Aussie win shooting

Australian raiders claimed the top two spots at the 156th Ballinger Belt.

Jim Bailey won the coveted title with a score of 561.53, beating his compatriot Steve Negus by two points in the Queens Final competition at a windswept Seddon Range in Trentham on Saturday.

The New South Welshman said it was an honour to claim the title over such a good field at the timehonoured event.

‘‘To win this one is a really big thrill. I’ve won 10 of these events in Australia, but to win this one is massive.

‘‘It’s a quality field, with the Kiwis and Africans, and a Brit there as well, plus pretty well the best of the Australian shooters here.’’

It was Bailey’s fourth visit to the range, and he said he just about had a handle on the Wellington wind.

‘‘Yes and no, you’re always one step away from not having the hang of it, but I feel I can read it well enough.

‘‘The thing is how quickly the wind changes and sometimes it can catch you out while you’re on aim and you can’t do much about that. You’ve just got to wear it and move on.’’

The strong Australian contingent occupied nine of the top 11 spots in the overall New Zealand national championship competition, had two main goals, Bailey said.

‘‘Our goal as a team was really to prepare ourselves for a trip to Africa in March this year for what they call the Australia Match, which is one of the big international matches, but also as training for the world champs here in two years.’’

The Seddon Range will hold the World Long-Range Championships in 2019.

Although Bailey got his hands on the Ballinger Belt, it will be staying in New Zealand under the care of Te Puke’s three-time Ballinger winner Brian Carter, who was the first Kiwi home in third, some 16 points adrift of Bailey.