Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 08, 2015 Sports
By Franklin Wilson at Camp Perry, Ohio, USA
with the compliments of NAMILCO, Ringbang,
Fazias Collection, Crown Mining Supply and Queensway.
Despite shooting two possibles at the 300 and 600 yards ranges as well as finishing with the highest individual points, reigning Caribbean Individual Champion, Guyanese Lennox Braithwaite, the West Indies Shooting team could not spring any surprises when the 2015 National Rifle Association of America (NRA) America Team Match was contested at Camp Perry, Ohio, yesterday.
Coming up against the best shooters in the world, the West Indies team started off well and were very competitive after the first three ranges, 300, 600 and 900 yards. However, the Caribbean side faltered badly at the final range – 1000 yards – as Great Britain once again proved their class as the best in the world by winning on an almost perfect day for them.
The British team, which visited Guyana and the West Indies two years ago, amassed a total of 2385 points and 263 V-Bulls to win ahead of rivals Australia which accumulated 2374 points and 255 V-Bulls.
South Africa was next with 2353 points and 225 Vs; United States tallied 2347 points and 253 Vs; Canada 2338 points and 210Vs, New Zealand 2331 points and 230Vs while Germany had 2251 points and 217Vs. Japan and Barbados also competed.
Shooting at Camp Perry for the majority of West Indian shooters is a first time and despite the challenging conditions tried their best to be on top. They started out well with good scores, each shooter entitled to 15 shots with two sighting shots at each range. A maximum of 75 points was available at each range with perfect shooting.
This is exactly what the British and Australian shooters were able to achieve as they hardly dropped any shots at the first two ranges.
Braithwaite himself did not drop any at these two ranges, recording perfect scores of 75-7 at 300 and 75-10 at 600. West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council President, Trinidadian Norris Gomez also started well as he dropped only 5 points at the two ranges, recording scores of 74-4 at 300 yards and 71-4 at 600 yards.
Another Guyanese on the team, Dylan Field, despite not having any kind of practice at Camp Perry like many other team colleagues, dropped 4 points after the first two ranges with scores of 72-4 and 74-7 at 300 and 600 yards; Antigua and Barbuda’s Anderson Perry, competing in his first full fledge senior championship outside the Caribbean was also promising with scores mirroring Fields with 4 and 10 Vs respectively.
With another Guyanese, Leo Romalho just dropping 3 points (73-6 at 300 yards and 74-6 at 600 yards) after the first two, the West Indies had set a solid foundation on which to launch at the 900 and 1000 yards ranges despite the more accomplished countries were also doing well.
But with the winds doing its work and being very tricky, it also brought with it its own challenges for the Caribbean side and it began to go downhill for them. After totaling 578 points at the 600 yards range, the best for the West Indians at any range collectively, they were only able to tally 560 at 900 yards and even worst, 522 at 1000 yards.
When the final tally was made, the West Indies managed an overall total of 2233 points and 161 Vs. Braithwaite, Persaud and Gomez, the only three West Indian shooters that competed in the NRA National Fullbore Championships also assisted with coaching yesterday.
The Head Coach was T&T’s Carl Awong who was assisted by countryman Ezekiel Joseph and Tommy Greenaway of Antigua & Barbuda.
Team Captain, Major Denis John Nelson of Jamaica in looking back at the performance of his team noted that they started out pretty well but felt that the 1000 yards performance was disastrous.
“The only exception to the day, we take a lot of pride out of Lennox Braithwaite from Guyana and Anderson Perry from Antigua. This was Perry’s first real team match and he did incredibly
well.”
The day’s performance he informed would be reviewed pointing out that today will be a full scale practice for all the shooters which he is hoping would put them in better form for the Palma Team match where they will be taking on, again, the best shots in the world.
West Indies Team Scores
Name 300 600 900 1000 Total
Norris Gomez 74-4 71-4 74-9 58-0 277-17
Dylan Fields 72-4 74-7 72-6 59-0 277-17
Anderson Perry 72-4 74-10 69-2 71-5 286-21
Ransford Goodluck 69-5 72-4 74-9 67-1 279-22
Mahendra Persaud 71-4 71-6 68-8 71-8 281-26
Michael Perez 67-5 67-3 68-5 58-2 260-15
Leo Romalho 73-6 74-6 66-2 69-3 282-17
Lennox Braithwaite 75-7 75-10 69-2 69-3 288-26
573-39 578-52 560-47 522-22 2233-161
Placing Overall
Country Total
Great Britain 2385-263Vs
Australia 2374-255
South Africa 2353-225
United States 2347-253
Canada 2338-210
New Zealand 2331-230
Germany 2251-217
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