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Bathurst Rifle Club 24th October Gurdon/Pratley Trophies

          The 2009 season ended with a whimper rather than a bang, as the hot humid weather, a tricky little breeze and the new, much smaller, international (ICFRA) targets pointed to great challenges in the coming months.

          The new targets, which are about to be introduced Australia wide, offer a much greater challenge with all sections dramatically reduced in size. With twenty-seven magpies threes or worse, Saturdays’ results indicate the approaching 2010 season will bring new demands in all shooting grades.

          The light easterly breeze appeared quite moderate, but all shooters missed subtle changes in direction, and the directional flags appeared just as confused.  

          Graeme Bright finished off a fine year of club competition taking out the days’ honours with a 97.07 but he failed to score the first possible on the new target with a last shot inner four. Bright took out four of the five off rifle trophies in 2009 only going down to Steve Williams in the Club Championship.

          Williams was not at his usual level dropping five points on the way to a 95.07 but both he and Bright streeted the opposition. Dennis Lavelle scored magpies in both stages but his 91.02 was just enough to pip Gordon Shepherd who had a double magpie second stage and could muster just 90.07.

          B grade saw a win to Jan Sibera who is caught between a post and a ring as he tries to work out the best setup for his rifle. Sibera is persevering with a front sight ring but is wavering on returning to the ancient form of sighting using a post in place of the ring. Tim Robinson was the only qualifier for the W & J Brown Trophy but he learnt another lesson in full bore shooting, and that is to check the sight attachments before shooting. A rough first stage was followed by an improved start to his second stage before his scores fell off the card, as did his rear sight when he left the mound.

          Keith Redding couldn’t get comfortable on the mound and his sighting let him down as he scrambled to a 72.01, a number of magpies and outer twos gracing his scorecard.

          The F class shooters found the new targets just as challenging, both Geoff Willis and Jeff Eppleston, collecting inner fours on the way to disappointing 101 and 106 scores.

          Whether it was the smaller targets or the tricky breeze that caused the rout next weeks’ 300-yard season opening round will tell the tale.        

SCORES:

G Bright 97.07 (1 ¼) 98 ¼

S Williams 95.07 (1 ½) 96 ½

J Sibera 89.06 (6 ¾) 95 ¾

D Lavelle 91.02 (4) 95

G Willis 101 (12 ¼) 94 ½

G Shepherd 90.07 (4) 94

K Redding 72.01 (19 ¼) 91 ¼

J Eppleston 106 (3) 91

T Robinson 81.02 (7 ½) 88 ½  

:-)

          A shooter who shall remain anonymous was in such a hurry to back his car up to the mound to commence shooting last Saturday that he forgot his low-slung exhaust pipe. Backing up at a fast clip he drove the exhaust pipe into the mound with such force he stalled the car. Twenty minutes later with the use of a hammer and long handled screwdriver his friends had managed to remove the 30cm slug of wet clay and restart his car. Help much appreciated, thanks fellas!