THE OLD LION TAMED, GOODING PREVAILS!
BERTA TOPS BERTA!
CHURCH SCHOOLS CURTIS!
Yesterday, the dedicated group of shooting enthusiasts who gathered at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility for this month’s 300 Meter Match all reached the same conclusion. If this is global warming bring on some more as another perfect day for shooting was enjoyed by all! Brilliant sun, temperatures in the low 70's and only a hint of wind made the day yet another installment in the seemingly endless parade of great shooting weather we have enjoyed this fall.
300 Meter shooting is not for the faint-hearted as it is one of the most demanding targets on the American shooting scene. Any errant shot can and will punish the hopeful with a less than stellar outcome. In this month’s match we provided the four F-TR shooters with two different targets. Charles Gooding and Mid Tompkins competed on the standard 300 Meter reduced to 300 yard center while the battling Berta's, Bill and his lovely wife MK, dueled on the F-class 300 yard target.
Picking up the F-TR action following the first string we see that both Tompkins and Gooding had launched an all-out assault on the X ring as both men had accumulated 14 of the precious center shots. In this game however points always trump X's and Gooding's solitary 9 in the 20 shot string proved to be just one better than Tompkins two trips to the forbidden zone, giving him a one point lead going into the second. At the other end of the line Bill and MK's battle began in earnest as her first relay effort of 195-5X's indicated a desire to excel. Husband Bill had a better outcome in mind as his own first go score of 197-6X's, clearly proved and gave him an early two point advantage for the overall aggregate score for the day.
The sling division, not to be outdone by their F-Class brethren, also proved to be hotly contested as no less than four shooters lay within one point of each other as the first stage dust settled. Peter Church's 198-8X effort had creedmoored Rick Curtis' identical score with Canadian Ken Nelson close by in third with a very nice 197-11 X's over Doug Frerichs 197-8X result! As the scores were tallied after the second stage of the three stage match, Nelson had now taken the lead as his 197-10X's bettered Church's effort of 196-10X putting the men in a numerical tie with the nod to Nelson by a mere 3 X's going into the final stage of the match.
Back in the F-TR groups, Gooding had decided to make a move as his stage two 200-12X clearly indicated. Tompkins second go had netted him another solid 198 but now he stood three points down to Gooding with only one more string to go. As Tompkins took his place on the line for the third and final string he knew he needed a monster score if he was to reel in his nemesis. No stranger to this type of situation the muti-time National Champion would not disappoint as he carded a magnificient 200-15X; netting him a very strong 596-37X aggregate and the clubhouse lead. Gooding however would not be swayed, despite a first record shot in the 9 ring Charles ran the table on the next nineteen shots carding all 10's and X's to take the match with an outstanding 598-36X total! Nice work under pressure Charles.
Not to be outdone in the "drama" department, MK surged past hubby Bill in the second with a very respectable 195-7X over his 194-4X effort. This gave Bill a tenuous lead of only one point over his bride going into their final go for the day. For the all deciding final string, MK took the line first, knowing she needed a good performance. Her 194-6X score in the third proved she was equal to the task as she had amassed a solid 584-18X total for the day. With the gauntlet at his feet, Bill, no stranger to pressure, took the line with a determined look in his eyes. Displaying the skill of a surgeon, he cut the X and 10 rings to pieces only straying into the 9 ring four times to claim the overall victory with a very nice 587-15X's. I'm sure we will continue to witness this battle of the sex's for some time to come.
Last but certainly not least, the sling division was to see nothing short of a tectonic shift in the placings for the day as Ken Nelson quickly found out. His disappointing 191 effort in the third and an aggregate score of 584-25X dropped him like a rock to the fourth overall position for the days shooting. Frerichs, on the strength of his fantastic 199-14X effort in the third found himself hurtling past Nelson to claim the clubhouse lead with a strong 591-27x for the day. Curtis came next and despite a very good score of 198-13X to finish just two X-s better than Frerichs it would not be enough. Peter Church, friend to everyone and stranger to no one would not be turned from victory. His nearly perfect score of 199-9X's in the last gave him a two point margin over runnerup Curtis to claim the title of Champion for the month! Congratulations to Pete, Charles and Bill on your victories.
Next month we hope to see more folks out to enjoy a Friday on the range with friends and as first timer Mick Walker found out the success of a good shot is a little bit sweeter when won from this demanding target! Full results HERE
Be well friends
Rick Curtis
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