The champions again beat Trinidad & Tobago into second place, this time by three points, an increase from their victory last year, when they won by one point. This year the scores read: Jamaica 1 121 points and 83 bulls, Trinidad & Tobago 1 118 and 84, and hosts Guyana 1110 and 88.

Teams fired ten counting shots each from the 300, 500 and 600 yards ranges, under fairly stable conditions, especially the first shoot.

Guyana’s captain Mahendra Persaud told Chronicle Sport that the competition is usually won from the first range.

“We lost the title from the 300 yards. The conditions were stable because it was just after the rains. We started picking up from the 500 yards range then came on strong in the 600 yards. But it was too little too late,” Persaud disclosed.

Jamaica established a 20-point gap over Guyana at the 300 yards range and Trinidad & Tobago 12 points over the hosts. Jamaica had 383 and 31 bulls, Trinidad & Tobago 378 and 32, and Guyana 363 and 30.

Two Jamaicans registered the maximum 50 points - the lone female Valrie Newman and Keith Hammond, while only Ransford Goodluck hit a possible for Guyana. No Trinidadian registered a possible.

Trinidad & Tobago won the 500 yards shoot, ending with 375 points and 31 bulls, Guyana came second on 370 and 28, and Jamaica third on 369 and 26. No one hit any possibles.

The Twin Island Republic boys overtook the Jamaicans, but it was a very slim one-point lead, Guyana still 20 points behind the leader. Total points: Trinidad & Tobago 753 and 63, Jamaica 752 and 57, and Guyana 733 and 78.

Then in the final shoot, Persaud and Goodluck hit possibles, the only two to do so as Guyana won the range, with 377 points and 30 bulls, but the points gained were not enough to pass the leaders.

Trinidad & Tobago fell down and Jamaica beat them by four points - 365 points and 21 bulls, and 369 and 26 respectively.

Captain Norris Gomez said: “Trinidad & Tobago should have won. But the older shooters did not perform as expected. We nurtured some young shooters in the championships, and they turned in good performances.”

In the end, Goodluck turned in the best scores dropping just one point at the 500 yards range, to tally 149 and 20 bulls. Persaud and Newman followed with 145 each, with the former hitting 19 bulls and the latter nine.