Honours shared

Some of the hottest shooting of the season saw a packed field in contention going into the final range at the Southern Downs Open at Warwick on Sunday.
But the six shooters who went down at 600 yards carrying possible 100 scores for the day all came to grief.
Honours for the top weekend of competition ended up being shared around, with Australian representative Matt Taylor from Warialda, NSW, clinching the two-day aggregate, dropping just two shots for a score of 298 with 35 centre bulls.
Gold Coast Rifle Club member Danny O’Mara was also two down, but had to be content with second placing with 30 centre bulls.
On Saturday, form shooters Ashley Bidgood and Matt Taylor were locked together, with 150 possibles and 17 centre bulls after two 15 shot ranges.
Ashley reeled off five centre bulls to clinch victory in a shoot-off.
Brisbane Central Rifle Club member Gordon Duncan only attended the competition on Sunday, but it ended up being a very worthwhile outing.
Gordon, who shoots at Ipswich, dropped a shot at the first 300 yard range but came home strongly with possibles at 500 and 600 yards to finish the best of six shooters on 149.
His 20 centre bulls outpointed Casino’s Graeme Hoskins with 17, while Wayne Latham from Natives and Pittsworth’s Brian Long shared third place on 14.
Brian Pickles from Natives Rifle Club won the B Grade Grand Aggregate, while Gold Coast member Mick Kyle convincingly beat one of the strongest F Standard fields of scope shooters. Cannon Hill’s Vince Northfield took out the F Open two-day honours.