Defending champion Ransford Goodluck bounced back into contention when he secured victory on a rain-interrupted second day of the Queensway sponsored National Rifle Shooting championships yesterday at the Timehri Rifle ranges.
The reigning Caribbean Individual champion recorded 132 points with 9 V-bulls out of a possible 135 to take the day’s honours but trail National fullbore captain Mahendra Persaud by one point in the overall aggregate after two days of competition.
Goodluck dropped two points at the 300 yards to record 48 points and 4 V-bulls then shot a possible 35 at 600 yards and dropped one point at 900 to finish the round with 49 points with 5 V-bulls.
Persaud dropped four points to record an overall 131 points and 10 V-bulls, scoring 48.5 at 300 yards, 33.2 at 600 and 50.3 at 900.
Former national champion Lennox Braithwaite is also in contention with an overall score of 127.7 shooting 48.2 at 300 yards, 33.1 at 600 and 46.4 at 900.
Dane “Spooky” Blair occupied the fourth position with 126.9 with scores of 45.2, 33.2, 48.5 followed by US-based John Fraser (126.4) 46.0, 32.1, 48.3 at the three ranges. Ryan Sampson recorded 122 – 47.4, 28.0 and 47.0 while Claude Duguid scored 116.1 (46.0, 28.0, 42.1). Peter Persaud led the ‘O’ Class with 122.6 (46.4, 34.2, 42.0) followed by Lt. Col. Terry Stuart 118.6 (44.1, 31.3, 43.2) and in third place Charles Dean on 105.2 (38.0, 31.2, 36.0).
In the overall standing, Persaud led with 215.19, followed in second position by Goodluck 214.16, Braithwaite 209.13, Blair 208.14, the top four.
In the ‘O’ Class Persaud lead with 199.7 followed by Stuart 190.8 and Dean 172.4.
The championships conclude today with competition at the 500, 600 and 1000 yards ranges.
Rain interrupted shooting for two hours yesterday but the conditions were generally favourable.
Persaud said the there were fewer V-bulls because the shooters are shooting at much smaller targets.