Western Southland hosted the South Island South Zone last weekend which was excellent indeed, as it see’s southern clubs getting right back into Sporting. Four members of the South Island Sporting Clay Shooters Club took two trailer loads of new Pro Matic traps down from Timaru and Alexandra to help the locals. Again huge thanks to Graeme Brown and also to Neil Winsloe for their total support in this venture. Good weather, no way, we set up in snow flurries and driving rain and wind; and then to add insults Saturday’s trophy day was held in snow and icy polar blasts. Sunday was a different story though cool and overcast the worst of the weather had gone and shooting conditions were pretty good overall.
Several members from the new Te Anau Clay Target Club attended to get some ideas for their own shoots and they are really getting into Sporting shooting and like the S.I.S.C.S.C have no ground, but are looking at being a ’mobile’ club. There is no shortage of superb sporting ground in Southland not to forget the enthusiasm of the guys to make this succeed.
We set three old style fields and the club set one, and in my opinion there’s was the hardest with great tricky midi’s, mini’s and the rarely seen ‘bee’ set inside a midi, and in a simo pair!! The targets we tough over the two days but not ridiculous except one incomer that ended up being something that you would see at a shooting demonstration by the worlds best. Our fault, we didn’t pin it down and with wet logs on the pallet it just slipped further from our grasp. It caused some ‘discussions’ but was accepted by shooters as one of those things, and did not dampen a weekend of great, challenging targets and good Southern hospitality.
Results:
HOA Phil Brown Timaru 79
1 A grade Steve Gill S.I.S.C.S.C. 72
2 A grade Peter Drake Western Sthland. 72
3 A grade James Simpson Nelson 68
1 B grade Graeme Brown S.I.S.C.S.C. 78
2 B grade Ron Madden S.I.S.C.S.C. 73
3 B grade Tim Jackson Western Sthland. 71
1 C grade Kurt Shearing Western Sthland 70
2 C grade Allan Hoffman Central Sthland 70
3 C grade Shawn Bickley Southland 61
Veterans Graeme Brown S.I.S.C.S.C. 78
Juniors James Simpson Nelson 68
Shooters World 2 day High Gun Phil Brown.
Ron Madden.