– Guyanese gain sweet revenge over Trinidadians to retain rifle-shooting c/ships
Guyana’s successful rifle shooters are due home today from Trinidad and Tobago where they retained the prestigious West Indies full-bore short range team championship.
Team captain Mahendra Persaud told Stabroek Sport that he was elated with his team for retaining the short range team championship from a strong team of regional shooters at the tournament staged at the Tucker Valley ranges in the Twin Island Republic.
Guyana amassed 1139 points and 105 V-bulls to come out victorious ahead of nemesis Trinidad and Tobago who secured the second position with 1134 points and 99 V-bulls after a fierce battle over the 300, 500 and 600-yard ranges.
It was sweet revenge for the Guyanese who were edged out by just one point by the Trinidadians the last time the team match was hosted in the Twin Island Republic.
Jamaica occupied the third position with 1134 points and 85 V-bulls while Antigua/Barbuda finished fourth with 1075 points and 78 V-bulls and Barbados fifth with 1066 points and 73 V-bulls.
“It was a complete team effort and we are extremely proud to be returning with the trophy to Guyana. Shooting conditions were very difficult with the wind changing from right to left on a regular basis and the lighting conditions were also very tough,” said Persaud.
Veteran marksman and current regional individual champion Ransford Goodluck led Guyana’s charge with 147 points and 20 V-bulls.
Goodluck scored 49 points with 5 V-bulls at 300 yards, 49 with 7 V-bulls at 500 yards and 49 with 8 V-bulls at the 600-yard ranges.
Dylan Fields tallied 146 points with 18 V-bulls with scores of 49 points and 7 V-bulls, 50 points and 7 V-bulls and 47 points and 4 V-bulls at the 300, 500 and 600-yard ranges respectively while Persaud followed with a tally of 145 points and 13 V-bulls following scores of 48 points and 5 V-bulls, 49 points and 3 V-bulls and 48 points and 5 V-bulls at the 300, 500 and 600-yard ranges respectively.
United States–based John Fraser tallied 144 points and 10 V-bulls from scores of 46 points and 3 V-bulls, 49 points and 4 V-bulls and 49 points and 3 V-bulls at the 300, 500 and 600-yard ranges respectively.
Ryan Sampson tallied 142 points and 11 V-bulls from scores of 48 points and 5 V-bulls at 300 yards, 48 points and 4 V-bulls at 500 yards and 46 points and 2 V-bulls at 600 yards while Dane “Spooky” Blair ended with 140 points and 10 V-bulls.
Blair shot 47 points and had 4 V-bulls at 300 yards, 47 points and 3 V- bulls at 500 yards and 46 points and 3 V-bulls at 600 yards.
Richard “Dickie” Fields scored 139 points and 18 V-bulls and Claude Duguid 136 points and 5 V-bulls.
Field shot 45 points and had 3 V-bulls at 300 yards, 50 points and 9 V- bulls at 500 yards and 44 points with 6 V-bulls at the 600-yard range while Duguid shot a 46 with 1 V-bull at 300 yards, 45 points with 1 V- bull at 500 yards and 45 points with 3 V-bulls at 600 yards.
The championships started last Tuesday but the organizers encountered ammunition problems which forced them to reschedule some of the events including the Individual competition which should have been the first event on the programme.
A team of shooters from Middlesex Rifle Shooting Association of Great Britain also participated in the championships.
Guyana was represented by a 12-member team including three US-based shooters.
The shooters were Persaud (captain), Goodluck, Dylan and Richard Fields, Blair, Sampson, Duguid, Lt. Col Terry Stuart, Charles Deane, US-based Derrick Narine, Fraser and Sigmund Douglas.
The Guyanese also hold the regional long range title they won in Jamaica last year.
However only the short range title was at stake this year because only the shorter ranges are available at Tucker Valley.