Sport
6 October, 2022
Rifle club hosts international teams
The Maryborough Rifle Club had the distinction of being able to host shooters from both the Australian and Great Britain national teams on Wednesday afternoon, with both teams training for the Woomera Match, to be held in Stawell on Saturday...
The Maryborough Rifle Club had the distinction of being able to host shooters from both the Australian and Great Britain national teams on Wednesday afternoon, with both teams training for the Woomera Match, to be held in Stawell on Saturday, October 15.
According to rifle club stalwart Shane Courtney, it’s the first time that Maryborough had been able to host the national teams of both countries.
“It’s the first time they’ve ever been to Maryborough, which is a pretty big thing for us as a club,” he said.
The Woomera Match is comprised of both national teams having 16 members, inclusive of a captain and a manager. Eight members may shoot at distances over 1000, 1100 and 1200 yards.
With the Woomera Match being held around every three years on average, both teams have had plenty of time to prepare, with the Great Britain team in particular travelling to Bacchus Marsh, Warrnambool and Hamilton previously.
According to Courtney, preparations have been a long time in the making.
“I started training virtually straight after the last Woomera Match,” he said.
“This edition will be my sixth selection in a Woomera Match.”
Australian teammate Alan Blain, from the Port Campbell Rifle Club, is also experienced in the match, likewise being selected for the sixth time.
“I feel we have a good team of shooters who are keen, fit and raring to go. Their rifles are well-tuned up, and everyone is enthusiastic and ready for the match,” he said.
Blain said he enjoyed the friendly atmosphere around Maryborough, allowing them to settle in well for the day.
“We’ve had good fun here, in terms of being able to get a good friendly session in,” he said.
Blain also allowed an insight into the Australian way of putting together a competitive match rifle team.
“We tend to have various competitions and a few team training sessions, where the captains and coaches choose who perform the best over a given time, and it’s up to us to make sure our equipment, rifle and ammunition is ready, so that when the Match happens, all the coaches have to do is worry about the wind, and the shooters worry about shooting good shots,” he said.
“It’s been a bit more difficult for us with the COVID lockdowns. We couldn’t travel a lot and get together, but we’ve still been knuckling down at our home ranges and setting up our rifles that way.
“For myself, paying attention to detail and loading ammunition, barrel cleaning has been my focus. Back at Port Campbell, I’ve been practicing with another kind of lighter-weight projectile rifle.”
There’s also a great deal of excitement within the Great Britain team, with captain Nick Tremlett highlighting the amount of work that has gone into selecting a squad over the past two years.
“We started preparing about two years ago. We selected a big bunch of people, holding various tryouts until we felt we could select the final team, which was about a year ago. We have had training together at Bisley about four of five times since then. It’s been good at getting us not only used to each other, but also getting used to the routine of how we shoot as a team,” he said.
“The fortunate thing about our team is that we don’t have anyone who is out and out the best, we have Ashley Abrahams who has been shooting very well in the time we’ve been here. John Lindsay has been shooting well too. When it comes to getting to Stawell, I expect it to be very difficult to select a team when the time comes.”
Tremlett praised the Maryborough Rifle Club and the range, which has provided them with a reasonable insight into potential conditions at Stawell for next week’s Woomera Match.
“Two or three of us have had experience at Stawell, so we have some idea of what we will experience. It is a range unlike any others that we shoot, although at Maryborough, the range is quite similar, it cuts into the trees, with lightish winds which can be fickle. The only difference with Stawell is that the ground goes slightly higher at the end of the 1200 yards, meaning the bullets can fly over the top of the trees. So if the winds are strong, anything can happen,” he said.