By JOHN WOOD
COOL and overcast conditions greeted the competitors at the Woods Point Gun Club’s Maori Creek Clay Target Championships.
A quite varied day of competition started the shooters lining up for the Eye-Opener event that allowed the cobwebs to be cleaned from the barrels before the championship events started.
Trevor Ewert shot the only perfect score of 15/15 to win a quite handy cash prize.
The first championship was 20 targets Double Barrel Continental.
There were 20 clay targets with only two shots allowed for each target.
The targets were thrown in a random arc from side to side and varied from low to high at the same time – tricky but fun!
Three shooters, Trevor Ewert, John Wood and Phillip Desmond, managed to return 20/20 scores to go into a shoot off for the championship sash.
Ewert missed his third shoot off target with Desmond missing his eighth leaving club president Wood to take the sash, 28/28.
In the grades, Desmond won AA Grade, 23/23 with Ewert second 22/23.
A Grade was a comfortable win for Peter West, 19/20, Tom Apps second, 16/20.
Wood won B Grade, 20/20 with Daryl Ewert second 19/20.
C Grade was another Ewert affair with Matt first, 19/20, Garry second 20/24 after a shoot off with Michael Bevis and Lachlan O’Halloran.
The main event was 25 pair Deauville Doubles, a pair of targets thrown simultaneously for a team of two shooters.
Only two shots per shooter allowed.
Yarra Valley’s son and father team of Michael and Rob Bevis went into a shoot off against another son and father team, Matt and Daryl Ewert.
The Bevis team was the clear winner with a final score of 27/30 to the Ewerts’ 26/30.
Third place was won by another father and son team, Trevor and Garry Ewert, 27/35 from fourth place winners Tom Apps and Phillip Desmond 26/35.
The last championship was a 15 target Silent Rise where the the target was released with a time delay from when the shooter became ready to shoot.
Desmond and Ewert (T) returned 15/15 and after a short shoot off Desmond took the sash 18/18 to Ewert’s 17/18.
Third place was Ewert (M), 19/21, with Lachlan O’Halloran fourth, 18/21.
The overall highest score was Matt Ewert who won the High Gun sash 56/60.
A great day was enhanced by a nice and warm pot belly stove in the clubhouse, an excellent hot lunch and a plentiful arvo tea.
The club’s thanks go to sponsors Phillip Bradbury, Anthony and Pam Kirley, and Laurie and Jo Poile.
The club’s next competition is the King of the Mountain Championships on Sunday 28 September starting at 10.30am.
For inquiries about coaching and competing at the club contact John Wood on 9808 2693.
