Sport
18 May, 2024
Suns out, guns out for the ‘Nioa/Properties Ruhle’ Interschool
Last Friday saw just shy of 40 students from neighbouring local high schools and localities put together a team of three shooters to compete in the small bore, 50m, fifty shot target shoot at the Laurie Bowe Rifle Range at Leyburn.
Schools in attendance were Allora State School, Concordia, Boys from Dalrymple Creek, Toowoomba Anglican School (T.A.S.), Oakey State High School, Allora/Clifton combined, Clifton Benchrest Shooting Club Jnrs, Warwick town and host school Clifton State High School (C.S.H.S.).
The weather definitely wasn’t anything to write home about.
The wind was doing its best to blow a fair gale, pushing projectiles out and down an inch and a half to the right for most of the day.
That certainly wasn’t enough to spoil the spirits of the 39 students who’d risen early and had travelled from across the Downs to test their accuracy with a supplied Club .22 rimfire rifle at the Clifton Benchrest Shooting Club.
Top ten shooters for the day were unusually close, with a fraction over 10 points separating the lot.
Top 10 for the day in order as follows:
•1st Jorja Cairns (T.A.S. 373.6)
•2nd Lane Clark (Concordia 370.3)
•3rd Jackson May (C.S.H.S. 369.6)
•4th Willy Cameron (367.6 T.A.S.)
•5th Harry Cameron (367.4 T.A.S.)
•6th Marty May (Dalrymple Ck boys 366.5)
•7th Rebecca Robinson (C.B.S.C 365.4)
•8th Dan Kirby (C.S.H.S 365.2)
•9th Dom Faggotter (T.A.S. 363)
•10th Sam Wippell (T.A.S. 361.3)
The school team that won the “Winning Schools Trophy” on a total point score was Toowoomba Anglican School for the second year running.
The team was made up
of three Western Queensland boys, who hail from ‘Glenferrie’, Ilfracombe and ‘Mt Victoria’, south west of Longreach.
“They were always going to be hard to beat...they’ve spent their entire schooling lives growing up on stations, doing Distance Education and have come into Toowoomba just for the last of their senior schooling years,” the event organiser, Mr Thorpe (Thorpy), said.
“They took the big trophies home last year... they got off the bus and walked in to the clubhouse to sign in with them under their arm, getting under the skin of a few locals before the first shot was even sent down the range … they were looking pretty confident.”
“Team Captain Dom Faggotter took out the highest individual shooter last year and the two Cameron boys were pretty consistent all day as well,
so they were coming to defend their title and to
take those trophies back to T.A.S. for the second year running.”
Second placed team was the Dalrymple Creek boys.
“They came into town to show us what they’ve learnt at school in the big city and they didn’t disappoint.”
Brothers Marty and Jonty May joined forces with Will Peters.
Marty probably led the first round until 11am or thereabouts.
Third team placegetters were the juniors themselves from the Clifton Benchrest Shooting club.
Brother and sister combo Amelia and Cooper Steffen put in a solid effort as did Rebekah Robinson.
But much excitement on the day was around the perpetual shield, awarded for the ‘Highest Individual Combined score’ from the two rounds.
The Perpetual shield went to first time competitor at the comp, T.A.S shooter Jorja Cairns (373.6.)
The T.A.S. bus pulled up that morning with 3 teams on it, consisting of 8 male and 1 female student.
“They only brought one girl, they should have brought more - she just
out-shot the lot of them,” Thorpy said when presenting the trophy at the end of the day.
Very close behind in second place was also a first time shooter at the comp, Concordia student Lane Clarke (370.3) and in third place, local legend C.S.H.S. boy Jacko May on 369.6.
Clifton State High School, in conjunction with the Clifton Benchrest Shooting Club has hosted the Interschool shoot for the last three years,” Thorpy said.
“It’s the only Interschool shoot in the state.
“We pride ourselves on hosting it in our community and hosting it safely.
“The fact that the only High School and Interschool shoots in Queensland, happen right here in Clifton, is just fantastic for both our club and our High School.
Thorpy said the idea for the event came about five years ago with the help of Ash and Chris Brown.
“With the support at my end from Principal Lou Oberholzer and another fella at school who is good at making things happen, Keiran Carson, we eventually got it off the ground,” he said.
“The school side of it married up nicely to such a supportive club and a club that has made a significant investment in not just their juniors, but their junior schools program and we met somewhere in the middle and it all slowly fell into place.”
This year was the biggest year yet and for the first time the event had sponsors jump on board.
This just gave the event organisers more wriggle room to run it the way they wanted to run it and to put some good prize money up, for not just the placegetters, but also prizes to hand out for the average shooter, most improved shooter, encouragement awards etc.
The event organisers would like to thank their Gold sponsors for the day Nioa and Properties Ruhle.
A range of other businesses also donated hunting equipment and merchandise that was used as lucky door prizes and to fill a take home goodies bag for every shooter.
The event organisers would like to thank the township of Clifton and the wider community for their support of the 3rd Interschool shoot.
Clifton has a proud history in Benchrest shooting with ex C.S.H.S student and local legend Laurie Bowe (after whom the range is named) leaving school and going on to shoot for the Australian team, on more than one occasion in the Olympics.
“We’ve had a few good footballers and polo players, but I don’t know of many other Olympians that went through C.S.H.S,” Thorpy said.
Thorpy said he would like to extend a special thank you to the qualified volunteers who gave up their day to make the event happen.
Chief Range Officer Chris ‘Browny’ Brown and his two Range Officer offsiders Jason and Luke Steffan, chief scorers Ash ‘Browny’ Brown, teacher Keiran ‘Carso’ Carson and long-time club member Gary Manteit.
“I’d like to also thank the families that donated food and morning tea items.
“My Principal, Lou Oberholzer has supported the Interschool shoot from the get go and I know for a fact that without his support and approval we would have never got it off the ground in the first place.”
Both the Clifton Benchrest Shooting Club and C.S.H.S. would like to see C.S.H.S. host two interschool shooting events a year, the Mother’s Day shoot in semester one with an additional Father’s Day shoot in semester two.
