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Bathurst Rifle Club 24th October Gurdon/Pratley Trophies

          The penultimate trophy competition of the 2009-year was finally concluded after an eight-week interlude for motor racing, and weather conditions on the two days were quite the opposite. The 300-yard shoot in August was cold, wet, windy and miserable but this Saturdays' weather was fine and warm and shot over the 900-yard range in a very difficult breeze.

          Wind shifts were rapid and required large windage corrections to stay on the target. It was not uncommon to experience 6-8 point changes, or 1.2 to 1.8 metre deviation in the bullets trajectory. 

          No one had any mastery over the conditions but Graeme Bright gave a good exhibition of shooting in the trying conditions and Gordon Shepherd matched Bright as each put together 48.03 in the blustery conditions. Dennis Lavelle 46.02 fell into a hole mid shoot with magpie-inner four, and Steve Williams, 46.04, followed suit with a double inner start and a magpie on his second last shot. John Coghill never looked likely, finishing with a miserable 44.0. 

          Jan Sibera led in B grade with 47.03 but Keith Redding found the lie of the mound quite debilitating and struggled to a 40.01 with a magpie or three. In F class the Willis brothers went head to head Geoff using a modernistic homemade stock to shoot 54/60 whilst Grahame used his neighbours target as well as his own in scoring just 45/60.

          The second stage was no better but Bright made the challenge look easy to shoot a 49.04 and win the days Cock of the Walk. Some unkind people said the wind hid behind the SSAA butts during Brights' shoot and jumped out to bite Shepherd who was blown all over the target in recording just 42.01. Coghill fared a little better with a 47.01 to leapfrog Shepherds score and Lavelle despite a slow stage held a reasonable group in scoring 45.01 to pip the other two. Williams had four scattered inners in a scrappy 46.03 but grabbed second spot from Lavelle.

          Sibera had a stage to forget (38.01) with every number from outer 2 to centre bull featuring on his scorecard but Redding was forced to retire thus gifting the B grade to Sibera. 

          Grahame Willis matched and in fact counted out brother Geoff with a 49/60 second stage but Geoff was the overall winner of F class on the day. Shepherd won the Gurdon Cup and Sibera the A Pratley Trophy.

SCORES: 

G Bright 97.07 (1 ¾) 98 f¾

D Lavelle 91.03 (6) 97

J Coghill 91.01 (5 ½) 96 ½

J Sibera 85.04 (8 ½) 93 ½

G Shepherd 90.04 (3 ¼) 93 ¼

Geo Willis 103 (8 ½) 93

S Williams 92.07 (1/2) 92 ½

Gra Willis 94

K Redding 40.01-21.0 Retd:

Prior to the break Steve Williams contested the NSW Queens prize and came away with another heart breaking second in a long run of top finishes. Contesting the McIntosh with no really outstanding stages Williams put together 6 consistently good stages to finished 2nd just one point and two centre bulls eyes behind the winner Ben Picton of the Mungindi-Border club. Another steady performance saw him gain a 15th Badge in the 3 day Queens event but the heart breaking result was the second placing in the 5 day, Grand Aggregate, with 791.83 just 1 centre bulls eye behind Picton on 791.84.