Pointy end of Club Championship
ARGUABLY the NT Field and Game Club Championship is the most prestigious clay target award of our calendar. While the Festival of Clays 100T Simulated Field NT Championship has the most beautiful trophies, the Club Champion is for the best sustained effort both overall and in each grade for the entire year.
To be eligible each competitor must enter 12 rounds of 25 targets out of the 30 rounds of Simulated Field on offer in the calendar year.
The average of the best 12 rounds are calculated for the score and all rounds shot determine which grade each shooter is classified in at the end of the year.
As the Christmas event will most likely be a novelty event, the November shoot will be the last time shooters can add two more good scores to their overall.
Following the October shoot the scores are close.
Brenton Wondr Slade is leading overall and AA Grade on 22.75 with Ricky “The Champ” Crawford (21.83) and Brocky (21.16) snapping at his heels. Bart “Maverick” Irwin heads up A Grade on 21.5 with Bedgy (20.5) just a nose away, Sleezy (19.5) and Jars (19.58) battling on for the minor placings.
In B Grade Paul Manners (18.83) is in a head to head race with that cagey old poacher Broady (18.8) and Whoa Whoa Owens (18.1) making this the most interesting race on the card. Tyrone “Shoelaces” Forsythe (17.08) has had the most remarkable year.
He started the year with consistent C Grade scores but has improved with every outing and shot a 22 the other week.
He is right on the cusp of pushing into B Grade for the year and could well drop out of the C Grade stakes.
If this is the case Dicko (14.41) or jockey sized Brett Jones (14) could pounce. Glen “Digga” Ditchfield and Shayne Cummins could also create history with come from behind wins, both on 13.5.
Kady Hymon (15.91) is three lengths in front of Tania Harris on 12.3.
Sub Juniors is close with Billy “The Kid” Burke on 9 with Les Harris on 8.91 and Hunter Lees on 8.33.
Zach Leather could be the smokey with just one more round to qualify.
There will be no eligible shooters in Juniors and Vets as there are insufficient rounds left to qualify.
To date this has a been very successful program.
We have had 160 local members shoot at the club over the year and 39 have qualified to date.
Surely some more will qualify at the last shoot.
Check your scores and you could be eligible and win with a blistering run down the home straight on November 18. The shoot that stops the nation. Stop Press! The prizes keep coming. Far away Victorian member of NTFGA, Graham Eames, aka Dr Duck, has tipped in another $100 to the Club Championship prize pool.
The good doctor was in on the big plunge in the Caulfield Cup and got the trifecta too.
That is now three slabs of the seven needed for all grades and overall.
Sponsorship is most welcome for this great award.
Rainfall on the reserves to Wednesday, November 7: Howard Springs Nature Park 5mm, Middle Point 12mm, Gunn Point 14mm.
Come out and try clay target shooting every Friday arvo at the NT Field and Game range, Brandt Rd, Mickett Creek Shooting Complex, Knuckey Lagoon from 5pm till 9pm.
Next 50 target Simulated Field shoot will be at the range from 8am on Sunday, November 18. All welcome.