The Guyana National Rifle shooting team will wing out tomorrow morning for St. John’s, Antigua to compete in the Annual West Indies Fullbore Shooting championships which will fire off tomorrow at the Crabbs Rifle ranges.
National captain Dylan Fields has expressed confidence that the local squad will be going with all guns blazing to return with the regional short range championship title.
The local marksmen have been hard at training over the past three months at the Timehri rifle ranges for the championships and at the back of the mind with be their loss to the Short Range title to Jamaica last year at Twickinham ranges in Jamaica.
This year’s championships in Antigua will be shot at 300, 500 and 600 yards’ ranges, the only three ranges available on the island.
The championships will open with Individual matches on Monday and defending champion Guyanese Lennox Braithwaite will also be going all out to retain his title.
The regional event will attract teams from hosts Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana. Another regional powerhouse Trinidad and Tobago are unlikely to compete according to West Indies FullBore Shooting Council (WlFBSC) Hon. Secretary Ryan Sampson. The Executive meeting of the WIFBSC is also schedule to take place during week of activities will conclude with the prize giving ceremony and dinner.
The team match will take place on Friday and the battle is expected to be intense with the Guyanese eager to turn back a strong challenge from their arch-rivals Jamaica, Barbados and the hosts Antigua/Barbuda.
The local contingent will feature Lennox Braithwaite, Dylan Fields (Captain), Leo Romalho (Vice-Captain), Lennox Braithwaite, Ransford Goodluck, Ryan Sampson, Sherwin Felicien, Mahendra Persaud, Peter Persaud and Roberto Tewari.
Experienced US-based Guyanese riflemen John Fraser and Sigmund Douglas will be joining the squad in Antigua.
All the shooters will take part in the individual competition with the final eight members for the team match likely to be selected following a review of the shooters performances in the individual matches.
