Brooklyn were successful in winning both the Osmond Shield and the Wright Cup on Saturday night.  In the Osmond Shield match Mark Riley got the team off to a good start with a two-point lead over Wellington Central, at the halfway point this lead had increased to six points, and Bex Gibbs scored an impressive 100.7 in the final squad, which gave Brooklyn an 11-point win while Melrose finished 3^rd.  The Wright Cup match was very closely contested in the first few squads with only inners separating the three teams at the halfway point.  Casey Israelson’s 96.4 boosted our team score considerably and Stephen Thessman finished with a 94.4 giving the team a seven-point win.  Wellington Central were 2^nd and Melrose 3^rd. Thanks to Mark Baines for range officering throughout the evening, and to everyone else who assisted with helping to run the event.

It was a surprisingly busy night at the Club last night as a number of shooters completed their Closed Champs cards and it was the final round of the SSS Champs which meant 20-shot targets were the order of the day for the Secondary School shooters.  Our newly-introduced squad sheets were put to the test when two shooters on the same round started putting holes in other shooters’ targets.  Thankfully this was quickly noticed and was able to be recorded on the squad sheet at the time which made the markers’ jobs much easier by knowing what had happened on the range.

The highest 20-shot score this week was Erin Little (197.12) closely followed by Evan Little and Stephen Thessman who both scored 196.11.  Not content with coming second equal in the 20-shot, Stephen continued his great shooting streak posting the top 10-shot score of 98.7!  In the higher grades, Evan Little scored 97.5, with Casey Israelson leading C grade with 97.2.  Hot on Stephen’s heels in D Grade were Megan Brodie (who, at the Intercollegiate match earlier in the day, scored a PB of 93.3 and then followed it up with a new PB of 96.4), Ethan Haigh (95.3) and Cassie Truscott (95.2).

Brooklyn shooters made up half the Wellington Area Secondary School team to shoot against the Hutt Valley and the Manawatu yesterday.  While the team posted some good scores (over a 2x10-shot and 1x20-shot target), Wellington finished 39 points behind the Hutt Valley who were in turn 51 points behind the winners, Manawatu.  Special mention would have to go out to Meggy Reesby (Feilding High School) who shot an amazing 100.4, 100.8 and 200.12.

A date to add to your diaries: Brooklyn have booked the range for a training session at 2pm on Sunday 15 September.  The session will assess shooters’ position and set-up, followed by a number of shooting drills.  This is a great opportunity to train and analyse.  If you are using a scope, come along and have a go.

Brooklyn are responsible for cleaning the range and social area during September.  This will be undertaken on Sunday 22 September at 7pm.  Regular shooting will commence 30 minutes earlier at 6pm on this day to allow time for the clean.  Could all members please ensure they add this date to their calendars as the more hands available to do the work, the quicker it will be done.  Also please bring along cleaning equipment – vacuum cleaners, mops, buckets, cleaning cloths.

With only a few weeks to go of the grading season, please ensure your grading spreadsheet is up to date.  These will be collected, collated and forwarded to Target Shooting New Zealand in early October.

Please direct any queries during September to Inge Little.

Upcoming events:

• Wednesday 4 September, Wellington v Waikato D Grade, 7.45pm, 2x10.  Team: Ethan Haigh, Stephen Thessman, Cassie Truscott.  Emergency (does shoot): Maia Lapointe.
• Saturday 7 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley Open Grade, 2pm, 1x10 + 1x20.  Team: Mark Baines, Bex Gibbs, Erin Little, Evan Little, Stephen Thessman.  Emergencies (do shoot): Mark Riley, Craig Fair.
• Saturday 7 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley Women’s match, 2pm, 1x10 + 1x20.  Team: Erin Little.  Emergency: Inge Little.
• Monday 9 September, Wellington v Hertfordshire, 8.00pm + 8.30pm, 1x10 NZ + 1x10 UK.  Team: Meredith Ackrill, Bex Gibbs, Erin Little, Evan Little.  Emergency: Mark Baines.  On call: Mark Riley.
• Friday 13 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley C Grade, 7pm, 2x10, Keene Range, Petone.  Team: Hamish Guthrey, Ethan Haigh, Casey Israelson, Inge Little.  Emergencies (do shoot): Cassie Truscott, Maia Lapointe.
• Friday 13 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley interclub winners, 7pm, Keene Range, Petone.  C Grade, 2x10: Hamish Guthrey, Casey Israelson, Inge Little (captain), Ethan Haigh; emergencies: Cassie Truscott, Maia Lapointe; team manager: Craig Fair.  Open Grade, 1x20: Bex Gibbs, Meredith Ackrill, Evan Little (captain), Mark Baines; on call: Mark Riley.
• Sunday 15 September, 2pm training session.
• Tuesday 17 September, Wellington Closed Champs Final 10, 8.15pm, 1x20.
• Saturday 21 September, North Island Open Champs, Palmerston North.
• Sunday 22 September, 6pm start to allow cleaning at 7pm.  Please bring vacuum cleaners, mops, buckets, cleaning cloths.
• Saturday 27 / Sunday 28 September, interisland secondary schools match.
• Sunday 6 October, final club day.
• Wednesday 9 October, Champion of Champions match, 8.00pm C+D Grades 1x10, 8.20pm Open+A+B Grades 1x20.
• Saturday 12 October, 6pm, WSRA prizegiving dinner.
• Sunday 13 October, 4.30pm, BSRC prizegiving barbecue.

Many took advantage of it being a gap week on the club scoreboard to shoot their closed champs targets, have a go at a 20-shot target, or fill in blanks on the scoreboard.  The highest 20-shot score this week was recorded by Erin Little (198.10) followed by Evan Little with 197.10 while Maia Lapointe’s score of 191.8 was very impressive on her first ever 20‑shot target.  In the 10-shot competition, David Grain achieved the best score in the higher grades (99.4) and Erin Little’s 96.4 was highest in B Grade.  Chris Lockery scored 96.2 to lead C Grade this week ahead of Inge Little with 95.4.  And the three highest scoring D Graders were Cassie Truscott 98.3, Ethan Haigh 94.3 and Jaz Hamilton 89.1.

The Wellington team competing in the Teams of Five match recorded an excellent score on Thursday, considerably higher than in previous years.  This is always a tough match, requiring 2x20 shot cards to be shot within an hour.  Top Brooklyn shooter was Erin Little with 391.22, two inners ahead of Dianne Grain.  Full results will be available in September.

Wellington came 2^nd in the Triangular Open Match on Saturday, 7 points behind winners Hutt Valley, and 22 points ahead of Wairarapa.  Thanks to all Brooklyn shooters involved for assisting with running this competition.

Cassie Truscott and Jack Day shot exceptionally well in Round 2 of the local secondary schools competition (97.3 and 97.2 respectively – a new PB for Jack), while Megan Brodie also recorded a new PB of 92.4.  Wellington College finished in 3^rd place, behind Taita and Naenae and 2 points ahead of Queen Margaret’s.  Congratulations to the following Brooklyn shooters on being selected for the Wellington secondary schools team to compete against other regions next Sunday: Casey Israelson, Emily Lockery, Jack Day, Cassie Truscott, Megan Brodie and Maia Lapointe.

A date to add to your diaries: Brooklyn have booked the range for a training session at 2pm on Sunday 15 September.  The session will assess shooters’ position and set-up, followed by a number of shooting drills.  This is a great opportunity to train and analyse.  If you are using a scope, come along and have a go.

If you have any queries during September, please contact Inge Little.

Upcoming events:

• Saturday 31 August, BSA Cup Match, 1pm, Levin range: Evan Little.
• Saturday 31 August, Osmond Shield, 7.30pm and Wright Cup, 7.45pm, 1x10. PLEASE BRING A SMALL PLATE OF FOOD FOR A SHARED SUPPER.
• Sunday 1 September, Intercollegiate representative match, 2pm, Newtown range, 2x10.  Wellington team: Casey Israelson, Emily Lockery, Jack Day, Cassie Truscott, Megan Brodie and Maia Lapointe.
• Sunday 1 September, deadline for Round 6 closed champs.
• Sunday 1 September, deadline for Round 4 Triple S champs.
• Wednesday 4 September, Wellington v Waikato D Grade, 7.45pm, 2x10.  Team: Ethan Haigh, Stephen Thessman, Cassie Truscott.  Emergency: Maia Lapointe.
• Saturday 7 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley Open Grade, 2pm, 1x10 + 1x20.  Team: Mark Baines, Bex Gibbs, Erin Little, Evan Little, Stephen Thessman.  Emergencies: Mark Riley, Craig Fair.
• Saturday 7 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley Women’s match, 2pm, 1x10 + 1x20.  Team: Erin Little.  On call: Inge Little, Cassie Truscott.
• Monday 9 September, Wellington v Hertfordshire, 8pm, 1x10 NZ + 1x10 UK.  Team to be named Sunday 1 September.
• Friday 13 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley C Grade, 7pm, 2x10, Keene Range, Petone.  Team to be named Sunday 1 September.
• Friday 13 September, Wellington v Hutt Valley interclub winners, Keene Range, Petone.  C Grade and Open Grade interclub teams to be named Friday 30 August.

Congratulations to Bex Gibbs and Meredith Ackrill on their selections to the New Zealand women’s team.  Both shot extremely well in the North v South match (399.31 and 397.20 respectively) with Bex’s score being the highest of all 34 shooters (and also including a 100.10), giving her the captaincy of the New Zealand women’s team.  They then continued their fine form, scoring 298 and 297 respectively on UK targets.  And Bex was awarded the trophy for top aggregate score from both matches – fantastic shooting!

Another excellent result for Brooklyn in Round 6 of the interclub competition, with all three teams recording wins and the open grade team achieving their best team score this season.  2019 interclub winners are as follows:

• C Grade – Brooklyn with 20 points, followed by Melrose with 10 points
• B Grade – Melrose with 22 points, followed by Brooklyn with 17 points
• Open Grade – Brooklyn with 15 points, followed by Wellington Central with 10 points.

And Evan Little has won the Open Grade individual aggregate trophy with a score of 786.46 (an average of 98.3 per card) – well done!

It was great to see so many of our newer shooters taking the opportunity to have a go at a 20-shot target this week, with many pleasing results particularly Jack Day’s new PB of 181.5.  The highest 20-shot score overall this week was recorded by D Grader Stephen Thessman (195.11).  In the 10-shot competition, David Grain’s 98.6 was best in A Grade, while Dianne Grain shot highest in B Grade with 97.4.  Top honours in C Grade went to Inge Little with 97.5 followed by Emily Lockery with 95.3.  And the four best D Graders this week were Ferghus Meighan with a new PB of 93.3, Stephen Thessman 93.1, Ryan Day 92.3 and Finn Ashby 90.0.

Closed Champs results are now available for Round 5.  With one round to go, Meredith Ackrill is 2^nd in Master Grade and leading the Women’s competition, Evan Little is 3^rd in A Grade only a point behind the leaders, Erin Little moves to 1^st place in B Grade, Casey Israelson is 2^nd in C Grade and Juniors, Stephen Thessman and Cassie Truscott are the top two in D Grade, and David Grain is 2^nd in the Veteran’s section.   The deadline for the final round is Sunday 1 September.

The Osmond Shield and Wright Cup matches are being held on Saturday 31 August, with the first squad commencing at 7.30pm.  This is probably the most interesting and hotly contested club competition on the calendar.  The Wright Cup match comprises teams of six shooters (all C and D Graders) with the best five scores counting, and the Osmond Shield match comprises teams of eight shooters (only four of whom can be A Grade or Master Grade) with all scores counting.  Teams will be selected on Friday 23 August.

Upcoming events:

• Thursday 22 August, Teams of Five match, 8pm, 2x20: Dianne Grain, Erin Little. On call: Stephen Thessman, Mark Riley, Craig Fair.
• Saturday 24 August, Triangular Open match, 2pm, 1x10 + 1x20: David Grain, Dianne Grain.  Emergency: Mark Riley. On call: Craig Fair.
• Sunday 25 August, Round 1 Intercollegiate match, 2pm, Newtown range, 1x10.  Wellington College: Casey Israelson, Josh Whitehead, Finn Ashby, Jack Day.  Marsden: Cassie Truscott, Emily Lockery.  Tawa: Maia Lapointe.  Queen Margarets: Megan Brodie.  Scots: Ferghus Meighan.
• Saturday 31 August, BSA Cup Match, 1pm, Levin range: Evan Little.
• Saturday 31 August, Osmond Shield and Wright Cup matches, 7.30pm, 1x10 in seeded order, teams to be named Friday 23 August.
• Sunday 1 September, intercollegiate representative match, 2pm, Newtown range, 2x10.  Wellington team named Sunday 25 August.
• Sunday 1 September, deadline for Round 6 closed champs.
• Sunday 1 September, deadline for Round 4 Triple S champs.

Thanks to all those who assisted with running the social shoot on Friday.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their shooting experience with a number of very good scores recorded.

The Titipounamu (which means rifleman) match was shot on Tuesday.  The team score was better than in recent years.  Erin Little was top shot for Brooklyn with 292.18.  Full results will be available in September.

Round 1 of the local intercollegiate match was shot yesterday at the Keene Range in Petone.  Casey Israelson was top shot, recording his first ever 100 – well done!  Also congratulations to Emily Lockery and Megan Brodie on recording new PBs in this match.  Wellington College are in 3^rd place, behind Taita and Naenae.  Round 2 will be held at the Newtown Range on Sunday 25 August at 2pm.  Thanks to Craig and Stephen for organising our shooters and transporting equipment, etc.

Jaz Hamilton also recorded a new PB this week, and Emily Lockery not only achieved a new 10-shot PB but also a new 20-shot PB of 186.2.

The top five D Graders were Jaz Hamilton 96.3, Stephen Thessman 95.4, Josh Whitehead 95.1, and Jack Day and Ethan Haigh both with 92.1.  Casey Israelson’s 100.4 was the highest score in C Grade, followed by Emily Lockery’s 98.3.  As has been the case all season, the B Grade contest continues to be very close – top shot was Erin Little with 98.4, ahead of Mark Riley 97.5 and Dianne Grain 97.4.  David Grain scored 100.4 to lead A Grade while in Master Grade Bex Gibbs and Meredith Ackrill were only separated by an inner (98.6 and 98.5) and their 20-shot scores were also only inners apart (196.10 and 196.6 respectively).

The Osmond Shield and Wright Cup matches are being held on Saturday 31 August, with the first squad commencing at 7.30pm.  This is probably the most interesting and hotly contested club competition on the calendar.  The Wright Cup match comprises teams of six shooters (all C and D Graders) with the best five scores counting, and the Osmond Shield match comprises teams of eight shooters (only four of whom can be A Grade or Master Grade) with all scores counting.  Teams will be selected on Friday 23 August.

Results for Round 3 of the Triple S competition are available at https://www.bsrc.org.nz/index.php/ssc/56-new-zealand-secondary-schools-shooting-championship-sss-champs.  Casey Israelson is in 13^th place overall (and 5^th in C Grade). Our top D Grader is Cassie Truscott in 24^th position. Round 4 is a 20-shot card to be completed by Sunday 1 September.  In preparation for this, the fourth squad on club days will be a 20-shot squad.

Upcoming events:

• Wednesday 14 August, Round 6 Interclub.  7.45pm C Grade v Melrose; 8.15pm B Grade v South Wellington 1x10; 8.45pm Open Grade v Melrose 1x20.
• Saturday 17 August, Interisland match, Keene Range, Petone.  Open team: Bex Gibbs.  Women’s team: Meredith Ackrill, Bex Gibbs.
• Thursday 22 August, Teams of Five match, 8pm, 2x20: Dianne Grain, Erin Little. On call: Stephen Thessman, Mark Riley, Craig Fair.
• Saturday 24 August, Triangular Open match, 2pm, teams to be named Monday 19 August.
• Sunday 25 August, Round 1 Intercollegiate match, 2pm, Newtown range, 1x10.  Wellington College: Casey Israelson, Josh Whitehead, Finn Ashby, Jack Day.  Marsden: Cassie Truscott, Emily Lockery.  Tawa: Maia Lapointe.  Queen Margarets: Megan Brodie.  Scots: Ferghus Meighan.