Big first for Richard Azan Jr

It could go down as a result few expected, but 21-year-old Richard Azan Jr is now Jamaica's youngest Sporting Clays champion.

The university student clinched the ACDelco National Shotgun Sporting Clays title, with the highest-overall score of 189, at the Knolford Polo Ranch in Riversdale in St Catherine, on Sunday.

Familiar names and recurrent contenders Craig Simpson and Christina Sasso were close second and third, with 187 and 186 points respectively.

Christian Sasso is the overall ACDelco National Shotgun champion and five-stand skeet champion, while Ian Banks is trap champion and Robert FooYap, fitasc champion.

Champion, Richard Azan Jr noted that he was "pleased to join his father as a previous winner".

"I am very pleased with the win after being away at university studying, and not being able to be as active as I wanted to be, to prepare for the championship," he summarised.

Khaleel Azan, Jamaica Skeet Club president, said: "This is one of the most successful national championships that we have ever had."

"The coursesetter that we brought in (Gary Bloom) from overseas set some targets that I don't think that we here in Jamaica have ever seen for this championship," he recalled.

He added: "The targets were close, but they were tricky," while praising the class winners as well as planners and workers who helped to make the event a success.

An awards function will be held at the Jade Garden restaurant tonight to honour the respective winners. It will start at 7 o'clock.

Respective Class winners:

A Class

Christian Sasso 186 birds

Nicholas Chen 184

Ian Banks 181

B Class

Marc Barnes 150

Thomas Smith 150

Jeffrey Panton 148

C Class

Ray McMaster 147

Peter Mahfood 146

Howard McKenzie 145

D Class

Simon Khouri 137

Andrew Dunbar 130

Matthew Josephs 128.

E Class

Andrew Dunbar Jr 122

Garth Pearce 121

Mark Desnoes 117

Juniors Class

Brandon Reid 157

Peter Mahfood 146

Jake Terrien 144

Sub Juniors Class

Matthew Joseph 128

Mark Desnoes 117

Ladies Class

Alysia Evans 87

Marguerite Harris 62

Hunters Class

Najeeb Haber Jr 125

Marlon King 127

Jason Watt 96