By Charmaine Austin, Staff Reporter
Jamaica's Denis Lee (in green and yellow coat) amidst Great Britain and other local competitors comprising the first detail taking aim from 300 yards during yesterday's Full Bore meet at the Twickenham Park Range. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
GOOD WEATHER conditions and above par performances by Jamaican and Great Britain shooters made for a good first day of the 2002 International full-bore rifle meet at the Twickenham Park Ranges yesterday.
Great Britain's Hugh Kilpatrick and Andrew Tompson both shot a grand aggregate 99 with 14 V bulls each to top the board followed by Jamaica's Canute C. Coley with 99 and nine V bulls over a combined distance of 900 yards.
V bulls are in the centre of the bull's eye and used to separate similar scores.
Kilpatrick, who reportedly improves on each outing for the visiting team, shot 50 with seven V bulls then 49 with seven V bulls while Tompson, who won the grand aggregate prize in Trinidad and Tobago recently had the reverse of 49 with seven V bulls on the B bank then 50 with seven V bulls on the A bank.
Cole shot 49 with five V bulls from the B bank to 300 yards then improved with 50 with four V bulls from the opposite bank up to 600 yards.
Other Jamaicans performing well on the day included Ronald Brown Jnr with 96 with 10 V bulls and the team's lone female Valerie Newman (95 with seven V bulls) who finished among the top 15 shooters.
Newman was one v-bull better than teammate Carl Smith not too far behind with 95 with six V bulls.
Further down were Denis Lee with 94 with eight V bulls, David Rickman and Patrick Cabey both with 94 with five V bulls, Keith Hammond and Jose Nunez 92 with four V bulls, Alvaro Goveia 92 with three V bulls and John Nelson 91 with nine V bulls.
Great Britain's three female representatives, Sarah Rennie, Irene Rowley and Sally Roots, also did well to finish in the top 15 lot.
Rennie finished seventh with a combined total of 97 with 12 V bulls while Rowley was eighth with 96 with nine V bulls and Roots 15th with 95 with six V bulls.
British coach Martin Townsend sat modestly at the bottom of the scoreboard but was pleased with the overall performance of his team.
"I'm happy that they are all doing well. The weather is very nice although for some the wind was a bit of a mystery but we should be able to get very good practice out of this event," he said.
The three-day meet continues this morning at 9:00 at the same venue with individual competition over 500, 900 and 1,000 yards.
It ends tomorrow with the team competition.
