Big wins as shooters find their mark in air rifle league

IT WAS not a night for close results in the Hinckley Air Rifle League with winning margins ranging from six all the way up to fourteen.

The six point difference came at Bedworth Ex Servicemen’s Club where the perennially titlechasing home team were visited by Small- shaws.

The home team’s first half was of variable quality but the high spots, the 29s of Andrew Cryer and James Bend plus Jackie Bend’s 27, were sufficient to give them a definite advantage at half time with their guests’ best being a pair of 26s and Bobby Wain- wright’s 27.

Bedworth’s two strong second half, Robert Wagstaff and Bill Bend, scored 27 and 29 respectively to take their team’s total to 191, more than enough to beat Smallshaws who moved to 185 overall thanks to Tom William’s 28 and Simon Grewcock’s 27.

The Trojans stretched their string of wins to five thanks to a comfortable victory at the New Plough Inn.

The visitors shot well throughout with their first half including 29s from Darren Houghton and Nigel Jackson plus a Phil Hood 30, whilst the second half contrib- uted the 28s of Mark Smith and Will Chambers, the 29s of Leigh Hall and Chris Sills, and a 30 from Rob Forman.

The resulting 204 total was out of reach of their hosts who, despite Darren Statham’s 27, Tom Bray’s 28, Nigel Hill’s 29 and John Bray’s 30, finished well short with 192.

Normally the Sporting Lions build their dominant performances on the strength of their first half so they may have been a little disappointed when, at the home of Ashby Road ‘B’, they reached the half way break with, rather than their normal mix of 29s and 30s, just four 28s (Glen Dainter, Todd Astill, Karl Bunting and Jeanette Mulkeirins) and a 27 (Lee Johnson).

However this still proved far too good for the home side where the first half’s individual scoring was topped by the 27s of Kim Baker and Craig Shuttleworth.

Melanie Jenkins’ 29 started the Lions’ second half but this was as good as it got with the scoring tailing off after this.

The resulting 194 total was never going to be challenged by Ashby Road, even had both remaining shooters scored 30s but as it was Jeff Goodyer’s closing 27 was the best remaining score and so they finished well short on just 180.

The match between the Hounds and their Taylor & Ayre guests never seemed likely to be close as the home side fielded just six shooters against their opponent’s ten.

Alyson Steele’s 28 gave T&A a strong start, whilst Giles Headley’s 29 and Phil Steele’s 27 also contributed to a decent first half.

It was a very similar story in the second half as the 27s of Paul Griffin and Alison Smith, together with Matt Hall’s 28 and Darren Hicks’ 29 helped them to set their hosts a challenging 195 target.

Paul Huddlestone’s 29 and the 27s of Andrew Mitchell, Roy Pritchard and Andy Smith were the highlights of the Hounds’ reply but these were not enough to salvage the Hounds’ hope of a win as they finished fourteen adrift on 181.

At the other end of the table Hinckley Phoenix remains the only team with no points to date following defeat at the hands of the visiting Ashby Road.

Phoenix shot first, totalling 190 thanks to Roxy Ratheram’s 29, the 28s of Samantha Haskins and Geoff Herbert, and the 27s of Karen Bown and Ian Ratheram but this was inadequate as their guests reached their highest total of the season thus far, a 197, made up of Seamus Moore’s 30, the 29s of Lorraine White and Pete Finney, Richard White’s 28, and the 27s of Innes Droomer, David White and Paul Holyland.