2018 Westport Championship Results
Nelson Championships, Westport 17 & 18th March 2018
The Nelson Championships were held for the first time in 3 years with the Westport Range now operational after major works on the bullet stop and mantle. Westport turned on a fine and warm weekend with gentle breezes for the 22 shooters. It is planned to reconstitute the Westport Club for the new season. Special thanks to Bernard Menzies and the range trustees for the work they have put in to Westport to get the range operational again.
Past shooters Peter Frankpitt from Greymouth, and 90 year old Noel Palmer from Westport were also visitors to the shoot and presented the trophies. Noel had his photo album and diary record of his Bisley trip with the New Zealand Team in the 1950s with him which created much interest. Shooting is done at 300, 500, 600 and 700 yards, with the 700 yard matches on the 600 yard target. The bull is just under 1.6 minutes across so it is a tough, tight target.
The TR shooting was so close that a shoot off was held to decide the championship. John Snowden and Alan White shot the same aggregate on both days, 196.17 and 148.16, to be tied at the end on 346.33. A five shot shoot off was held at 700 yards with John closing it out. John and Alan had been shooting Bisley style all weekend for Commonwealth Games training for John, so they had been watching and pacing each other. Richard Rowlands finished a point back after leading the first day, with an aggregate 345.31 and John Miller next on 344.30.
The B grade was a comfortable win to Chris Burges on 240.26 from Coby Snowden and John Fleming on 327.21 and 324.23 respectively. Chris shooting four possibles along the way, John Snowden the only other one to shoot four.
Darien Miller took out C grade on 328.20 from Sam Kershaw, 322.17, and Brian Hawksby on 322.15.
Geoff Smith headed home the FTR field to total 397.23, ahead of father and son combination Mark and Daniel Alexander, father Mark winning this time with 392.20 from Daniel 390.21.
Some of the most outstanding shooting of the weekend was done by Mike Chui in F Open. By the end of the weekend he was being called Mr X. His aggregate of 413/420 had 46 X bulls from 70 shots. He got ten from twenty at 700 yards, and one of those matches had seven. The X ring at 700 is 0.4 of a minute wide, 72mm.