Gomez saves best shot for last in WI Championships

TRINIDAD and Tobago’s top marksman, BWIA Captain Norris Gomez saved his best for last on Thursday at the annual West Indies Fullbore Shooting Championships at Tucker Valley, Chaguaramas. However despite emerging as the best shot in the final round of the individual competition, Gomez had to play second fiddle to overall winner Ransford Goodluck of Guyana. Gomez scored 157.20 points out of a possible 160 on Thursday to top Guyana’s Lennox Brathwaite (157.17) and Goodluck (157.12). But it was the steady Goodluck, the overnight leader who ran away with the top prize following his three-day aggregate of  471.49. Gomez was second with 470.54 with first day leader Paul Charlton third on 467.58.

Charlton led two other British shooters — Chris Fitzpatrick (466.54), and  Garnet Faulkner (465.60) in fifth and sixth positions respectively. Brathwaite, who was second yesterday, finished sixth overall on 465.49 followed by  David Rickman of Jamaica with an overall score of 465.40. In the “O” Class competition for local shooters, the impressive Michael Gill claimed top honours with a score of 447.38. Second was Cadet Force Warrant Officer Dexter McKay (446.37) and Captain Reynold Yorke placed third  with 434.28. On Thursday the region’s top shooters along with their guests from Europe were tested by the extreme conditions posed by blustery winds and pouring rain. And the anticipation level is high for the start today of the prestigious competition for the BWIA Cup open to hosts Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica.

Judging by the performances in the individual shoot, the Guyanese are the team to beat and look best bet to dethrone Jamaica as regional champions. However Michael Perez, TT team member and an official of the TRA said yesterday it is left to be seen whether the Guyanese could transform their individual success into a team effort to wrest the BWIA Cup. “They are very hot at the moment and should set the pace. But the other teams cannot be discounted,” Perez said. Yesterday the six-day championships continue with the Jubilee Shoot which commemorated the 125th anniversary of the Trinidad Rifle Association. The competitors started at 300 yards shooting seven rounds from which the first 40 went on to 500 yards at ten rounds each. Then the top 20 battled for the top honours taking aim at 600 yards shooting 15 rounds.

THURSDAY’S  SCORES: 1 Norris Gomez (TT) 157.20; 2 Lennox Brathwaite (Guy)
157.17; 3 Ransford Goodluck (Guy) 157.12; 4 Garnet Faulkner (UK) 156.21; 5
Ian Brown (UK) 156.13.
CLASS RESULTS: 1 Michael Gill (TT) 447.38; 2 Dexter McKay (TT) 446.37; 3
Reynold Yorke (TT) 434.28.
OVERALL RESULTS: 1 Ransford Goodluck (Guy) 471.49; 2 Norris Gomez (TT)
470.54; 3 Paul Charlton (UK) 467.58; 4 Chris Fitzpatrick (UK) 466.54; 5
Garnet Faulkner (UK) 465.60; 6 Lennox Brathwaite (Guy) 465.49; 7 David
Rickman (Jam) 465.40; 8 Donald Anderson (UK) 464.49; 9 Dane Blair (Guy)
463.48; 10 John White (UK) 461.39; 11 Mahendra Persaud (Guy) 460.48; 12
Jennifer Jordan (Bar) 460.45; 13 Richard Seales (Guy) 459.41; 14 John Fraser
(Guy) 459.41; 15 Jose Nunez (Jam) 457.50; 16 Ian Brown (UK) 457.41; 17
Stephen Chung (TT) 456.37; 18 Dylan Fields (Guy) 455.40; 19 Justin Lall (TT)
454.36; 20 Mark Ackrill (TT) 453.44.