News

Bathurst Rifle Club 2nd January 2010 The T W Willman Trophy

          The New Year started as the old one finished, with a strong gusty southwesterly wind sweeping over the range. The conditions coupled with the smaller targets and the 900-yard range made it very difficult to attain any sort of decent score.

Whilst no one excelled, Dennis Lavelle took his new, small calibre, 5.56mm rifle to its maximum potential. Against the theory of, 'long distance, windy day', use a heavy calibre, Lavelle out shot all comers to win the days Cock of the Walk.   

          A first stage 45.01 was far from dominant but by following up with a 46.0 second stage Lavelle showed that the wind was not totally unreadable. Despite a pair of magpies in each stage he laid most of his shots in the bulls eye, collecting just the single inner four. 

          Nobody was immune, as the recent magpie blitz continued, with another 28 magpies three's and six outer two's were added to the seasons total. 

          Steve Williams was the closest to Lavelle but he could not sustain his usual close grouping with a spread of magpies and inner fours spoiling his scorecard. Graeme Bright had an even worse day with a 42.0 second stage coming on top of a 44.02 first. Jan Sibera and Keith Redding were at the mercy of the elements and were left a little disillusioned with their scores.

          A telescope and rest is proving no panacea for F class shooters in the rough conditions, but their increasing handicaps are making them more competitive in the race for the Clubs' handicap trophies.

          Jeff Eppleston hit the white paper for his first magpie in many months but still managed to take out the F class COW by 4 shots from Graham Willis with a disappointed brother, Geoff Willis, some 3 shots further back. 

          Lavelle took out the quinella, of T W Willman and K Harvey Trophies, defeating Eppleston in the former and Williams in the latter. 

          With the first round of the Club Championship concluded scores are heading for their lowest totals since the days of the Lee Enfield .303 rifles ended in 1969.           

          The second round of the Championship commences next Saturday with the 300 yard range of the R L Gilmour Cup and shooters will be praying for a break in the cycle of treacherous wind conditions.   

SCORES:

D Lavelle 91.01 (6 ¼) 97 ¼

J Eppleston 105 (10 ½) 96 ¼

Geoff Willis 98 (16) 95

S Williams 89.05 (4) 93

J Sibera 81.0 (12) 93

G Bright 86.02 (4 ¾) 90 ¾

K Redding 58.0 (20) 78

Graham Willis 101