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The Bathurst Rifle Club 2012 Annual Open Prize Meeting

        The Bathurst RSL Club sponsored 2012 Annual Open Prize meeting was held under bright sunny skies with an easterly breeze setting up the range for a day of high scoring. The 43 competitors, who turned out for the days' shoot, could not have anticipated the degree of difficulty presented by the seemingly innocuous conditions. 

       Over the 500 yard first range Nick Cock of Lithgow and Les Fraser from Lyndhurst seemed to have little trouble reading the wind with scores of 50.07 and 50.06 respectively. John Kent (Fashions Mount RC) and Scott Monaghan (Narromine-Dubbo RC) shot low centre count possibles whilst the only other shooter to go clear was Andrew Beavis (North Sydney RC) with a 60.2 in F class. Jeff Eppleston (Bathurst RC) was second in F-Class with 58.3. Ian Barrett (Orange RC) and Alexina Bunt (Katoomba RC) tied in B-grade, both on 48.02, Barrett winning on count back. 

       Rob Logue (Katoomba RC) was an easy winner in C grade. Scanning the 500-yard range scores indicated that there was a lot more to the conditions than appeared as the number of inner fours, and worse, mounted. So it turned out as only two clear rounds were recorded in the first of the 600-yard ranges and the common phrase was "I didn't see that". Mark Thurtell (Orange RC) and Cock shot 50.05 and 50.04 but the gremlins struck at will. Bunt turned the tables in B-grade with 47.03, one centre bullseye clear of Chris Schwebel (Holsworthy RC). 

       Stephen Sutor (Lithgow Small Arms RC) turned his first range second into a win in C-grade with 46.02. Peter Duncan (West Wallsend RC) was Jeff Eppleston's nemesis this time round with a one point win in F-class. By mid afternoon the breeze, still predominantly from the east continued to swirl about and change direction and strength constantly. After two ranges Cock had the only unblemished record and led Frazer and Thurtell by one point. Shooting early in the final stage, Cock slammed the door shut firing his third possible to post an unbeatable 150.14, winning the Bathurst Aggregate by two points. Thurtell and Fraser finished second and third in the Aggregate. Jim Dixon (Cannon Hill RC, Queensland) won the final range with 50.05 from Rob Sweegers (Lyndhurst RC) on 50.04. Barrett's consistency, shooting 46 in each of his 600 yard ranges, saw him take the B grade crown by a point from Luck, and Sutor won the final two 600 yard ranges to clinch the C grade title. 

       Beavis who started the day so well with the only F-class possible, clung to the lead right to the end, Jeff Eppleston unable to breach the gap at the final range. Beavis held off Jeff Eppleston by just one super-V bull. Ken Eppleston won the final 600-yard range with 58.5. 

       The full winners list follows 

The Panorama 500 yards 

A Grade - N Cock Lithgow SARC 50.07 

B Grade - I Barrett Orange RC 48.04 

C Grade - R Logue Katoomba RC 46.01 

F Class - A Beavis North Sydney RC 60.2 

The Evans 600 yards (1) 

A grade - M Thurtell Orange RC 50.05 

B Grade - A Bunt Katoomba RC 47.03 

C Grade - S Sutor Lithgow SARC 46.02 

F Class - P Duncan West Wallsend RC 58.4 

The Macquarie 600 yards (2) 

A Grade - J Dixon Cannon Hill RC, 50.05 

B Grade - J Luck Lithgow SARC 48.05 

C Grade - S Sutor Lithgow SARC 40.0 

F Class - K Eppleston West Wallsend 58.5 

The Bathurst Aggregate 

A Grade - N Cock Lithgow SARC 150.14 

B Grade - I Barrett Orange RC 140.06 

C Grade - S Sutor Lithgow SARC 129.04 

F Class - A Beavis North Sydney RC 171.8