Tom terrific right on target
YOUNG SHARPSHOOTER ALREADY HAS NATIONAL AND STATE CROWNS JUST THREE YEARS INTO COMPETING
Thomas Bilney has been kept busy in the past few months, with the Shepparton clay target shooter claiming a national and state title.
Bilney, 14, was named national champion in the under-15 Field and Game event at Pine Grove, west of Echuca, aiming at 150 targets across two days of competition in October.
Bilney successfully shot 113 to take the trophy — just one shot ahead of his closest rival.
An even more impressive result came at the single barrel state titles at Echuca just a few weeks later, where the rising talent was thrilled to have shot 49 of his 50 targets.
‘‘I can’t complain to only miss one target, I’m really happy,’’ he said.
The teenager defeated experienced shooters of all ages in the B-grade open event, as he makes inroads in the sport he began competitively three years ago.
Having spent time as a junior at shooting ranges with his father Rick, Bilney gained his shooter’s licence as soon as he turned 12.
It was through his connection to the father’s shooting Deadeye: community that Bilney found an outstanding mentor in Commonwealth Games shooter Emma Cox.
Bilney said the Mooroopna shooter had been supportive in helping him develop his skills.
‘‘The best piece of advice she’s given me is just to stay and concentrate, don’t worry about the target that you’ve missed, the next target is the one you need to hit.’’
But that thinking process is harder to implement when under the pressure of a national tournament.
‘‘If it’s an easier target you get pretty beat up about it, but it’s hard for me to just move on and say ‘I’ve missed that target, I’ll go and shoot the next one’,’’ he said.
Using a Beretta 686 Silver Pigeon shotgun, Bilney has an unconventional shooting style.
‘‘I shoot one-eyed, which to most people is the wrong way to shoot, but if I shoot with both eyes — I’m a right-hander — I go cross-eyed,’’ he said.
‘‘So I call for the target and pick up the target with both eyes and then once my gun goes up it’s one eye from then on.’’
With a Commonwealth Games shooter as a mentor and after watching Mansfield’s Catherine Skinner win Olympic gold at Rio, Bilney is focused on continuing to achieve success.
‘‘I didn’t stay up and watch it (Skinner), but I watched it on my iPad afterwards,’’ he said
‘‘Even just to shoot at the Olympics would be great, I wouldn’t care if I didn’t win anything.’’