Braithwaite takes early lead
- West Indies fullbore c/ships
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
April 23, 2003
Guyana's Lennox Braithwaite took an early lead in the Individual `X' Class category of the West Indies Fullbore shooting championships which got underway yesterday at the Timehri Rifle Ranges.
Another Guyanese, Ryan Sampson, contesting the `O' Class or junior division, also ended day one on top of his field.
Braithwaithe, a former individual champion at this level, ended day one with 179 points with 13 V-Bulls (179.13), a mere one point lead over his compatriot Ransford Goodluck (178.11).
Occupying third position is Trinidad and Tobago's Norris Gomez (177.11) who won the individual category when Guyana last hosted the championship in 1999.
Sampson on the other hand scored 166 points with seven V-Bulls, one point ahead of Trinidad and Tobago's Gregory Clement who scored 165.2, two points more than his countryman Justin Lall (163.7) who is placed third.
Yesterday, the Regional riflemen in both categories shot over the 300, 600 and 900-yard ranges, while today, they will match their marksmanship abilities over the 300, 500 and 900-yard ranges.
The individual competition which is sponsored by Queen's Way Store, comes to an end tomorrow when the riflemen contest the 500, 600 and 1000-yard ranges.
Shooting yesterday in breezy but warm conditions, Braithwaithe returned 34.4 from a possible 35.7 at the 300, 48.6 from a possible 50.10 at the 500 and 97.3 from a possible 100.10 at the 900-yard range.
Goodluck on the other hand returned scores of 35.5, 47.4 and 96.2 at the three respective ranges.
Gomez, a commercial pilot by profession, registered scores of 35.4, 46.3 and 96.1.
Speaking with Stabroek Sports yesterday, Gomez said he did not do too well at the 600-yard range and blamed that performance on the wind which according to him and Goodluck, kept changing directions.
"I know I'm trailing the boys, but as they say, there's always tomorrow," Gomez stated.
According to vice-president of the local rifle association, Nevile Denny, the wind was very tricky but it was typical for the time of the year.
Denny and US based Guyanese `X' Class rifle shooter, John Fraser, are sharing rifles since Fraser's rifle has not arrived in Guyana.
According to Fraser, he ordered a new rifle from a manufacturer in Canada and was told by the manufacture sometime ago that the rifle had been posted.
Fraser said Denny's rifle was built for him (Denny) and he is having some slight problems with it since Denny is much taller than he (Fraser) is.
Fraser is currently placed 23rd from a field of 33 `X' Class shooters. He returned scores of 32.2 at the 30, 46.3 at the 600 and 78.5 at the 900.
In the junior division, Sampson shot 332 at the 300, 45.4 at the 600 and 88.1 at the 0.
Clement on the other hand registered scores of 33.0, 45.2 and 87.0, while Lall returned 28.1, 48.4 and 87.2.
John Fong-Yew is currently fourth in the `X' Class with 176.9. He shot a possible 35 at the 300-yard range.
Michael Perez also of Trinidad occupies the fifth position with 175.11, while Guyana's Claude Duguid is sixth with 175.10.
Richard Fields, another Guyanese is seventh with 174.5, while Guyana's captain is eight with 172.9.
Jamaica's John Nelson (170.9), Jose Nunez (169.9), Keith Hammond (169.5) and Canute `CC' Coley (168.8), occupies the ninth to twelfth places respectively.
Valarie Newman, a member of the Jamaican `X' Class contingent is one of two females contesting the individual championship. The other is Guyana's Denise Carryl who is an `O' CLass shooter.
Yesterday, Newman registered 166.5, while Carryl returned 125.1.
