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[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 20 April 2013 The L Williams Cup. 500yards[/b] A number of Bathurst shooters have descended on the Bendigo rifle range for the annual Victorian Rifle Association Queens Prize competition and the local shoot suffered in both quality and numbers. The day however was fine apart from a little light drizzle and those who contested the second range of the L Williams cup shot at or above their handicap average. The best score of the day was a 99.10 (including a second stage 50.05 possible) from Graeme bright who is quickly returning to his best after a period in the doldrums due to equipment problems which resulted in a loss of confidence. Bright’s Cock of the Walk winning shoot was two points clear of B grade winner Ron Gibson who may have found the reason behind his notorious inconsistency. Using factory ammunition instead of his reloads Gibson strung together an excellent 97.06, his best shoot in more than three years. Another to show some form was Dennis Lavelle who has returned to the target rifle discipline after a short stint at Optical class and a longer period at F-class. Lavelle has a renewed enthusiasm for the discipline and showed it with an excellent 96.09 performance. John Coghill and Gordon Shepherd continued their decline with less than average shoots. Coghill won the personal battle by two points. Grahame Willis took out the F-class COW but despite a second stage 60.4 possible it was just as well he was the only competitor in that class as his first stage 54.3 was well below average. Tim Huck visiting from the USA tried his hand at shooting target rifle off a rest using the .308 club rifle. Good news from the F-class scene saw Jeff Eppleston rated the top NSW F-class shooter with Geoff and Grahame Willis also prominent in the rating list. Another good news story was the announcement that Eppleston and Geoff Willis have been selected in the NSW state team for the Nationals in Tasmania in March 2014. The F-class contingent has for some time now kept the Bathurst Rifle clubs name in the news with excellent performances in several Queens Prize and other lesser meets.
The L Williams Cup which concludes on the 4th May at 600 yards will be the defining range of the Club Championship with Bright in the box seat to unseat reigning champion Steve Williams. Next week (27th April) is a practice shoot at 600 yards

Scores: 500 yards: G Bright 99.10 (1 ¼) 100 J Coghill 94.07 (7 ½) 100 R Gibson 97.06 (3 ¾) 100 D Lavelle 96.09 (3 ¼) 99 ¼ G P Willis (F) 114.7 (3 ¾) 98 ¼ G Shepherd 92.07 (5) 97 T Huck (F) 75.0

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 6-13 April 2013 The Captains Trophy and L Williams Cup.[/b] The past two weeks have seen competition continue over the Club championship ranges of 900 and 300 yards in mild sunny conditions ripe for high scoring. Whilst some took full advantage of the opportunities presented at 300 yards, the 900 yard range presented a different scenario. The gentle breeze moved about just enough to lull shooters into a false sense of security Jeff Eppleston was the standout performer on both days topping a steady 116.10 at 900 yards with a season defining 120.10 double possible at the final 300 yard range of the club championship. Epplestons' two excellent shoots put him in an almost unbeatable position to take out his sixth straight F class championship title. The Willis brothers clung tenaciously to his tail but were just a little off the pace. Geoff shot 112.2 at 900 yards and a terrific 119.10 at 300 whilst Grahame was just a whisper behind with 111.3 and 117.10. Steve Palin and John Protzman, both experienced bench rest competitors visiting from outside the area performed right up to the standard of the locals with scores of 115.9 and 114.6 at the 300 yard range.
The results for the target rifle competitors were not as spectacular as the f-class shooters although Adam Parkinson and Graeme Bright both gleaned positives from the two days. Parkinson seems to thrive after long spells away from the mound and he did so again at 900 yards where his 95.06 took out the Cock of the Walk with the Captains Trophy as his reward. Brights’ two days on the mound gained him valuable points in the club championship such that he now has a very real chance of stripping Williams of the title. Bright shot 94.08 at 900 yards and 98.10 at 300 picking up five points in the process. There is a further twenty one points on the table in the final three rounds if he is good enough. Ron Gibson won the B-grade COW at 300 yards with 93.03. Magpies threes and the occasional outer two were a feature of the target rifle contingent on both days.
The L Williams Cup will continue at 500 yards on the 20th April

Scores: 900 yards: A Parkinson 95.06 (7 ¼) 100 G S Willis (F) 112.2 (11 ¾) 100 D Lavelle 92.04 (8) 100 J Eppleston (F) 116.10 (3) 99 ¼ G Bright 94.03 (5) 99 G P Willis (F) 111.3 (5 ½) 97 R Gibson 82.01 (14) 96 G Shepherd 89.05 (6 ¾) 95 B Aitcheson (F) 44.0-48.2 T Huck (F) 44.0

300 yards: J Eppleston (F) 120.10 (0) 100 G S Willis (F) 119.10 (2) 100 G P Willis (F) 117.10 (4 ¼) 100 G Bright 98.10 (2 ¼) 100 J Coghill 88.04 (12) 100 G Shepherd 94.07 (4 ¼) 98 ¼ R Gibson 93.03 (4 ¼) 97 ¼ S Palin (F) 115.9 J Protzman (F) 114.6

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 23rd March2013 The K Redding 700 yard Trophy.[/b] Last week a number of Bathurst shooters contested the Lyndhurst Annual Open Prize Meeting with a great result for Grahame Willis in the F-class division. Up against some of the best in the state, Willis after a slow start on day one, stormed home to take out two of the last three ranges on day two of the two day event. The result was a win in the day two aggregate, and the overall two day Grand Aggregate. The top prize was an $800 Krieger barrel.
In local competition on Saturday a strong north to northwesterly wind threw up a number of questions and only two shooters could find the right answers. With the wind predominantly from the rear of the mound and frequently squaring up, holding a group inside the bullseye was quite a challenge. The conditions were on top in the first stage and only two shooters were able to produce better than 95% accuracy. As the day wore on conditions lightened off somewhat and both Graeme Bright and Jeff Eppleston showed their wares. Eppleston, wary of giving ground to his challengers for the Club Championship left little doubt of his favouritism with a 60.7 second stage after a steady 56.2 first stage. Epplestons’ possible sealed the Cock of the Walk (COW) and put a significant margin between himself and his challengers for the F-class title. Target rifle however threw up a serious challenge to Steve Williams’ dominance in the form of Graeme Bright, who after several months in the doldrums, has emerged in recent weeks with a run of good scores. Bright has moved within reach of Williams with just five shoots left to complete the 2013 championship. His 98.09 was highlighted by a 50.04 second stage possible as he ran away with the A grade COW. With Williams likely to miss some of the remaining shoots Bright in his current form can pull off a remarkable and totally unexpected win. Ron Gibson did best of the B grade shooters easily taking out the COW courtesy of a 47.0 second stage. In F-class the Willis brothers Geoff and Grahame had a very tight tussle, Geoff coming home the better to nudge Grahame out of second position by a single super V. Bright won the K Redding 700 yard trophy on count back from Coghill, both shooters accruing 100 handicap points. The range will close over Easter and shooting will resume at 900 yards on the 6th April

Scores: G Bright 98.07 (3 ¼) 100 J Coghill 87.02 (14) 100 L Sim 87.03 (12 ¾) 99 ¾ E Willis (F) 99.1 (20) 99 ¼ J Eppleston (F) 116.9 (2 ¼) 98 ½ G S Willis (F) 113.7 (5) 98 ½ G P Willis (F) 113.6 (4 ¾) 98 ¼ G Shepherd 92.06 (5 ½) 97 ½ R Gibson 91.01 (6 ¼) 97 ¼ S Williams 94.04 (3/4) 94 ¾ J Miles (F) 85.1 (16) 84 ¼ M Tomlinson (F) 83.2

[b]Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 16th March 2013 The W Cutler Cup. 600 yards [/b] The two day Lyndhurst Annual Open Prize meeting thinned the ranks at the local shoot despite the fact that it was a Championship range. There was a hope that those who chose to stay home may gain a jump on the travelers but that was soon blown away by a strong westerly wind which was very difficult to read. The only one to post a reasonable score in the first stage was Jeff Eppleston but even he was looking down the barrel of a poor score until he concocted a string of four super V’s to finish his stage at 56.4. John Coghill did best of the others with 46.02 and Dennis Lavelle, who dumped his F-class rifle for a target rifle surprised with a 45.03 after more than eighteen months competing in the Optical and F-class disciplines. Brad Aitcheson in just his second shoot led the F-class trio until a bolt malfunction caused a low shot which cost him five points. Geoff Willis and Gordon Shepherd were not in the hunt with less than competitive stages. The second stage produced a change of fortunes for Shepherd and Willis the former producing the stage of the day, an unlikely 50.04 possible and the Cock of the Walk win. Willis made a grab for the F-class COW with a 57.4 but his charge was not sufficient to take the win off Eppleston who despite a wobble held on to win by three super V’s Coghill and Lavelle didn’t gain any insight into the vagaries of the wind despite their reasonable first stage efforts and suffered accordingly. The only thing that was achieved was a tight finish for the B grade title, Coghill counting Lavelle out by one centre bullseye. Aitcheson got off to a slow start in his second stage and found it difficult to regain his rhythm. A couple of sticking cases didn’t help his cause
Coghill won the W Cutler Cup, half a point ahead of Lavelle and next week the K Redding 700 yard trophy is up for competition with a full complement of members.

Scores: G S Willis (F) 110.4 (8 ½) 98 ¾ D Lavelle 89.03 (9) 98 G Shepherd 93.04 (3 ¾) 96 ¾ J Coghill 89.04 (7 ¼) 96 ¼ J Eppleston (F) 110.7 (4 ¾) 95 ¼ B Aitcheson (F) 96.1