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Bathurst Rifle Club Inc 12th December 2015 W Northcott Memorial Trophy, 700yards

            Little more can be said of the weather conditions being experienced on the Bathurst Rifle Range at the moment except to say that any score is a good score. The wind and mirage were worse than anything seen so far this season and the 700 yard distance exacerbated shooters pain.

           Starting with a strong blustery south westerly wind and a heavy mirage which completely obliterated the scoring rings, early shooters were just pawns in the game. Graham Willis set the tone with a 51.1 which was one of the better scores of the first stage, Jeff Eppleston shot a 50.1, Luke Harris a 42.0 and George Lau using a totally inadequate .243 calibre hunting rifle a 34.0. 

            In target rifle the humour of the situation quickly became apparent as nobody was immune from the dreaded magpie or worse. John Coghill was one who seemed to buck the trend coming into his eighth shot just three points down. A missed change (magpie three) and a timid move (two points which should have been six) saw him finish with a one point shot on the edge of the target. He dropped 6 points in his last two shots for 41.02. Such was the disarray among all shooters that he was only one point off the lead as Gordon Shepherd, Graeme Bright Dennis Lavelle all shot 42’s and Ron Gibson could only match Coghills’ score.

            The second stage belonged to Shepherd who shot the only decent score of the day, a 48.04. Bright couldn’t keep his group tight enough managing just 46.02 as Coghill added another magpie to his total and cobbled together a 44.01. Lavelle was unable to better his first stage score and Gibson managed only a 40.01. Shepherd won the A grade Cock of the Walk and Coghill the B grade.

            In F-class Geoff Willis arrived late missing the treacherous conditions at the start but couldn’t master the baffling changes which continued throughout the day. He shot 53.1 and 52.1 to win the COW as his competitors muddled along. Eppleston shot a 53.1, Grahame Willis a disastrous 48.0, Harris a 46.1 and Lau 20.0 .

            Eppleston won the W Northcott Memorial Trophy and next week will see the final range of the first round of the Club Championship and T W Willman Trophy at 900 yards. 

Scores: 

J Eppleston FSA103.2 (12) 95 ¾

G Shepherd TRA 90.05 (5 ¼) 95 ¼

J Coghill TRB 85.03 (9 ¾) 94 ¾

G Bright TRA 88.02 (5 ¼) 93 ¼

R Gibson TRB 81.03 (12) 93

D Lavelle TRB 84.02 (8) 92

G S Willis FTR 105.2 (4 ¾) 91 ½

G P Willis FSA 99.1 (6 ½) 88

L Harris FTR 88.1

G Lau FTR 54.0: