News

Bathurst Rifle Club Inc. 22nd October 2017, Annual Open Prize Meeting. 

             A new era for rifle shooting on Mount Panorama was born on Sunday with the first full electronic target competition held at the Bathurst Rifle Range. The Club was very grateful to David Waters from Katoomba Rifle Club for supplying and managing additional targets to allow a full gallery of six Silver Mountain Targets for the two days of shooting. The results were brilliant with the shoot completed inside seven hours without a problem and the 51 shooters left only to enjoy or lament their success or failure with natures forces the only influence on their efforts.

             And nature in the form of a whirling, swinging breeze played with shooters all day. Starting the morning a gentle northerly breeze produced a fishtail which then dissipated and gradually swung 180 degrees from north to south through all points west of the range, increasing in strength as the day wore on. F class shooters seemed less comfortable with only one possible all day but the Target Rifle group were on song with a total of eleven possibles over the three ranges.

             Shooters from Sydney to Central Coast, Dubbo to Broken Hill to Junee and Canberra shared the winning spoils with Mark Thurtell of the Lyndhurst Rifle Club taking out the Target Rifle A grade Aggregate courtesy of two very strong possibles just ahead of Katherine Kent  also from the strong Lyndhurst Club.

             Paul Simmons (Canberra RC) took out the Days’ Aggregate in Target Rifle B and Michael Cubillo (Fashions Mount RC) in Target Rifle C.  In the F class divisions John Simons (Broken Hill RC) won F Standard A, Ben Wright (Bathurst RC) F Standard B, and Peter Duncan (West Wallsend RC) took out the F Open Aggregate.  

             The Central West was well represented among the winners in the 500 yard first stage with Thurtell, Ian Barrett (Eugowra RC), Mike Cubillo, Daniel Galea (Narromine-Dubbo RC), and local Bathurst RC shooters Ben Wright and Jeff Eppleston, rounding out the winning divisions, Eppleston shooting the only F class possible of the day.

             The first 600 yard range saw a remarkable last to first turnaround by Angus Martin from the Roseville Rifle Club who topped Target Rifle A with the only possible of the stage, all divisions included, whilst those that travelled furthest seemed to dominate the prize positions in the other grades. Paul Simmons (Canberra RC), Mike Cubillo, John Simons, Ben Wright, and Andrew Beavis (North Sydney RC) emerged victorious. 

             The defining second 600 saw Thurtell seal his win with his second possible, a 50.07, whilst Paul Simmons also put his stamp on a win with a 49.04. Alan Reilly (Katoomba RC), who was busy all day assisting with the electronics, popped up with a Target Rifle C win.

             In F Class A, competition was such that a different shooter won each range and this time Ralph Garlick (Lyndhurst RC) emerged triumphant. Bathurst RC members Colin Howell (F Standard B) and Jeff Eppleston used their local knowledge to grab wins in the final stage.

             The Rotary Club of Bathurst catered for the near 100 visitors without a single grizzle.

             Next week is a practice shoot with target calibration a priority. The 2018 season will commence with the 300 yard first range of the Diggers and G James Cups on 11th November.

Full scoreboard is available on the NRAA website HERE.

By John Coghill