The Target Shooting Mid Canterbury team with their silverware haul from Oamaru. Photo supplied.Mid Canterbury’s smallbore rifle shooters were on target in Oamaru at the weekend, ensuring their name will be the latest engraved on the prestigious Andrews and Faulkner Shield.

The Andrews and Faulkner was the South Island Association’s teams championship event involving 16 open teams of 12 shooters, and eight junior teams of five shooting for the Greenhough Trophy, and after finishing an agonisingly close second in the big show last year, the team from Target Shooting Mid Canterbury (TSMC) headed south with a point to prove.

Hosted by the North Otago and East Otago Associations on a 16-mound temporary range at Oamaru’s Waitaki Recreation Centre on Saturday, it was a huge day which TSMC president Nina McKenzie said ended with ‘total euphoria’ for the Mid Canterbury shooters.

“This is a very old and prestigious trophy in our sport with a rich history and we are both proud and humbled to be the holders,” McKenzie said.

The course of fire was a double target first (200.20), followed by a single target (100.10), for a maximum possible 300.30, per shooter – a format designed to build pressure throughout the day, as each team had one shooter per round, with updates published every 30-60 minutes.

“No further updates are given once the last three-four shooters are left, meaning that the final result is only revealed at the prizegiving and dinner that follows the event,” McKenzie said.

TSMC’s day started well with great opening scores from lead-outs, McKenzie and Sandy Bennett, followed by brothers Nick and TJ Stewart, and at the first progress point Mid Canterbury were leading the open match.

McKenzie said excellent scoring from their two ‘senior’ juniors, Shania Harrison-Lee and Emma Smith – with a personal best of 100.8 as part of her double – continued the trend, while Colin Taylor had a steady and slightly unlucky double, which was followed by a cracker from Bill Rankin.

Due to ill health and with great regret, Bryan Hunter had to withdraw before the event and Charlotte McKenzie, a rising junior, stepped up to take his place.

“The loss of such experience and skill right before a big match would see many teams falter, but the team belief was firm and Charlotte produced a very good double, which was followed with a sound performance by the captain Steve McArthur,” Nina McKenzie said.

Keith Bonnington and Andrew McKenzie produced almost matching targets and at the half-way point TSMC had a promising lead.

Their open team averaged 194.9 for the double card round while in the junior match, lead-out Amelia Swan soaked up the pressure on her first time on a foreign range and and produced an outstanding double.

Two veterans of the junior team, Smith and Harrison-Lee, also produced commanding double results, before Jack McIntosh and Jacob Kilworth took the mound and shot together, with Charlotte McKenzie finishing things off.

Nina McKenzie said the single card rounds were a joy to behold.

“The team knew that they needed to keep the pressure right on, and without exception every single member stood up.”

The card of the round belonged to Smith, with a 99.8 and the narrowest tester for another possible.

The single card average was 97.6 for the team, with no member under 96.

TSMC’s juniors were in a tight race with Ashley and Nelson, and were second by two single points going into the last round, but stayed in that runner-up spot with Ashley just taking out the Greenhough Trophy by five single shots.

In the open grade, Mid Canterbury returned home the Andrews and Faulkner champions, while Nelson were second and Ashley third, with last year’s winners Marlborough fourth.

It was a huge weekend for all, but particularly for Harrison-Lee who was named top shot for both the open and junior competitions, while McArthur, Bennett, Harrison-Lee, Nick Stewart and Nina McKenzie took out the top five trophy, and TJ Stewart, Smith, Taylor, Rankin and Charlotte McKenzie took the second five trophy.

Harrison-Lee was also awarded with individual South Island trophies, which were shot for several weeks ago, but saved for presenting at the event.

She was junior, women’s, masters and open champion, which was an oustanding result for a junior.

TSMC’s Andrews and Faulkner win will see them go on to face North Island Association Champions, Manawatu, for the coveted Candyman Cup and the title of national association champion.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 30 July 2019