The Target Shooting Mid Canterbury team with their silverware haul from Oamaru. Photo supplied.Mid Canterbury’s smallbore rifle shooters were on target in Oamaru at the weekend, ensuring their name will be the latest engraved on the prestigious Andrews and Faulkner Shield.

The Andrews and Faulkner was the South Island Association’s teams championship event involving 16 open teams of 12 shooters, and eight junior teams of five shooting for the Greenhough Trophy, and after finishing an agonisingly close second in the big show last year, the team from Target Shooting Mid Canterbury (TSMC) headed south with a point to prove.

Hosted by the North Otago and East Otago Associations on a 16-mound temporary range at Oamaru’s Waitaki Recreation Centre on Saturday, it was a huge day which TSMC president Nina McKenzie said ended with ‘total euphoria’ for the Mid Canterbury shooters.

“This is a very old and prestigious trophy in our sport with a rich history and we are both proud and humbled to be the holders,” McKenzie said.

The course of fire was a double target first (200.20), followed by a single target (100.10), for a maximum possible 300.30, per shooter – a format designed to build pressure throughout the day, as each team had one shooter per round, with updates published every 30-60 minutes.

“No further updates are given once the last three-four shooters are left, meaning that the final result is only revealed at the prizegiving and dinner that follows the event,” McKenzie said.

TSMC’s day started well with great opening scores from lead-outs, McKenzie and Sandy Bennett, followed by brothers Nick and TJ Stewart, and at the first progress point Mid Canterbury were leading the open match.

McKenzie said excellent scoring from their two ‘senior’ juniors, Shania Harrison-Lee and Emma Smith – with a personal best of 100.8 as part of her double – continued the trend, while Colin Taylor had a steady and slightly unlucky double, which was followed by a cracker from Bill Rankin.

Due to ill health and with great regret, Bryan Hunter had to withdraw before the event and Charlotte McKenzie, a rising junior, stepped up to take his place.

“The loss of such experience and skill right before a big match would see many teams falter, but the team belief was firm and Charlotte produced a very good double, which was followed with a sound performance by the captain Steve McArthur,” Nina McKenzie said.

Keith Bonnington and Andrew McKenzie produced almost matching targets and at the half-way point TSMC had a promising lead.

Their open team averaged 194.9 for the double card round while in the junior match, lead-out Amelia Swan soaked up the pressure on her first time on a foreign range and and produced an outstanding double.

Two veterans of the junior team, Smith and Harrison-Lee, also produced commanding double results, before Jack McIntosh and Jacob Kilworth took the mound and shot together, with Charlotte McKenzie finishing things off.

Nina McKenzie said the single card rounds were a joy to behold.

“The team knew that they needed to keep the pressure right on, and without exception every single member stood up.”

The card of the round belonged to Smith, with a 99.8 and the narrowest tester for another possible.

The single card average was 97.6 for the team, with no member under 96.

TSMC’s juniors were in a tight race with Ashley and Nelson, and were second by two single points going into the last round, but stayed in that runner-up spot with Ashley just taking out the Greenhough Trophy by five single shots.

In the open grade, Mid Canterbury returned home the Andrews and Faulkner champions, while Nelson were second and Ashley third, with last year’s winners Marlborough fourth.

It was a huge weekend for all, but particularly for Harrison-Lee who was named top shot for both the open and junior competitions, while McArthur, Bennett, Harrison-Lee, Nick Stewart and Nina McKenzie took out the top five trophy, and TJ Stewart, Smith, Taylor, Rankin and Charlotte McKenzie took the second five trophy.

Harrison-Lee was also awarded with individual South Island trophies, which were shot for several weeks ago, but saved for presenting at the event.

She was junior, women’s, masters and open champion, which was an oustanding result for a junior.

TSMC’s Andrews and Faulkner win will see them go on to face North Island Association Champions, Manawatu, for the coveted Candyman Cup and the title of national association champion.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 30 July 2019

An 83-7 loss to Rangiora High School on Saturday was one of the low points of Mid Canterbury Combined’s 2019 UC Championship rugby campaign.

With only two games to go in this year’s competition the side were yet to pick up a win, and the latest loss in Rangiora was one of the more frustrating in the eyes of the side’s coaches Brent Middleton, Andrew Morgan and Warren Donald.

“The boys probably threw in their worst performance of the year, to be honest they were really disappointing and the three coaches were really disappointed with them,” Middleton said.

“They didn’t front up at all, you felt like they might as well have still been sitting on the bus.”

Middleton said the first half was particularly tough, and while things did improve somewhat in the second half, the damage was already done with Rangiora leading 54-7 at half-time.

“At the end of the day, that Rangiora side are a very good side.”

While Mid Canterbury Combined had given away a lot in size to some of the powerhouse schools in the Crusaders secondary schools’ rugby zone this season, Rangiora weren’t all that different when it came to size.

But, they were a very well drilled side.

“They played a very good brand of football and you could see why they are sixth on the table,” Middleton said.

Mid Canterbury Combined did create some opportunities, but all too often took the wrong option.

“It was a tough game for the fact that we know we are better than that,” Middleton said.

With just two rounds to go, life wasn’t about to get any easier for Mid Canterbury Combined as they well and truly stared down the barrel of a second win-less season on the trot.

This weekend they were off to Christchurch to take on a St Bede’s College side that was currently sitting third on the table, and in the last round they were off to Nelson to take on the table topping Nelson College side.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 30 July 2019

John Morrison Harness Driver. Photo supplied.Two Mid Canterbury names feature in the line-up for this year’s New Zealand representatives for the 2019 Australasian Young Drivers Championship to be held in New Zealand.

Both Sarah O’Reilly and John Morrison will represent their country in the championship, which is set to be held in December this year.

In order to qualify for the four New Zealand spots available, O’Reilly gained entry courtesy of winning the New Zealand Junior Drivers’ Championship which was held earlier this month, while Morrison picks up his spot in the competition courtesy of being the leading South Island driver for the season.

It caps off outstanding seasons for the two Mid Cantabrian drivers, who collectively won over 80 races between them in the season from August 1, 2018 until tomorrow, when the harness racing season officially ends.

This year the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championship will be held over the course of a week with racing action coming from Addington, on the grass track at Methven, two meetings at Manawatu and a final meeting at Auckland on Friday, December 13.

Joining Morrison and O’Reilly in the championship to represent New Zealand are defending champion, Sheree Tomlinson and North Island leading junior driver, Benjamin Butcher.

By Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 29 July 2019