Victorian Rifle Association 2017 Queens Series
The Victorian Rifle Association 2017 Queens Series was conducted at Bendigo Rifle Range from 29 March to 2 April 2017. Mark Buchanan and Associate member Keirin McCamley competed in the A Grade Grand Championship and Tim Walter competed in the B Grade Queens. All three members stayed with Melissa Frost-Thomas at the former Captain Cook Hotel where 8 other shooters were also staying.
The Syme
Day 1 of the Syme shot over 500, 500 and 600 yards saw Mark Buchanan shoot 147.15 to be placed 13th and Keirin McCamley shoot 145.13 to be placed 27th.
Day 2 of the Syme shot over 700, 900 and 1000 yards saw Mark Buchanan shoot 134.6 to be placed 27h and Keirin McCamley shoot 128.5 to be placed 38th.
Needless to say, conditions were very difficult, particularly on Day 2 over the long ranges. Mark finished in 23rd place and Keirin McCamley at 37th. The mood of the assembled guests at dinner at the Cook when Tim arrived was quite subdued. Geoff Grosskreutz from Brisbane won the Syme with 293.22 the score reflecting the difficult conditions.
The Queens
Day 1
Conditions were much better for Day 1 of the Queens shot over 500, 500 and 600 yards. Mark shot 148.15 to be placed 15th and Keirin shot 147.13 to be placed 31st in A Grade. Tim shot 142.7 to be placed 17th in B Grade.
Day 2
Conditions were much the same for Day 2 of the Queens shot over 700, 800 and 900 yards. Mark shot 146.14 to be placed 8th and won 900 yards in the process with 50.6. Keirin shot 144.11 to be placed 22nd in A Grade. Tim shot 143.10 to be placed 3rd in B Grade.
All the guests at the Captain Cook went to a very nice restaurant in Bendigo for dinner with Melissa and her husband.
Day 3
Day 3 of the Queens shot over 900, and 1,000 yards. Mark shot 48.6 and Keirin shot 46.4 at 900 in A Grade. Tim shot 46.3 in B Grade. Conditions at 1000 yards were noticeably more difficult on the left hand side of the range where Mark was shooting and seemed to get worse as the range progressed. Mark shot a gritty 48.6 after scoring a 3 with his 3rd shot and Keirin shot 48.3. Tim put 3 birds underneath to score 43.4. Mark finished Day 3 with 96.12 to be placed 5th and Keirin finished with 94.7 to be placed 14th in A Grade. Tim shot 89.7 to be placed 12th in B Grade.
The Queens Aggregate
Mark finished in 5th place in A Grade with 390.41 and Keirin finished in lucky 13th place with 385.31. Tim finished in 7th place in B Grade with 374.24. The winner? James Corbett of Benalla with 396.47 with our friend Malcolm McKenzie coming second to the legend with 392.43.
The Grand Championship
This was also won by James Corbett with 685.77. Mark came 12th with 671.62 and Keirin came 33rd with 658.49.
Tim Walter