By JOHN WOOD
A SUNNY autumn day greeted the competitors for the Goulburn River Championships at the Woods Point Gun Club.
Chuck Lay and Rob Bevis started the day well with a win in the 10-target Continental Points Eye Opener with 29/30 each.
The first event was the 20-target Doubler Barrel Continental Goulburn River Championship, sponsored by club vice-president Peter West and his wife Ellen.
Phillip Woods and Phillip Desmond both returned perfect 20/20 scores to shoot off for the sash. It only took two targets for Woods to win his first sash at the Point for 2015, 22/22.
Desmond won AA Grade outright, 20/20, Mick Ward was second with 42/43. A Grade was an easy win for Woods 20/20, from the Hoon 16/20.
Laurie Poile didn’t let his secretarial duties hold him back from taking B Grade 18/20, John Butters second 16/20. C Grade was an all family affair with Greg Shahin’s 19/20 beating brother Peter’s 17/20.
The main event was the 75-target Streuber Buckle Championship that featured a 1920 US Silver Dollar Mounted in a trophy frame with embossed leather belt buckles for each of the grade winners.
Desmond eclipsed all opposition with three perfect rounds of 25/25 to take the trophy and the overall buckle.
In AA Grade, Bevis’s 74/75 was enough for first, with Ward second 72/75. The Hoon, having just got off crutches after a hip replacement, won A Grade 71/75 from Peter West 83/90 after a shoot off with Woods and Tom Apps.
Poile took B Grade 72/75, and was also regraded to A Grade for his effort, while John Butters B Grade was second 71/75.
Peter Shahin’s excellent 72/75 was enough for the C Grade win, while up-and-coming shooter Daniel Chinn was second with 70/75.
The club’s Ohio USA based sponsor Peter Streuber supplied the buckles and the Silver Dollar for the event, that was co-sponsored by local member Rob Kirley.
The next shoot on Sunday 26 April, at 10.30am, is the Warburton and Yarra Junction Community Bank branches of the Bendigo Bank Gold Cup and includes the club’s 2015 Champion of Champions competition.
For information about this event or other competitions call John Wood on 9808 2693.
