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Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 4th June 2016 F A Wilde Trophy, 500yards

            Whilst most shooters listened to the dire weather reports on Saturday morning and failed to front, some studied the weather radar in the morning and easterly sky in the afternoon and dared the rain to come. It did not, and the conditions for target shooting were as close to ideal as could be hoped. Cloud cover eliminated the mirage, and the breeze was almost nonexistent; in other words a great day for sighting in a rifle at 500 yards. 

           Dennis Lavelle started in great fashion and looked to be honouring the conditions with a possible until a last shot eleven o’clock inner four put paid to that effort. Graeme Bright followed suit but he too faltered with inner fours on his third and eighth shots. John Coghill had his best start for many months and held the tightest group he could remember but fatigue set-in and he disappointed with inner fours on his last two shots. With Lavelle leading the way on 49.03, Bright following on 48.04 and Coghill also on 48 with just three centres, the second stage was set up for an exciting tussle.

           Lavelle was the first to falter as he found a slight breeze and dullish light too much to contend with dropping regular points throughout his stage of 45.02. Coghill was the next on the mound and although his group got bigger he held within the bull’s eye until a rough 8 o’clock inner four slipped into his stage. Two centre bulls’ eyes followed but a last shot inner four handed Bright the perfect shot at the Cock of the Walk. Bright as in the first stage dropped a point mid-stage but still held the ascendancy until a last shot inner four tied the score with Coghill, both on 96.06. Coghills' better second stage gave him the COW on count back. 

           Weather in Lithgow on Sunday intervened in the shoot off for district Champion of Champions. Bathurst’s Graeme Bright was the only contender in target rifle and will now represent the Blue Mountains DRA in Sydney later in the year to determine the State COC. In cold wet misty conditions Roden Lohse (Lithgow) 117.6 beat Grahame Willis (Bathurst) 110.4 in the F-class section.

           Next week will be the final range of the F A Wilde trophy over 600 yards.

Scores: 

J Coghill TRB 96.06 (5 ¾) 100

D Lavelle TRB 94.05 (4 ½) 98 ½

G Bright TRA 96.06 (1 ¾) 97 ¾