Many members achieved new personal best (PB) scores this week: Chris Lockery, Casey Israelson, Hugh Guiney, Nathan Chamberlain, Carl Whitehead, Josh Whitehead, Jack Day, Poul Israelson, Adam Williams, Mike Williams and Evan Strachan – well done!

The top scores in D grade were shot by Chris Lockery 98.5, Hugh Guiney 94.4, Nathan Chamberlain 92.1, Carl Whitehead 92.0 and Josh Whitehead 90.3.  Casey Israelson’s 98.2 was best in C Grade followed by a flurry of 95s recorded by Inge Little, Matthew Canlas and Anna Hooper.  Mark Riley scored highest in B Grade with 96.0 ahead of Erin Little on 95.3, and in the higher grades Meredith Ackrill led with 99.6 ahead of David Grain on 98.5.  Meredith’s 200.11 was the best 20-shot score this week, followed by Evan Little with 197.10.

Wellington achieved a great result in Round 1 of the National District Champs competition on Thursday, winning each of the three sections, and scoring 13 points against The Plainsmen’s 0 points.  Meredith Ackrill’s 298.19 placed her in the top scores section, taken across all competing associations.  Round 2 is against Canterbury on 17 May.

The Teams of Ten trials have now been completed, following the Wellington v Horowhenua match held yesterday in Levin.  Once again Meredith Ackrill was top shot, scoring 397.22 including her second 200 of the season.  Two Wellington teams will now compete in the Teams of Ten match in Te Puke on Saturday 12 May.  Congratulations to the 10 Brooklyn members noted under Upcoming Events on their selection to the teams.

The interclub competition commences on Tuesday with a bye for our C Graders, B Grade competes against Aotea at 8.15 and the Open Grade competes against Melrose at 8.45pm.

Closed champs targets are now available thanks to our team of helpers for collating into rounds.  The targets will be located on the table beneath the club scoreboard – please ensure you pick up your target (labelled on the back) and not someone else’s.  The deadline for Round 1 is Sunday 20 May.

Upcoming events:

• Tuesday 1 May, Round 1 interclub.  B Grade team v Aotea (1x10, 8.15pm): Erin Little (captain), Mark Riley, Hamish Guthrey, Anna Hooper.  On call: Amalamo Simi, Casey Israelson.  Open Grade team v Melrose (1x20, 8.45pm): Meredith Ackrill, Evan Little (captain), Erin Little, David Grain.  On call: Dianne Grain, Mark Riley.
• Friday 4 / Saturday 5 May, Wellington Central Open Champs, Royal Tiger Range, Newtown.
• Saturday 12 May, 8.00am, Teams of Ten Match, Te Puke.  #1 team: Meredith Ackrill, Evan Little, David Grain, Erin Little.  #2 team: Ross Little, Mark Riley, Dianne Grain, Amalamo Simi, Inge Little.  Emergency: Wiko du Toit.
• Thursday 17 May, 7.30pm, Round 2 NDC.
• Saturday 19 May, Poroutawhao Open Champs, Poroutawhao Range, Levin.
• Sunday 20 May, Round 1 closed champs deadline.

A quieter day yesterday, being the middle of the school holidays.  Our final group of three made the transition to slings and jackets.  Thanks to having a large quantity of decent club jackets, none of our members will need to share a jacket, and only a very few will share a rifle this season.  This will allow minor adjustments to easily be made as and when necessary.

Congratulations to Meredith Ackrill on a phenomenal score of 200.14 shot at the second Teams of Ten trials yesterday.  Meredith achieved the best overall total from the two trials, closely followed by Evan Little.

In club shooting Evan scored a very impressive 100.8 to have the best score of the night.  A close contest in B Grade saw Erin Little ahead of Mark Riley by a mere inner (96.4 and 96.3 respectively).  Hamish Guthrey led C Grade with 95.2 followed by Matthew Canlas with 94.3 which was Matthew’s best score to date this season.  And in D Grade Aiden d’Souza scored highest with a new PB of 92.2, closely followed by new shooter Hugh Guiney with 92.0, another new PB, pretty impressive considering this was only his fourth card since moving to sling and jacket last week.

The finalised club calendar is attached.  Please keep this handy as a quick reference for upcoming events.

A reminder that if you don’t want your card to count towards the club competition, please write “P” for practice on it very clearly.  Only competition cards are to be recorded on the Excel spreadsheet for grading purposes.

As all shooters have now transitioned to sling and jacket, the club will open from 6pm from now onwards.  Coached shooting will take place from 6.30pm until around 7.45pm, followed by non-coached shooting.  If you arrive prior to the first squad, please help with setting up by assisting with moving the equipment from the storage lockers into the social area.  Another task that can be undertaken by new club members is target changing, and shooters will be taught to mark targets over the upcoming weeks.  Get involved and you’ll get a lot more enjoyment out of the sport.

Upcoming events:

• Thursday 26 April, 7.30pm, Round 1 NDC v The Plainsmen.  Open team: Meredith Ackrill, David Grain, Dianne Grain, Evan Little, Mark Riley.  Junior team: Casey Israelson, Erin Little.  Emergencies (do shoot): Anna Hooper, Inge Little, Amalamo Simi.  On call (doesn’t shoot): Callum Austin.
• Saturday 28 April, Masterton Open Champs.
• Sunday 29 April, 1.00pm, Wellington v Horowhenua, Poroutawhao Range, Levin.  #1 Team:  Meredith Ackrill, Evan Little, Erin Little, Ross Little, David Grain.  #2 Team: Dianne Grain, Mark Riley, Inge Little, Amalamo Simi.  Emergency: Wiko du Toit.
• Sunday 29 April, 6.30pm coached session followed by 8.00pm non-coached session.
• Tuesday 1 May, Round 1 interclub.  B Grade team v Aotea (1x10, 8.15pm): Erin Little (captain), Mark Riley, Hamish Guthrey, Anna Hooper.  On call: Amalamo Simi, Casey Israelson.  Open Grade team v Melrose (1x20, 8.45pm): Meredith Ackrill, Evan Little (captain), Erin Little, David Grain.  On call: Dianne Grain, Mark Riley.
• Friday 4 / Saturday 5 May, Wellington Central Open Champs, Royal Tiger Range, Newtown.

With 30 people at the club yesterday, there was a great atmosphere with lots of banter as well as support.   Thanks once again to our coaches for the time and effort they are putting into moving our new shooters to sling and jacket and tweaking pieces of equipment for those who have already made the transition.  The final group of three will move to slings next week.

Top shot overall went to B Grader Mark Riley with a phenomenal 99.8, very closely followed by other 99s recorded by Evan Little, David Grain and Meredith Ackrill.  Our C Graders continue to achieve fantastic results, top shots this week being Hamish Guthrey 97.5, Anna Hooper 97.2, Casey Israelson 96.3 and Inge Little 95.2.  Aiden D’Souza recorded a new PB of 90.2 to lead the D Graders ahead of Chris Lockery with 90.1, while Hugh Guiney (new to the sling this week) scored 88.1 and Josh Whitehead was next best with 87.0.  Three 197s were recorded yesterday by Meredith Ackrill, Evan Little and Ross Little in the 20-shot competition.

The first of the Rees Scroll trial matches was held yesterday morning.  Only an inner separated top shots Evan Little and Meredith Ackrill (392.20 and 392.19 respectively).  The second trial will take place next Sunday at 9.30am.

Once all new shooters have made the transition to sling and jacket, half-time talk sessions will be reinstated to cover both coaching tips as well as give more information about the various competitions.

A reminder that every shooter should now be recording all competition scores on the Excel score spreadsheet.  It is best if this is done after each night so that scores are not forgotten.  At the end of the season these are collated and forwarded to the national body TSNZ for grading purposes for the following season.  So please remember to keep your spreadsheet up to date.

Upcoming events:

• Saturday 21 April, Rangitikei Open Champs, Marton – on electronic targets.
• Sunday 22 April, 9.30am, Teams of Ten trial, 2x20.
• Sunday 22 April, 5pm, final three shooters to move to slings and jackets; 6.30pm coached session, followed by BSRC AGM prior to commencement of non-coached session, assistance required for earlier sessions.
• Thursday 26 April, 7.30pm, Round 1 NDC.  Team to be named this week following receipt of draw.
• Saturday 28 April, Masterton Open Champs.
• Sunday 29 April, 1.00pm, Wellington v Horowhenua, Poroutawhao Range, Levin.  Team to be named next Monday.
• Sunday 29 April, 6.30pm coached session followed by 8.00pm non-coached session.
• Tuesday 1 May, Round 1 interclub (B Grade and Open Grade).

Our second batch of new shooters moved to sling and jacket yesterday with very pleasing results.  Many thanks to our coaches for the time and effort they put into this very important process.

The best 10-shot score overall was shot by Hamish Guthrey (C Grade) with a new personal best score of 99.5 – brilliant!  And congratulations to Meredith Ackrill on scoring the first 100 at the club this season as part of her 20-shot card (197.8).  Evan Little scored best in the higher grades with 98.7, while Ross Little was top shot in B Grade with 97.5.  Amalamo Simi and Anna Hooper (congratulations on her marriage and we note the new name) both scored second best in C Grade after Hamish with 96.3 – great shooting!  And Chris Lockery was highest in D Grade with 91.1 followed by brand new shooter to the sling, Callum Austin, with 87.1.  Those shooting using the rest continue to improve – Hugh Guiney top scored with 88.0 followed by Marin McCarthy 85.2 and Jack Day 84.2.

The interclub draw has now been finalised.  Brooklyn have entered a team in each of the three sections (C Grade, B Grade and Open Grade).  C Grade have a bye in Round 1 on Tuesday 1 May.  B Grade and Open Grade teams will be named in the week preceding this match.

Wellington representative match dates are currently being finalised.  There will be a slightly different format for these matches this year, with two interassociation matches being held on each night rather than one, and only one team per grade.  Once these dates have been confirmed the club calendar will be emailed to our members.  Please keep this handy.

There are numerous competitions that Wellington shooters can opt to take part in:

• Open champs – these are hosted by various clubs and associations around the country, and are usually held on a Saturday.  Shooters pay an entry fee, shoot 3x10 shot cards in their grade, and prizes are awarded at the end of the day.  Great opportunity to shoot at different ranges and to meet shooters from other areas.
• Interclub – between Wellington clubs.  Each team comprises four shooters.  C and B Grade matches comprise 1x10 shot card per shooter, and Open Grade matches comprise 1x20 shot card per shooter.  All teams can be made up of shooters from the relevant grade or lower.  Interclub nights are Tuesday 1 May (B + Open), Monday 21 May (all grades), Sunday 17 June (all grades), Wednesday 4 July (all grades), Tuesday 26 July (all grades), Thursday 16 August (B Grade).  The C Grade match is at 7.45pm, B Grade at 8.15pm, and Open Grade at 8.45pm.
• Wellington representative matches – graded, juniors, women.  Various nights, various start times, various team numbers.  Further information will follow later.
• Wellington closed champs – paid as part of club entry fees, shot on club nights in six rounds three weeks apart, 1x10-shot card.  Deadline for first target is 20 May.
• Secondary school matches – paid as part of club entry fees for secondary school shooters, this nationwide Triple S (secondary school shooting) competition is run by Brooklyn Club and shot in four rounds throughout the season.  A local secondary schools match is held in August comprising six shooters per school, and a three-person team per school can compete in the national secondary school match to be held in Rangiora at the end of September.  Further details on all of these to follow.
• National District Champs – another Wellington representative match, details were emailed last weekend.  Comprises 23 Wellington shooters of various grades and includes a junior section.  Five-round competition on Thursdays followed by semi-finals and finals.  Round 1 on Thursday 26 April, with each next round three weeks later.
• Brooklyn members are automatically involved in the Brooklyn club competition.  All 10-shot and 20-shot competition scores shot at the club (maximum 25 of each) are recorded on the large scoreboards by the kitchen and go towards a variety of trophies presented at the end of the season.

After all new shooters have made the transition to sling and jacket, half-time talk sessions will be reinstated to cover both coaching tips as well as give more information about the various competitions.

Every shooter should now be recording all competition scores on the score spreadsheet.  It is best if this is done after each night so that scores are not forgotten.  At the end of the season these are collated and forwarded to the national body TSNZ for grading purposes for the following season.  So please remember to keep your spreadsheet up to date.

Upcoming events:

• Saturday 14 April, Bulls Open Champs, Palmerston North.
• Sunday 15 April, 9.30am, Teams of Ten trial, 2x20.
• Sunday 15 April, 5pm, three new shooters moving to slings and jackets; 6.30pm coached and 8.00pm non-coached sessions.  Assistance required for earlier sessions.
• Saturday 21 April, Rangitikei Open Champs, Marton – on electronic targets.
• Sunday 22 April, 9.30am, Teams of Ten trial, 2x20.
• Sunday 22 April, 5pm, final three shooters to move to slings and jackets, assistance required.