Ashburton College smallbore rifle representatives (from left) Charlotte McKenzie, Jack Jones, Shania Harrison-Lee and Madi Tourle were all standout performers during the NZSSS competition. Photo supplied.On fire.

A remarkable display by Ashburton College’s band of shooters has led the school to a sixth consecutive national title.

It was confirmed last week the school smallbore rifle team have clinched the New Zealand Secondary Schools Shooting (NZSSS) competition title, and have done so in record-breaking fashion.

The AshColl team 1 quintet of Shania Harrison-Lee, Jack Jones, Charlotte McKenzie, Jack McIntosh and Emma Smith finished with an unparalleled tally of 1954.102, which event organisers said “would take some beating”.

“It’s really awesome, considering we broke our own record from three years ago,” team captain Harrison-Lee said.

“It’s cool that we’ve been able to replicate that, and hopefully the record can remain intact longer than a couple of years.”

The title-winning display bettered runners-up Palmerston North Girls’ High (1941.81) and bronze medallists Cambridge High School (1919.70).

Ashburton College’s team average across the targets was at a master grade level, which Target Shooting Mid Canterbury (TSMC) president Nina McKenzie described as exceptional for secondary students.

The competition is run over four rounds of shooting comprising of three lots of 10 shot matches, and a final double card round of one 20 shot match.

“This makes it a significant competition to work at, and means that teams must consistently produce quality results over a long period, in order to be successful,” McKenzie said.

“In a year that has been very disrupted, this group have worked consistently hard in the time available to them, and thoroughly deserve their successes.”

In the pressure-cooker final double card round, the Ashburton College 1 outfit produced a phenomenal average of 196.75/200, which sealed victory for the team after it entered the final round with a slender two point buffer.

There were notable individual exploits.

Harrison-Lee secured the master grade off the back of a total score of  495.32, and was the second overall individual behind Palmerston North’s Stephanie McNair.

Charlotte McKenzie won the B grade and was fourth overall, and Smith was third in the A Grade, and fifth overall.

Jones was unlucky not to finish on the podium, finishing fourth in the C grade with a total score of 478.18.

Year 9 pupil Madi Tourle was runner-up in the D grade with a score of 473.18 as she steered the College 2 team to a ninth overall finish, proving there is further talent coming through the school ranks.

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 24 September 2020