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This years’ start to summer has been a little different in that the breezes and mirages have come from some unusual corners of the range. Little or no wind is not the usual feast dished up to shooters coming into Bathurst’s windiest month but that is what has been presented for the past two weeks. The first shooters on the mound found conditions to their liking as the easterly breeze filtered through the trees, but as it swung around to the north the resulting rear fishtail created a totally different set of conditions. The early shoots by Gordon Shepherd (48.04) and John Coghill (48.03) were matched by Graeme Bright (48.03) after the breeze had swung to the north but Steve Williams (47.03), Dennis Lavelle (46.0) and Ron Gibson (44.01) all had to deal with the directional change as it occurred. The second stage was a different kettle of fish as the breeze kept jumping from side to side requiring constant adjustments and high vigilance. Coghill (45.02), Lavelle (45.02) and Bright (46.05) albeit with 5 centre bull’s eyes, all failed the vigilance test with a magpie three the inevitable result but Gibson (45.01) at least kept within the inner four ring. Shepherd (47.02) juggled the windage changes and managed to grab the lead until Williams put in the best stage of the day, a 49.02, to snatch the Cock of the Walk. Coghill fell in to win B grade. The F class contingent did not have the best of days as Grahame Willis’s first stage 55.3 turned out to be the best stage of the day. Angus Ogilvey shot 54.4 at just his second shoot matching Nick Webster but with three super centres more. Col Howell shot well below his recent form with 50.02 and things did not get much better from there. Willis’s second stage couldn’t get near the super centre as Webster dallied in the inner four ring, and Ogilvey found out about the summer quirks on the Bathurst rifle range. Only Howell improved but the improvement was marginal and Webster was the only one able to improve his Championship total albeit by just three points. Next week is the annual Christmas shoot, prawns and all, over 600 yards and is the final of the Diggers and G James Cups and a chance to advance on the championship scoreboard. Scores: D Lavelle TRB 91.02 (9 ¾) 100; R Gibson TRB 89.02 (10 ½) 99 ½; G Shepherd TRA 95.06 (3 ½) 98 ½; J Coghill TRB 93.05 (5 ½) 98 ½; N Webster FSB 105.4 (12) 97 ½; S Williams TRA 96.05 (1 ¼) 97 ¼; G Bright TRA 94.08 (2 ¾) 96 ¾; G P Willis FSA 108.4 (5 ¼) 94 ½; C Howell FSB 102.3 (2 ¾) 87 ¼; A Ogilvey FSB 102.4:

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