JERSEY marksman David Turner won the Cobo Air Rifle Club’s Open shoot last weekend in Guernsey.
It was the second year running that a Jersey shooter topped Class A following Scott Douglas’s success in 2003.Turner took the event by just one point, from home shooter Jamie Cirigliano, with Douglas finishing 40 points behind the new champion in fifth place.Douglas, on a high after finishing fifth in the junior men’s British Championship at Bisley the previous weekend, and Turner had been confident of getting a good result.The event started strangely for both however, as on their first shoot not only did they score identical scores of 548, but they both missed a shot (dropping ten points) and both due to rifle trouble.Turner thought he’d fixed his problem but firing again there was no shot in the card.
His pellet came out of the muzzle at a much-reduced speed and dropped immediately to the floor.As Douglas mounted his rifle in his shoulder it went off.
Thankfully no harm was done, as the rifle was pointing down the range, and the only victim was the range’s back wall!Turner, after his bad luck the previous night, knew that he had to put in a decent shoot to stand any chance of finishing anywhere near the top.
He settled quickly and continued to shoot consistently throughout, his rifle never missing a beat, to record a score of 562 and a total of 1,110 - beating Cirigliano by a single point to take the Marc Andrew Memorial Trophy.’I was very lucky,’ said Turner.
The circumstances of my win are unusual and I just had to keep it going.
I’ve been close to winning before and now I’ve achieved it I’m delighted.’Guernsey’s Simon Rowe won the pistol event with a total of 1,105.
Article posted on 12th March, 2004 - 12.00am
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