Mark wins leadup and Grand Aggregate at NQRA at Townsville
Mark and Tim traveled up to Townsville to attend the NQRA Championships from 14 to 18 May 2014.
This was the first time the NQRA Championships had been held at Townsville since 1969, as it was held at Mackay until 2013.
Bruce Scott, Bob Kennedy and their team had worked long and hard to establish the new rifle range at Townsville and have it in tip top order for the shoot, 14 targets going back to 900m.
In the lead up Wilson Aggregate Mark won the second range at 600m with 50.8 and took out the First Stage Aggregate with 150.21.
The next day, Mark again won the second range at 800m with 50.7, the third range at 900m with 50.4 and the Second Stage Aggregate with 150.17. This of course gave Mark the Wilson Aggregate with a perfect score of 300.38, three points ahead of Trevor Deed in second place.
Tim somehow found the easy conditions difficult and had difficulty getting on target at the final 900m staring with a 1 to ruin an otherwise reasonable score at that range and to finish last in A Grade!
Mark started the Queens with a 49.7 at 500m with Tim scoring a nightmare 43.1. Mark was back in the 50.4 at the next range at 600m, and Tim with 47.2. The final range at 600m saw Mark shoot a 50.1, perhaps showing that conditions were often not perfect, with Tim scoring 45.4, taking some heart in shooting 4 V’s in a row, but otherwise thinking of retirement!
The arrival of Lindsay Mawbey, Jim Bailey and Tim Berry for the Queens, had an immediate impact, with those shooters taking the first three place in the First Stage Aggregate with 150.19, 150.18 and 150.16 respectively, followed by the redoubtable Bruce Scott in 4th place with 150.14 and Mark in 5th place with 149.12. Tim posted a record low start to a Queens with 135.7!
Stage 2 saw Mark and Tim miscalculating the time from breakfast to the range arriving 3 minutes before the start at 700m (despite hitting 190k in an attempt to catch up!) and with Tim second down. Fortunately, Tim scored a 50.4, but Mark dropped a shot to score a 49.6.
At the next range, 800m, Tim dropped a shot which he challenged unsuccessfully to score 49.3 while Mark dropped a couple to finish with 48.4. At 900m, Tim shot in a beautiful patch to shoot a 50.5, just missing the V with his last shot. This was unfortunate, as both Mawbey and Bailey also shot 50.5, both counting Tim out for him to finish in third place for the range. But Tim was happy with that and with 6th place in the Second Stage Aggregate with 149.12. Mark finished 900 with a 46.5 with two strange “birds” included, to finish the second stage with 143.15.
Stage 3 saw Mark return to the possible with a 50.6 at 800m followed by a 48.3 at 900m to finish the day with 98.9. Tim could not find his Day 2 form in the misty and wet conditions and fired a 47.4 and a 46.0 respectively.
Jim Bailey shot 100.9 to win the Queens with 399.45. Mark finished 9th on 390.36 and Tim 28th with 377.23.
Mark thought he had blown his chances of winning the Grand Aggregate, but at the end of the day he finished with 690.74, with Trevor Deed second with 690.59.
Congratulations Jim Bailey on a fine win for your 7th Queens Prize!
Congratulations Mark in winning the Wilson lead Up and the Grand Aggregate!
Tim Walter, Captain