Rifle shooters focusing on defending titles

Faced with fierce competition from several of the world’s top shooters from Great Britain and Australia Guyana’s riflemen are focusing on the upcoming West Indies long and short range team matches against their regional counterparts scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday at the Paragon ranges here in Barbados.

The Guyanese are the reigning short and long range title champions and will face Antigua/Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago for West Indies shooting supremacy.

Lennox Braithwaite,
Lennox Braithwaite,

The regional shooters have been battling to stay in the competition but it has been tough sailing after two days of competition as they struggle against stiff competition.

West Indies captain Paul Slowe (second right) meeting with regional shooters Sunday.   
West Indies captain Paul Slowe (second right) meeting with regional shooters Sunday.
 

Guyanese’s Lennox Braithwaite and Trinidad and Tobago’s Norris Gomez have not given up the fight and the two veteran shooters have kept the Caribbean flag flying in the competition between the regional shooters and the riflemen from Australia and Great Britain.

The current leader so far is Great Britain’s David Luckman who also led on the first day. Luckman has an overall aggregate 250.41.
Defending Caribbean individual champion Braithwaite dropped three points, one at 300 yards and two at 600 yards (49.7, 73.8) to finish on 122.15 and an overall aggregate of 247.28.

Gomez shot a possible 50 with three Vs at 300 yards  and recorded 72.4 at 600 yards to end the day on 122.7 and overall 246.16.
National captain Mahendra Persaud shot 48.3 and 70.7 to end on 118-11 and overall 238.21 followed by Dylan Fields 44.2 and 70.7 (114.9) and overall 233.17.

National champion Ransford Goodluck recorded 48.6 and 66.4 to end on 114.10 for an overall 230.16.
Other regional contenders included Michael Perez of Trinidad and Tobago with 241.18, Jamaicans Jose Nunez with 240.19 and David Rickman 238.1, Barbadian Shelly Ann Hinds with 236.15 and compatriot Marlon King 235.18.

The West Indies team to oppose Great Britain, Channel Island, Australia and Canada in the Australia Cup team match on Saturday will be selected after the regional team matches Captain Paul Slowe told the shooter following a meeting.

The Individual competition continued yesterday and will conclude today at the Paragon ranges in Christ Church.

Note: Results provided by Troy Peters of the GuyanaNRA