Champion shooters (from left) Emma Smith, Shania Harrison-Lee and Lanelle McArthur. Photo supplied.Target Shooting Mid Canterbury (TSMC) can boast it has multiple New Zealand representatives within its ranks after returning from the pinnacle event on the national target shooting indoor calendar.

A number of Ashburton shooters spent the weekend in Nelson competing in the annual North versus South match, which was followed by the New Zealand team postal shoot against the British Home Counties.

TSMC was represented by a large group, including Lanelle McArthur, Emma Smith and Shania Harrison-Lee who were in the South Island open, women’s and junior teams, with McArthur the captain of the junior team.

Also taking part were Michaela Smith, Sandy Bennett and Nina McKenzie in the South Island women’s team, which was managed by Ashburton’s Bryan Hunter.

TSMC president McKenzie said it was a tremendous achievement for junior women to gain selection for all three island teams. The Mid Canterbury group filled nearly half of the positions in the South Island women’s team and a quarter of the junior team, at a competition where there were multiple Olympic and Commonwealth representatives present.

The island team matches ran all day Saturday and despite a few nerves and a couple of upsets, after a full day of shooting TSMC had three members through to New Zealand teams – McArthur in the open, junior and women’s team (of which she was captain), Harrison-Lee in the women’s and junior teams, and Michaela Smith in the women’s team.

McArthur was the top woman from both islands, hence her naming as the New Zealand women’s captain. Her 398.026/400.040 was a remarkable achievement for a junior.

In total she shot for six different teams across the weekend and of the 22 targets she shot her total was 2178/2200, an average of 99/100, which was simply phenomenal, McKenzie said.

Harrison-Lee also had a stellar weekend, making two national teams and being second top score in the New Zealand women’s match (296/300). She was also presented with her silver medal from the national B Grade Championship, which was shot a few weeks ago, over the weekend.

The weekend’s hard luck story went to Emma Smith, who was one place short of the New Zealand junior team but shot an excellent score in the Sunday Derby match (294), as did Bennett (296). McKenzie also finished her campaign well, after experiencing an unfortunate technical problem early on the Saturday.

In the team matches, South Island won the junior match but lost the women’s match narrowly, along with the veterans and open matches.

Also competing over the weekend from Ashburton were Greg Menzies in the South Island open team, and John Fleming in the South Island veteran team. Fleming’s granddaughter Phillippa Fleming was also in action, shooting for the North Island women’s team. She had represented the South Island for several years but was now studying in the North Island.

The weekend’s event was hosted by Target Shooting Nelson, at their impressive new Saxton Field facility.

Selection was achieved after qualifying scores were posted at a range of open championships around each island from April to July.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 23 August 2018