SSAA NSW

Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. 7 2015 Bananacoast Championship International Rimfi re Benchrest (IRB) in Coffs Harbour Reports of heavy rain, an expected 185mm, on Friday 13 March had organisers watching the weather and probably accounted for some late cancellations. But on Saturday morning, the shooters were greeted with perfect sunshine and barbeque of bacon and eggs for breakfast. Day one saw some testing 'Dairyville breezes' come and go as the competition unfolded. Robin Cox had the better of it though and scored a pending Australian three card IRB record with a score of 748.45 which bettered John Radford's previous record of 748.38. In second was Glenn Seaman with 743.43 and Peter Armstrong followed in third on 742.50. On day two, conditions were far more forgiving as the wind was more consistent, the lulls did help some fall into a false sense of security. However for those on the ball and shooting at the right time the rewards were there. Norm Bardell knocked the previous day's record set by Robin Cox shooting an excellent 750.47, the old record standing for less than 24 hours. The favourable conditions saw most shooters completing their card quickly, the days shooting was almost done when the curried chicken and rice was served for lunch. Norm Bardell's record saw him come in fi rst place, Peter Armstrong came in second with a 749.50 and Richard Lightfoot was third with a 748.59. The wrap up saw Robin Cox win fi rst place, whose consistency was again rewarded with a 1491.76 and another (pending) new Aussie six card record, congratulations Robin. Second was Peter Armstrong with a 1491.101 and Norm Bardell came third with 1485.87. The banter among the competitors was entertaining as always and cash prizes of $150, $100 and $50 were awarded to the fi rst three places respectively and two prizes of $50 for 13th and 26th place as well as trophies and top 10 caps. Full results are available on the SSAA NSW Coffs Harbour Branch website at www.ssaacoffsharbour.org.au. The effi ciency and planning of the event allowed shooters and crew to get away early. A big thank you to everyone involved: our scorer Billo who had to drive back to Sydney, the chefs Michael and Maria kept us all entertained and deliciously fed, the target crew never stopped all day and the Range Offi cers kept it all smooth and safe. Where would we be without these fantastic volunteers? Thanks very much to you all. Next Registered match for SSAA NSW Coffs Harbour Branch is the Hunter State Championships, a four-day shoot starting on Friday 16 May 2015. Visit the website for more details. Robin Cox broke two Australian records during the competition This year's Bananacoast IRB Championship was held on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 March at the Dairyville Range in Coffs Harbour. The event attracted a competitive fi eld of 36 shooters which included a number who had represented Australia both locally and internationally, so the stage was set for some quality results. Norm Bardell shot a 750.47 to break Robin's record set the previous day Local shooter Jeremy Hannaford receives his trophy from Branch President Rod Madeley

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