TRENTHAM CHAMPIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2764, 19 March 1910, Page 7

TRENTHAM CHAMPIONS.

WINNING THE RIFLE BELT. CRACK RIFLE SHOTS OF THE DOMINION. Rifleman George Halliday, this year’s champion, has been a member of the Karori Rifle Club for the last ten years, but only during the last, five years lias lie been a prominent shot. He has been shooting remarkable well this year. He finished second in the Wellington Rifle Championship, and won the Palmerston aggregate two years ago. He was well up in the King’s 50 at last year’s meeting, and on the form shown then was selected as a member of the New Zealand representative. team 'which visited Austria!ia last spring. He is a past champion rifle shot of. his club, having won the club championship two years running. This year lie is second in the- running for the club championship honors. Halliday is recognised generally as one of the "best teams’ shot in New Zealand. His finest “sho-ot” was an aggregate of 100 points, made in the Teams Championship Match, at the 1909 Tre-n----tham meeting. He is about 32 years cf ago, and a smoker. Captain AY. S. King, who was beaten by a point for. tlie championship, may be justly described as one of the most notable shots ever produced in New Zealand. As Bandmaster Kiiv he won the Championship Belt in 1599 by 32 points. In 1901 he tied with AY. Love, day for fourth place in the Championship, and in 1902 he was again fourth in the series to Rifleman G. Hyde, the winner. He has been a member of two Bisley teams, and he has also represent, ed New Zealand in Australia. At__tho Trentham meeting in 1892 and 1895 ho | won the rifle cups presented by Ole association. He won the "Union Company’s Cup at AYnnganui in 1899, and at Trentham, in 190 S, and now, by winning it again this year, it- becomes Ins entire property. He won the Carbine Cup in 1908. In 1905 ho was champion of the South. Island . Captain J. H. Ross, third in the “King’s” is a highly popular rifle shot, who- began his career on rifle ranges in the ’seventies. He admits that he is fifty years old, and that the coming of the aperture sight has increased his shooting life. He won the old 1 Carbine Belt outright while a subaltern in the Napier Rifle Volunteers. The three occasions were in 1884, 1886. and 1888. He has been runner-up for the belt twice —first in 1889 (Sergeant Parslow, Auckland, champion), and in 1898 (Private J. Al‘Gregor. Oamaru Rules, champion). As an officer of the F. Battery in R.N.Z.F.A.V. he first shot in an association meeting at Brightwatei, Nelson, in 1879. Captain Ross used to shoot from, the right shoulder. Nowadays he uses the, left. He is on the active unattached list> aim is employed in the Civil Service. HOAV HALLIDAY BECAME CHAMPION.

The targets were turned at 3.15. There was a dead calm, and clouds which threatened to hurst at any moment obscured the sky. The light was dull, and the atmosphere muggy. Judged by the sighters, the scores in the match promised to be anything but brilliant, no fewer than thirty-two. of the fifty missing the target with their trial round, xving, Frank, Kenning, Govennoek, Evans. Crimp, and Masefield were included .in the number. Ross, Halliday. and Cutler, each scored magpies, and promptly crossed them out. the sighter being optional. King found the target with his first encounter, which was an outer, and Cutler an inner. King was more successful with his next shot, the disc showing an inner. Ross got a bull's-eye and so did Hallidav. Frank, Kenning, and Evans were still off the target, while Govcnlock and Cutler pierced the magpie ring. The progress of the rest of the scoring can be seen from the detailed scores given below. With two shots per man to go the positions of the lead, ers were: — Halliday 475 Kin-sr 4/2 Cutler 1 471 Ross 469 Govenlock 466 King and Cutler were creeping up. King got a, “bu 11,”., and _so did Halliday, Cutler a 4, Ross a 5, and Govenlock a 2. the score reading:— Halliday •••• 4SO King 477 Cutler 470 Ross ;•••• 474 For King to win Halliday would have had to miss, but he scored a magpie, and placed the belt beyond doubt, the largo crowd behind mound loudly .applauding. King finished with a “hull,” Ross with a “hull,” and Cutler witli a 4, the finish being:— | Cutler 479 Ross 4/9 Instead of firing off the tie Cutler and Rose,’ tossed' a penny to see who would take third prize, Ross winning. Captain Sotheran, who started in the forty-sixth place, made a fine shoot, one off the possible, and finished seventh.