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[center][b]New South Wales District Rifle Association weekend 2013[/b][/center]

[center][b][i][size=15]Eppleston wins State Title[/size][/i][/b][/center]

At the DRA weekend in Sydney in June the State Champion of Champions and the Country versus City teams match was held at ANZAC Rifle Range with great results for the Bathurst Rifle Club F class Champion Jeff Eppleston and the Country team which annihilated their City counterparts.

Jeff Eppleston added another jewel to his fast growing cache of achievements with his win in the NSW Rifle Associations State Champion of Champions Trophy. Shooting against all of the district champions from throughout NSW Eppleston was representing the Blue Mountains District Rifle Association after winning the BMDRA title last month. This latest exploit, added to his win in last years NSWRA Queens prize, points to his growing reputation as one of the best exponents of the scoped long rifle in the State.

Eppleston was up with the leaders all day after matching his opponents at 500 metres and topping the 600 metre stage. Eppleston lost his buffer after faltering at the 700 metre range but came home strongly at 800 metre to take the Championship by three points from Central West DRA competitor Ralf Garlick.

Eppleston was also a member of the victorious Country team which included Bathurst’s Geoff Willis and Orange’s Brett Bond. Country beat City by 44 points and topped that up with twenty seven more super V-bulls eyes. Willis was the second top shooter in the squad and Eppleston third in the comprehensive victory. Both shooters have been selected in the NSW team to travel to Tasmania to contest the National F-class teams competition in March 2014.

[center][link={e_IMAGE}newspost_images/countryfclass.png][img]{e_IMAGE}newspost_images/thumb_countryfclass.png[/img][/link][/center] [center]Geoff Willis (standing fourth from left), Jeff Eppleston (standing second from right)[/center] [center][size=9](Click image to enlarge)[/size][/center]

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 13th July 2013 J Sibera Trophy 300yards[/b]

   Saturdays shoot was held in excellent shooting conditions with little wind, just the hint of a mirage and bright sunlight for most of the day. The 300 yard range which is falling out of favour due to the damage incurred to the target by the ever increasing accuracy of, in particular F-class shooters, gave everyone a chance to zero their telescopes and sights. The conditions were almost perfect for that task.

    However for all the close scores just two possibles were shot on the day and the competition was intense. Dennis Lavelle produced an excellent 50.04 first stage to set the standard for the day. Steve Williams and Gordon Shepherd both set about the chase with 49.06 apiece. Graeme Bright (46.03) and John Coghill (45.02) were soon left in their wake with uncompetitive stages.

    F-class was a shoot out between the Willis brothers Grahame and Geoff, with both causing major damage to the centre of the target. Grahame Willis produced the second possible a 60.5 first stage, but Geoff was unable to match that with a couple of narrow bulls eyes dropping his score to 58.2. Aaron Smith (48.1) was unhappy with his reloads and Clint Mills (40.0) was way below his best. Darren Crinston shooting with peep sights off a rest scored 44.0.

    The second stage was variously sunny and overcast, the change in conditions adding to the degree of difficulty. Lavelle certainly found trouble with a couple of magpie threes and a trio of inner fours in his 43.03 whilst Coghill improved his status somewhat with a 47.04. Williams (49.07), Bright (49.04) and Shepherd (49.03) just missed a possible but the high centre count of Williams was sufficient to win him the Cock of the Walk, five centre’s ahead of Shepherd.

    Grahame Willis matched Geoff Willis’ second stage and maintained his two shot advantage to take the F-class COW. Mills tightened his group significantly eliminating the magpie threes whilst Smith continued to grapple with his ammunition. A magpie and an outer spoiled Crinstons’ score but his group, aside, was much better. 

    The J Sibera trophy continues next week at 500 yards.

Scores: G Shepherd 98.09 (2 ½) 100 J Coghill 92.06 (8 ¾) 100 G P Willis (F) 118.9 (1 ¼) 99 ½ S Williams 98.13 (1 ¼) 99 ¼ G S Willis (F) 116.6 (2 ¼) 98 ½ D Lavelle 93.07 (5 ¼) 98 ¼ G Bright 95.07 (1 ¾) 96 ¾ A Smith (F) 94.1 (13 ¼) 89 ½ C Mills (F) 88.0 (16 ¾) 87 ¼ D Crimston (F) 88.0:

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 29th June 2013 C R Kelly Cup 800yards[/b]

Full Bore target rifle shooting has existed in Bathurst dating back to the first settlement in the early 1800’s but few women have featured in the Bathurst Rifle Clubs’ long and distinguished history. A Miss M Carr was one such lady who competed against men with much success in the period 1913/14 but little is known about her, other that she was very competitive against her male counterparts.

History may be about to repeat itself with the emergence of a talented young woman 100 years after Miss Carr’s exploits with the long rifle. On Saturday Elizabeth Willis etched her name on one of the clubs’ trophies, the only women to have done so since records dating back to 1909 have been kept.

[center][link={e_IMAGE}newspost_images/lady_rifle_shooter_001.png][img]{e_IMAGE}newspost_images/thumb_lady_rifle_shooter_001.png[/img][/link] [link={e_IMAGE}newspost_images/lizzie.png][img]{e_IMAGE}newspost_images/thumb_lizzie.png[/img][/link][/center]

Willis took up competitive rifle shooting just fifteen months ago and has made spectacular progress in her chosen discipline of F-class standard, culminating in her first trophy win, the C R Kelly Cup first presented in 1951. Willis did it in style winning not only the trophy but the Cock of the Walk against F-class champion Jeff Eppleston and her father Grahame Willis. Her handicap score also topped target rifle Club Champion Steve Williams and former Champion and 2013 runner up Graeme Bright.

The conditions on the 800 yard mound were overcast for most of the day but the rain held off and the breeze was light and predominantly from the east. A light mirage did little to complicate the issue and scores were quite high. Williams started proceedings with a possible 50.04, Bright following up with a 49.03, whilst Grahame Willis led out the F-class contingent with 58.1.

Liz Willis put all out of their misery with a day topping 58.4 and sealed the trophy with the maximum 200/200 handicap points over the combined 700 yard and 800 yard ranges. Unfortunately Willis will temporarily be putting her shooting on hold whilst she pursues her education in Goulburn a district long known for its rifle shooting association with Bathurst.

Williams could not repeat his first stage possible but did enough to win the COW from Bright. John Coghill had a miserable start but got some consolation with a 49.03 second stage. The next shoot will be the J Sibera Trophy starting on 13th July over the 3/5/600 yard distances. 

Scores: E Willis (F) 113.5 (8 ½) 100 S Williams 99.10 (3/4) 99 ¾ G Bright 97.07 (1 ¾) 98 ¾ G P Willis (F) 113.5 (5 ¼) 98 ½ J Coghill 92.04 (5 ¼) 97 ¼ J Eppleston (F) 108.2 (6 ½) 95 ½

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 22nd June 2013 C R Kelly Cup 700yards[/b]

With the fickle conditions experienced over recent weeks scores have been somewhat depressed, along with many of the competitors, but each week someone emerges to brighten the scene with an exceptional shoot. This week it was Grahame Willis, under great pressure from daughter Liz and brother Geoff, not to mention Club Champion Jeff Eppleston, who pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a possible 60.6 to snaffle the F class Cock of the Walk.

Willis, like all competitors, battled to hold any sort of close grouping in the first stage as the easterly breeze and mirage played with shooters minds. The masterly possible was without doubt the highlight of a day of few highlights although Liz Willis shone in the glow of her fathers’ win as she followed up with the second best F-class stage of the day, a fine 58.3.

Graeme Bright was the only target rifle shooter to show any glimpse of understanding of the conditions and his 97.04 was seven shots better than his nearest rival, sometime shooter Adam Parkinson. Bright has just emerged from a dark period where everything he tried, to correct a shocking run of scores, failed, but a revamped trigger and other minor adjustments seem to have done the trick. 

Parkinson whose appearances on the mound are restricted by work commitments took out the B-grade COW and has now won that honour in his last four appearances. John Coghill gave the markers a real workout with a scattergun 85.02 whilst Gordon Shepherd just pipped last weeks’ hero Dennis Lavelle on count back both shooters scoring just 89.04 apiece.

Eppleston had a moderate day managing to stay in front of Liz Willis and Geoff Willis with only two points separating the three shooters, whilst Brad Aitcheson continues to come on in leaps and bounds with his average rising rapidly and his handicap dropping into single figures. Jake Miles progress has slowed somewhat as he persists without the butt pillow for stabilization. 

         With the 900 yard range on the 6th July cancelled due to motocross racing on the mount, next weeks’ 800 yard shoot will be the final range of the C R Kelly Cup which is currently led by Liz Willis with a perfect 100/100. 

Scores: E Willis (F) 111.5 (18 ½) 100 G P Willis (F) 115.8 (4 ¾) 99 ¾ J Coghill 85.02 (13 ¾) 98 ¾ G Bright 97.04 (1 ¼) 98 ¼ J Eppleston (F) 112.3 (4 ½) 97 A Parkinson 90.02 (6 ¼) 96 ¼ D Lavelle 89.04 (6 ½) 95 ½ B Aitcheson (F) 105.2 (9) 95 G Shepherd 89.04 (5 ¼) 94 ¼ G S Willis (F) 110.2 (2 ½) 93 ¾ J Miles (F) 91.0 (18 ¾) 91 ½

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 15th June 2013 F A Wilde Trophy 600yards[/b]

Saturdays’ final round of the F A Wilde trophy was poorly attended with several regulars travelling in search of warmer climes and there was little in the way of hot scores to warm the locals except for one stage of brilliance by Dennis Lavelle.

With a breeze which didn’t seem to know from which direction it should approach the range the challenge for shooters was which directional flag should be believed. In the first stage no one came to grips with the conditions although Graeme Bright seemed to be on top of it until two inner fours landed on his scorecard at the end of a fairly tight shoot.

Everyone else, including the F-class shooters fell foul of the fickle wind and surprisingly elevation was a major problem, which could hardly be attributed to the wind. Gordon Shepherd 45.02, John Coghill 44.01, and Lavelle 43.01 all struggled to hold a group, Lavelle particularly, with two magpie threes’ spoiling his stage.

Telescopes did little to help Geoff Willis and Brad Aitcheson who both had trouble keeping their group inside the bullseye ring and several outside shots brought them undone. Their second stages were little better although Aitcheson at one point threatened to usurp the experienced Willis, falling just three points short of a major upset.

The second stage was a cakewalk for Bright who despite an early double inner four repeated his first stage to take the Cock of the Walk very comfortably. Shepherd and Coghill didn’t come to grips with the conditions and played no part in the competition.

The second stage by Lavelle was the talking point in a day of little note. With no inkling of any great feat about to be performed Lavelle slowly and deliberately laid on a high centre count possible, unusually and out of character, stopping at times to wait and survey the foibles of the wind.  In a masterly display of full bore target shooting his 50.05 was an exercise in patience and concentration which won him the B grade COW.

Bright won the F A Wilde trophy by 1 ½ points ahead of Shepherd. The next trophy in consideration is the C R Kelly Cup beginning on Saturday 22nd at 700 yards 

Scores: D Lavelle 93.06 (7 ¼) 100 G Bright 96.06 (2 ¼) 98 ¼ J Coghill 89.01 (9) 98 G Shepherd 90.02 (6) 96 B Aitcheson (F) 101.1 (10) 92 ½ G S Willis (F) 104.2 (2 ½) 88 ¾