By Troy Peters
Rain wreaked havoc on the opening day of the National Rifle Shooting championships at the Timehri Rifle ranges yesterday. Inspector Dane Blair has taken a slim lead in X Class, with two days remaining.
The inclement weather which played a cat and mouse game throughout the day’s activities forced officials of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA) to reduce yesterday’s competition to only two rounds, and the 900 yards that was affected will be shot next Saturday.
Blair was undaunted by the weather in recording 84 points with 11 V-bulls out of a possible 85 points and also copped the Valadarres Trophy, for first day supremacy.
He shot a possible of 35 points at the 300 yard range with 5 V-bulls and returned to drop only one point at the 500 yards range finishing with 49 points and 6 V-bulls.
Fullbore captain Mahendra Persaud, Dylan Fields and Richard Fields all finished the day on 81 points with 7 V-bulls but Persaud has taken the second position on a countback with Dylan in third position and Richard fourth.
Ransford Goodluck holds the fifth place with 80 points and 7V-bulls followed by Claude Duguid in sixth on 80-6, Ryan Sampson seventh with 79-9 and Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe in eighth place with 79-5.
Charles Deane holds a two-point lead in the ‘O” Class competition with 79 points and 4 V-bulls followed by Lt. Col. Terry Stuart with 77 points 7 V-bulls in second position, Colin Loncke third 77-6 and Peter Persaud with 39 points. In the results of competition at the 300 yards, Blair finished with 35-5, Richard Fields 34-3, Duguid, Dylan Fields and Persaud 34.2 apiece with Sampson recording 33-4, Goodluck 33.3 and Slowe 31-2.
In the ‘O” class Loncke shot 32-2, Deane 31, Stuart 28.2 and Persaud 23.
At the 500 yards, Blair recorded 49.6, Slowe 48-3, Persaud 47-5, Dylan 49-5, Richard Fields 47-4, Goodluck 47-3, Sampson 46-5 and Duguid 46-4.
At ‘O’ Class, Stuart recorded 49-5, Deane 48-4, Loncke 45-3 and Persaud 18.
When the competition resumes on Saturday the competitors will contest 300, 500 and 900 yards and will bring the curtains down on the championships on Sunday.
The local shooters are preparing for the Caribbean Rifle Shooting championships billed for Trinidad and Tobago next month.