News: Queens Prize 2011
HISTORIC HIGH FOR QUEENS PRIZE
22 August 2011
Pic by Mark Schoeman
Two hundred and eighty shooters pitted their skills again each other in one of the nation's biggest and oldest competitive meetings last week, the 130th Queens Prize.
Run back to back with the Duncan Series and preceded by the annual veteran's match, it was hosted by the 150-year-old Queensland Rifle Association, the state's oldest sporting club.
"It was an absolutely outstanding event," QRA match director John Kielly said.
"The competitors were happy, the staff worked their butts out for everyone and conditions were dry for the shoot. It started to rain immediately afterwards."
Shooters vied for dozens of badges in Queens and Duncan matches, the last of which wound up on Saturday after a packed eight-day program at Brisbane's Belmont Range.
Gray Robertson finished at the top of the Queens Prize, edging out the man who has won more Queens Prizes than any other Australian shooter, James Corbett.
Corbett did top the A-grade 1000 yard shoot with a score of 48.004, though, in particularly difficult conditions after a weather change blew in.
"It became more than a little challenging," Mr Kielly said, adding that you'd normally expect the top dozen competitors to achieve perfect scores of 50.
The top of the order featured many respected names who were joined by John Hislop, who pulled out a stellar performance to boost himself up there with them, finishing fourth.
"He had a particularly good weekend," said Mr Kielly.
He added that they saw an "interesting" outcome in the F Class Standard shoots.
"The C-grade winner out-pointed the A-grade winner," he said.
The historic Federal Cup saw a rare outing for last week's competition. It is flanked by Private Christian Rafferty of the trophy's custodial unit, the 9th Battalion Royal Queensland Regiment, and Robert Finlay in a Queensland Scottish uniform from the 1880s, with an early Martini breech-loading rifle and bayonet.
In other results, Jim Jeffrey won the Duncan prize and Queensland A won the F Class State of Original shoot by more than seven points, scoring 287.17 against NSW Navy (280.11), NSW Sky (279.08) and Queensland North (274.11).
Full results are posted on the QRA website.
This year's Duncan and Queens Prize meetings brought focus to the QRA's 150th anniversary celebrations and the club took the opportunity to release a book, Home on the Range, by Bill Casey, detailing its distinguished history.
The book was officially launched by Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley, who attended last Wednesday's anniversary function and accepted a request to become the QRA's Patron, a role traditionally held by the state governor but relinquished by one of her recent predecessors.
"She was going to be there for three-quarters of an hour and she stayed for two hours," Mr Kielly said. "She was great."
Home on the Range is available for $33 directly from the QRA.
Photographer Mark Schoeman attended over several days of the event and captured some excellent images, which are posted on his website.
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