News

Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 1st August 2015 W & J Brown Shield, 700yards

            Our National representatives have left for foreign shores and our State team representatives are leaving this week to compete for NSW in the F class National Teams competition at the Belmont rifle range in Brisbane. 

           Geoff Willis and Jeff Eppleston will compete in their second consecutive National Teams competition and then be joined by Graeme Bright to compete in the Queensland Rifle Association Queens Prize meeting immediately after the F class Nationals. 

           Saturdays shoot was thus the last tune up for the “Effey’s” before the big event. Things didn’t turn out as expected and the tables were turned on the pair as new Club Champion Grahame Willis out shot them by a comfortable margin. A moderation of the windy conditions, late in the day, helped both Grahame Willis and Graeme Bright shoot defining final stages and enabled them to run over the top of their competitors. 

           The elder Willis shot a very accurate 59.4 beating brother, Geoff by 3 points and former Club Champion Eppleston by two. In target rifle Bright was ahead all day stretching his lead into a 3 point win with the days only possible, a 50.04. Gordon Shepherd and Dennis Lavelle tried hard to match Bright but the effort told when they missed the moderating late conditions and battled the blustery breeze to the end. 

           Of the others Ben Wright shot an excellent 57.2 second stage to add to his first stage 54.1 as he continues to shoot up to, and better than, his handicap. Wright is hampered by having to use his progressive handicap whilst he accumulates enough scores to develop a range handicap. 

           Visitor from Goulburn, Glen Taylor, had an excellent introduction to the Bathurst range compiling a credible 105.2 in what were difficult conditions. The Cock of the Walk winners on the day were Grahame Willis (f class), Bright (TR, A grade) and Lavelle again demolishing his B grade rivals along with some of the A graders.

           The W & J Brown Shield will continue next week at 800 yards with a depleted number of competitors due to the absence of our National and State representatives.

Scores: 

G P Willis FSA 115.8 (6 ½) 100

G Bright TRA 98.05 2 ¼) 100

D Lavelle TRB 95.06 (4) 99

G Shepherd TRA 94.07 (4 ¾) 98 ¾

J Coghill TRB 89.02 (9 ¾) 98 ¾

B Wright FSB 111.3 (6 ½) 98

J Eppleston FSA 113.3 (2 ¾) 96 ½

G S Willis FSA 112.4 (2 ¾) 95 ¾

G Taylor (Goulb) 105.2

by John Coghill