Brilliant Braithwaite pips Goodluck by V-Bull
- West Indies fullbore c/ships
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
April 25, 2003
Former national captain Lennox Braithwaithe edged compatriot Ransford Goodluck by a single V-Bull to win the individual grand aggregate of the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Championship at the Timehri Rifle Ranges yesterday.
After three days of competition, Braithwaithe accumulated 530 points with 37 V-Bulls (530.37), while Goodluck also ended with 530 points but had 36 V-Bulls. Trinidad's Norris Gomez finished third with 527 points, 26 V- Bulls and Guyana's Mahendra Persaud fourth with 522 points and 28 V-Bulls
Persaud, however, won yesterday's daily aggregate with 177.7. Gomez was second with 171.6, while Braithwaithe ended third with 170.10 and Goodluck ninth with 167.9.
Shooting over the 500, 600 and 1000-yard ranges yesterday, Braithwaithe returned scores of 50.6 at the 500-yard range, 32.4 at the 600 and 88.0 at the 1000-yard range, while Goodluck registered 47.4, a possible 35.4 and a poor 85.1 at the three respective ranges.
Yesterday, Persaud returned scores of 48.3, 34.2 and 95.2 at the 500, 600 and 1000-yard ranges.
Braithwaithe had scored 179.13 on the opening day, and 181.14 on the second day, while Goodluck had returned scores of 178.11 on the opening day and a possible 185.16 on day two.
In yesterday's `O' Class competition, Trinidad's Justin Lall ended on top of the daily aggregate with 159.6, while his compatriots Mark Akrill, Reynold Yorke and Wendell Wong placed third, fourth and fifth respectively.
Guyana's Ryan Sampson who won day one aggregate, could do nothing better than fifth yesterday with 147.5.
Lall who returned scores of 48.4, 32.2 and 79.0 at the 500, 600 and 1000-yard ranges yesterday, also topped the `O' Class shooters in the grand aggregate with 491.20.
Sampson who registered 46.4, 30.1 and 71.0 at the three respective ranges yesterday, placed third among the `O' Class marksmen in the grand aggregate with 474.16. Akill finished second with 488.22.
Occupying fifth position in the grand aggregate was Trinidad's Clarion Tang-Choon with 517.24. He is followed by his compatriot John Fong-Yew with 515.20.
Jamaica's Keith Hammond and David Rickman ended seventh and eight respectively with 513.25 and 511.30. They are followed by two locals, Dane Blair and Richard Fields. Blair accumulated 511.16, while Fields scored 509.23.
In yesterday's daily aggregate, Jamaica's Carl Smith finished fourth with 170.9, while Tang-Choon scored 170.7 for fifth. He was followed by Jamaica's Canute `CC' Coley with 169.12.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport after he completed his detail on the 1000-yard range yesterday, Braithwaithe said he had no problem at the 500 or 600-yard ranges but encountered some difficulty at the 100-yard range. "The wind was unkind to me and the light was not so good at the 1000," Braithwaithe stated, adding..."I wish I was in the second detail like `Goody" (Goodluck).
Goodluck, however, said he couldn't deal with the wind at the 1000 and the elevation beat him. "I was terrible at the 1000. It (elevation) just kept popping up," Goodluck remarked. He added, "the wind was merciless at the 1000 and the light came up bright suddenly then dropped suddenly."
When the championships were staged in Barbados last year, Persaud defeated Goodluck by four V's to take top honours in the individual grand aggregate.
