Darren and Tania Taylor, Tom Allen, Alan Guppy, Shawnti Coolahan and daughter Abbey, Harry and Mick Ward, Peter West, John Butters, Phillip Desmond and Peter Shahin.
By John Wood
CONSIDERING the rain and snow of the last week or so, conditions at Woods Point for the Gun Club’s July competition weren’t too bad – constant drizzle all day and cold but good even shooting light.
Peter Shahin, from Yarra Junction and a long-term member of the club from way back in the 1970s, was a surprise visitor and it didn’t take long for him to start breaking targets.
His son-in-law, Aaron Bannerman, also from Yarra Junction, attended for his first shoot and shot surprisingly well, improving in each event.
Only one person, Shawnti Coolahan, managed the perfect 15/15 score in the Eye Opener to take full possession of the cash prize. This was the one and only perfect score for the day.
The first event was the Tear Arse Gully 40 target Double Barrel Championship. Alan Guppy managed to pop his head out of the secretary’s office for long enough to win the event and the sash outright with a score of 39/40. In AA Grade, Mick Ward won first place, 37/40, with Guppy winning A Grade. B was won by John Butters, 38/40, C by Peter Shahin, 37/40.
Second prize in the grades were taken out ( A Grade) by Tom Allen, 41/43, (B Grade) Phil McDonough, 36/40, with C Grade another success for Coolahan, 35/40. Allen also took out the junior prize, 38/40, with Harry Ward second, 35/40. Bannerman managed 15/40, a success rate of 38 per cent, a good start.
Event 2 was the Goulburn River 20 target Handicap Championship. Lance Cazaly, a visitor from Mornington Gun Club, Phillip Desmond and Shawnti Coolahan returned 19/20 scores to go into the shoot-off.
After only two targets both Cazaly and Desmond missed their targets leaving Coolahan the overall winner, 21/22. A mini shoot-off left Cazaly in second place, 22/24, Desmond third, 21/24. Colin Nelson, also from Mornington, took fourth place with a final score of 18/20.
Aaron Bannerman came in with a 12/20 that equated to a 60 per cent success rate, pretty good for only his second championship event.
The day finished with the Goulburn River 15 pair Auto and Driven novelty event, with cash prizes for the winners. In this event the shooter is presented with two targets, one from the conventional trap but flying high in the sky and a low target swiftly crossing from right to left only about 20 metres in front of the shooter.
Desmond and Peter West returned the best scores, 25/30 and after another five pair shoot-off Desmond took first place, 32/40, West second, 31/40.
Phil McDonough won third place outright, 24/30 with Mick Ward fourth, 23/30. The three shooters from Mornington Gun Club found this event rather challenging.
The overall best score over the three events and winner of the High Gun sash was Desmond, 82/90. Tom Allen and Harry Ward were the two top High Gun juniors, Allen 73/90, Ward, 72/90.
The next shoot is the Matlock Championships on Sunday 28 August, preceded by a Team Shoot at Mansfield Gun Club on 21 August.
