Clay target shooters make a strong start to the season

Recently our clay target shooters opened their season with a couple of events that were held in mid-May.

On the 11th of May our boys travelled to Taupo for the Murray Luke Memorial shoot. This is a shoot we really value as, with nearly 30 squads from all over the North Island, it gives us a good sense of where we are for the season ahead. With almost an entirely new ‘A’ Team we went in thinking a top five placing was possible and that a podium finish would be a bonus. Our A team made a strong start shooting 95 of the 100 possible Single Rise targets – one behind good friends Napier Boys’ High School. Our very young 'B' Squad followed up with some solid results, given it was the first competition shoot. The Points Score (or triple points) event saw the cold and wet weather close in. The ‘A’ Team shot in composed fashion to again finish slightly behind Napier, but well ahead of the chasing pack. It all came down to the dreaded Single Barrel where we held our nerve to tip Napier by a solitary point.

William Campbell finished 1st equal for the day, with three other shooters, and finished 2nd after the shoot off.

All in all, it was a very positive day with a real sense of occasion. All of our boys gained something from the experience and were left looking enthusiastically at what lay ahead.

Following this our clay target shooters headed to Hastings for round one of our Central North Island Circuit. Consistent, and quite pleasing scores saw our ‘A’ Team place second – only three points      (from a possible 500) behind Napier Boys’ High School. Our very young ‘B’ Team also showed improvement in both scores and confidence.

Individual highlights included:

- Hayden Lourie 2nd Skeet ( after a shoot-off having finished first equal )

- Ben Transom 2nd Points Score

- Ben and William Campbell placed 2nd equal for combined DTL scores on 93 / 100

- Declan Howell 2nd Junior