News

Bathurst Rifle Club Inc. 24th November 2018, Diggers and G James Cups, 600yards

              The heavy winds created havoc on the range on Saturday but they weren’t the only hazard encountered by shooters. A plague of small black flies swarmed around shooters as they lay on the mound and with rifle in hand it was impossible to wave them off. It was a case of put up with them in your nose, eyes and mouth and try not to eat them, all the while battling a wind from the west with gusts between 10 to 40 kilometers per hour and every number between in an unrelenting battering.

            The final scorecards told a remarkable story with target rifle contestants all within 3 points of one another. Perhaps this indicated that luck played as much a part as skill and experience. Gordon Shepherd won the day with 91.01 using his new barrel but it didn’t help his centre count. Steve Williams back from a good steady showing in Canberra was next on 90.04 ahead of John Coghill 89.04, Graeme Bright 89.04 and Dennis Lavelle on 88.03, a range of scores not often seen at the Bathurst range.

            F class was a little more conventional with scores indicative of the shooters handicap status but this does not take away from the fact that even with high powered telescopes and front and rear rests, the wind and the dust and the flies got up their noses as well.

            Our two International representatives Jeff Eppleston and Geoff Willis fought out the winners spot with vastly different score lines. Eppleston shot out of the blocks with a good 58.4 but then dropped the ball with a lousy 53.0 second stage allowing Willis to take the win after turning round his poor first stage 53.2 with a final stage of 59.3. Colin Howell and Grahame Willis were just average but Ben Wright and Phil Mahon found the day a bit daunting.

            Competition at the ACT Championships and Queens Prize Meeting saw Steve Williams finish 14th in the Grand Aggregate whilst the FTR pair of Jeffrey Eppleston and Geoff Willis put in strong performances to finish third and fourth in the Queens Prize after leading at various stages. Willis and Eppleston quinella’d a range, the positions being reversed in the day one aggregate, as conditions deteriorated on day two and three with the wind and dust making shooting very uncomfortable.

             The Bathurst range is closed next week for the music festival, competition resuming on 8th December with the second round of the Diggers and G James Cups at 300 yards.

Scores;  
J Coghill TRB 89.04 (12) 100
D Lavelle TRB 88.03 (11 ¼) 99 ¼
G S Willis FSA 112.5 (6 ¼) 98 ½
J Eppleston FSA 111.4 (6 ¾) 98
C Howell FSB 107.4 (7) 95
G Shepherd TRA 91.01 (3 ¾) 94 ¾
G P Willis FSA 105.3 (8 ½) 94 ½
G Bright TRA 89.04 (3 ¾) 92 ¾
S Williams TRA 90.04 (2 ½) 92 ½
B Wright FSA 98.2 (12) 91 ¾
P Mahon FSB 94.1 (12) 88 ½

by John Coghill

All scores/plots can be found Here.