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Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 7th November 2015 Diggers & G James Cups, 500yards

            The 2016 season got off to a soggy start last week when the first 300 yard round of the Diggers and G James Cups was washed out and a healthy rollout of competitors were left with at best one stage of shooting to show for their attendance. The second round on Saturday was less well attended but at least the full stage at 500 yards was completed. 

           The weather was warm, sunny and a little breezy. What looked at first to be a strong gusty breeze turned out in fact to be relatively gentle with some subtle changes but few terrors. Gordon Shepherd started with a large group inside the bull’s eye ring, showing perhaps the effect of the long break, and two inner fours were the result of the big group. Dennis Lavelle couldn’t settle at all in his first stage whilst John Coghill suffered from the wobbles as his three inner fours resulted from an attack of the shakes.

           Steve Williams was right into the groove having shot at various competitions during the local shutdown but a wind miscalculation resulted in an inner four either side of the bull’s eye. Grahame Willis showed little effect of the break but three bulls left him a little nonplussed. Steve Pelin returned to the mound after an 18 month break but a mid-stage hiccup left him down three points with an inner four followed by a bull’s eye breaking his run of centre bull’s eyes.

           All scores improved marginally as the conditions mellowed and the competition tightened right up. Williams and Shepherd fought out the A grade Cock of the Walk in a tight contest, with Williams securing the win with a final bull’s eye after a string of centres. B grade was less exciting as Lavelle’s first stage left him needing a miracle which did not eventuate after Coghill showed a big improvement over his 2015 form.

           Willis dropped two points, one a last shot bulls eye, for 58.3 but Pelin powered through with a 59.3 to take a two super centre lead. Pelin, using a 6mm bench rest rifle, was unable to claim a win in the FSA section, having earlier declared his ineligibility as his rifle did not comply with FSA rules on trigger weight. It was however a good shoot after so long out of competition.

           The first round of the Diggers and G James Cups will conclude next week at 600 yards.

Scores:

J Coghill TRB 95.06 (3 ½) 98 ½

G Shepherd TRA 96.03 (2) 98

S Williams TRA 97.12 91/2) 97 ½

G P Willis FSA 115.6 (2) 97 ½

D Lavelle TRB 92.07 (3 ¼) 95 ¼

S Pelin FSB 115.8 

by John Coghill