By ROBERT BOUTCHER

Narrabri Pistol Club conducted the hugely-successful Pistol Australia Metallic Silhouette 200-metre Big Bore National Championships event from Friday to Sunday, September 15 to 17.

This was the fifth and final open competition on the local club’s 2023 program.

As per the previous four events, the support of Narrabri business houses played an important role in ensuring this success, and the catering by the Lions Auxiliary was, as usual, first class.

Following on from the previous weekend’s NSW Service Pistol State Championships, shooting conditions were again very good, although the temperature on Sunday was quite warm.

Pistol Australia’s president Ray Andrews travelled from Perth to be in attendance.

Forty-four competitors travelled from Rockhampton in the north to Melbourne in the south and many points in between, all with the goal of winning a national championship medal.

There were five individual matches shot over distances of 50 metres, 100 metres, 150 metres and 200 metres in open, women’s, junior and state teams events.

Ten Narrabri members competed at the event, and Jason Anderson was the most successful local member, having been selected onto the NSW production team that placed second to ACT, both with 79/80, but NSW losing on a countback back of rams 20 to 19.

The brilliant Narrabri shooter was also involved in a seven-way shoot off for top gun in production, scoring 40/40 and finishing sixth; a three-way shoot-off in revolver, scoring 39/40, and placing second; and a three-way shoot-off in unlimited full size, scoring 40/40 and placing second.

David Dewsbury was involved in a three-way shoot off for the standing second place, and eventually finished fourth.

Individual match top guns were as follows:

Production:

First – Matt Seears (Merriganowry) with 40; second – Cheyne Fischer (SSPC ACT) with 40; third – Chris Taylor (Inverell RSM) with 40.

Revolver:

First – Matt Seears (Merriganowry) with 39/40; second – Jason Anderson (Narrabri) with 39/40; third – Tim Davey (Inverell RSM) with 39/40.

Standing:

First – Tim Davey (Inverell RSM) with 32/40; second – Kim Emery (Mt Lindesay) with 29/40; third – Matt Seears (Merriganowry) with 29/40.

Unlimited:

First – Tim Davey (Inverell RSM) with 39/40; second – Chris Taylor (Inverell RSM) 39/40; third – Kim Emery (Mt Lindesay) with 37/40.

Unlimited full scale:

First – Matt Seears (Merriganowry) with 40/40; second – Jason Anderson (Narrabri) with 40/40; third – Judy Harding (Toogoolawah) with 40/40.

Aggregates were as follows:

Open big bore four-match – first Tim Davey with 149/160; second – Matt Seears 144/160; third – Chris Taylor 141/160

Women’s big bore four-match – first – Judy Harding with 114/160; second – Kirsten Jackes with 100/160; third – Carmel Archibald with 92/160.

Junior big bore four-match – first – Lachlan Yule with 65/160; second – Harry Seears with 56/160; third – Mary Tobler with 43/160.

The Narrabri Pistol Club members secured numerous grade placings:

Big bore production

AA-grade: First – Billy-Dean Borodzicz; second – Matt Burke.

Big bore revolver:

INT-grade: second – Jason Anderson.

AAA-grade: third – Paul Wilkins.

Big bore standing

INT-grade: second – Dave Dewsbury.

AAA-grade: first – Jason Anderson.

AA-grade: second – Matt Burke.

B-grade: first – Jayden Hamblin.

Big bore unlimited:

INT-grade: third – Tim Anderson.

AAA-grade: second – Dave Dewsbury.

A-grade: first – Matt Burke.

Big bore unlimited full scale:

INT-grade: second – Jason Anderson.

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