Shooters take aim at Handgun Nationals

The Jamaica Rifle Association and the Trelawny Tactical Shooting Range will be in the spotlight in the local shooting world this weekend as the island’s sharp-shooters vie for top honours in the Handgun Nationals.

The match which will consist of 12 stages will take place today at the Jamaica Rifle Association in Kingston and tomorrow in Hague, Trelawny. Eight stages will be shot today and four tomorrow.

With shooters from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados confirming their participation, the match which is a level three, and which falls under the rules of the International Pistol shooting Confederation (IPSC), will take on Caribbean flavour.

Top male shooters, Ryan Bramwell, Greg Henry, Andrew Yapp, Alrice Palmer, Chris Hart and Michael Bradshaw all look set to battle for the top spot. Yeonie Campbell, Renee Rickhi, Sasha Mullings and Shay Francis from Super Six fame, along with Florence Golding, will go for the female crown.

Over the past three months, competitors have been training for this match which they will use as a prelude for the Pan American Shooting Championships in September, and from all indications, preparation has been going well.

CONFIDENT ABOUT THE OUTCOME

Match coordinator, Vanriel Charlton, is beaming with both excitement and confidence about the outcome of this match. According to him, the match will provide the ideal platform for those going to Pan Am. However, the fight to be crowned national champion is on every shooter’s mind.

“When you look at the various categories, it is difficult to predict who is going to come out on top. In the regular Saturday matches at the JRA, the winner tends to change hands quite often,” Charlton said.

Undoubtedly, the consistency of Bramwell can only be ignored to one’s peril. However, Yap and Henry are shooters whom Bramwell will have to conquer if he is to take the limited division and possible top honours.

The nimble Bradshaw will have Hart, Palmer, Micheal Wilkinson and fast-improving Desmond Prince for company in the open division which is highly competitive. This division also includes Arjun McPherson and the T J Johnson-groomed Petrona Belafante.

When this competition was last held three years ago, it was bereft of female participants. This weekend, the Super Six ladies will not only grace the stage with beauty, but with a high-level shooting talent never seen before locally.

The pint-sized Yeonie Campbell is the biggest talent in this group. However, her margin of victory is being reduced by the rapid rise of Mullings, Francis and Rickhi. Despite the rapid growth of her team-mates, Campbell is expected to take top honours, with the minor places going to any of the other three.