standard A grade (FSA) division of the Tasmanian Queens Prize Championship. It is Willis’s third Queens Prize having won F-Standard B grade at both the NSW and ACT Queens Prize Championships in 2010.

Willis stayed on from the National F Class Teams Championship at Campbell Town where he joined with Bathurst F-class champion Jeff Eppleston, Lyndhurst Rifle Club’s Brett Bond and John Peters from Cessnock, representing NSW. The team took third place on 1094 points behind Victoria on 1099 and North Queensland on 1098. After leading at the end of the first day over the short ranges, the longer 900 and 1000 yard ranges brought about their undoing.

Willis shot the two day Davis Series lead up event and finished a creditable fourth winning one range and finishing second at another. The ‘Queens’ was shot over three days and ten ranges from 300 to 1000 yards. It was a very close fought affair with the three NSW team shooters who remained behind to contest the “Queens” vying for the lead well into day three. There were a few scares for Willis, not the least being on day one at the second range when he had a meltdown and finished a dismal 27th. Day two started the same way with a 24th placing but on both occasions he fought back with high level finishes on the following ranges. Day three was a day of attrition with the 900 and 1000 yard ranges proving very exacting.

A day one aggregate of 232.17 saw Willis in 6th place but he had dropped to 17th at the end of day two. A 59.3 at 900 yards set Willis up but a 54.0 at the final 1000 yard range left the result in limbo. Willis’s aggregate of 572.32 was just enough to see off Cory Lang of Brisbane on 572.27 and John Peters on 571.30. To add to his honours Willis finished with a second placing in the Grand Aggregate on 920.56 just 4 super centres behind the winner Jim Blomfield of Bowen Rifle Club in Queensland.