Sydney’s Holsworthy Rifle Club landed the quinella at the ACT Queen’s Prize in Canberra yesterday with Jim Bailey holding off good friend and national teammate Donna Negus to claim the prestigious event.
Bailey finished with 397.39 points out of a possible 400.80, and led after every stage over the weekend while Negus, who lives in Jerrabomberra despite representing Holsworthy, managed to score 393.24.
It was the best result either shooter had ever achieved in the Queen’s Prize.
”It’s one I’ve wanted to win for a long time, it’s one of the hardest ranges you can shoot on in Australia with the wind and all those sorts of things,” Bailey said. ”Whatever you win here you’ve really earned.
”I was in front the whole way but I had Donna chasing me the whole way. I was first and she was second on the first day and it stayed the same pretty much the whole way through.”
The Holsworthy pair were introduced to the sport as children through their fathers and have grown up alongside each other on the rifle range.
Bailey and Negus were part of the Australian team which finished fourth at the world championships in Brisbane three weeks ago.
Negus carried the international form with her to Canberra and put her stellar performance over the weekend down to a recent wardrobe change.
”I’ve actually just got a new shooting jacket, it’s the same jacket that Jim uses as well incidentally,” Negus said.
”I keep saying it just doesn’t feel right, it’s just all feeling too good. I wish I had done this years ago now.”
Competitors spent the weekend battling erratic weather conditions in Canberra, severely hampering each shot’s transition to the target.
A combination of gale-force winds and sweltering heat dictated play on Saturday, while yesterday’s final rounds were soaked with rain.
- AT A GLANCETARGET RIFLE A-GRADE: 1st: Jim Bailey (Holsworthy), 397.39 points; 2nd: Donna Negus (Holsworthy), 393.24 points; 3rd: Geoffrey Grenfell (Bendigo), 391.50 points. F-CLASS STANDARD DIVISION 1: 1st: Stephen Sharp (Bungendore), 455.20 points; 2nd: Robert Pedersen (Hobart), 453.19 points; 3rd: Stephen Hart (Rail and Tram), 452.23 points.
Full story may be found at: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/shooting/holsworthy-pair-shoot-the-breeze-in-canberra/2364124.aspx?storypage=1