What’s happening?
The QCTA Central Zone DTL Carnival was held last weekend at the Rockhampton Clay Target Club, bringing together shooters from across Queensland.
Competitors travelled from as far north as Cairns, from Brisbane in the southeast and from Longreach in the west, alongside Central Zone locals.
Clinton Burrows, who is on the committee for sponsorship, said the weekend centred on the Zone Shoot.
Shooters contested double rise, single barrel, double barrel, point score and handicap events.
“It’s just a shoot-off amongst the zones,” Mr Burrows said.
The aim was to claim the Zone Shoot title, along with sashes and trophies.
“They’ll be winning sashes, and they’ll win trophies and that,” he said.
Why it matters
The carnival brought together some of the state’s strongest DTL shooters in one venue.
Mr Burrows said the Rockhampton club remains one of the better facilities in Queensland.
“Oh yes, we have a really good set-up here,” he said.
For junior competitors, the weekend provided valuable experience against open and AA grade shooters.
Local impact
The carnival positioned the Rockhampton Clay Target Club at the centre of state-level competition last weekend.
It also gave Central Queensland juniors and open shooters the opportunity to compete against high-grade talent on home ground.
By the numbers
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Around 100 shooters competed at the carnival, travelling from Cairns, Brisbane and Longreach to Rockhampton.
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Five or six junior shooters took part on the weekend, with more across Central Queensland unable to attend.
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AA grade requires a 99.5 percent hit rate to maintain, while A grade requires 97.5 percent.
Zoom in
One of the juniors competing was Quaid Blyton, from Biloela, who shoots for Rockhampton.
“I’m 16 this year,” he said.
He first tried the sport during a school session.
“Well, I’ve always been interested in target shooting and guns, and one day the school invited us down on a come-try day and shot a couple of targets and loved it ever since,” he said.
Quaid still competes as a junior but also shoots in the open class.
“Yes, I do shoot in open class,” he said.
On facing senior competitors, he added, “I’d like to think I’d give them a run for my money. Obviously, they’re very good shots, but you’ve got to keep them humble.”
During the carnival, he won the overall handicap event.
“That’s an event where shooters of all age categories are kept equal for a meterage, which is probably one of the hardest events to win,” he said.
He explained that handicap is measured in metreage. Most shooters stand at 15 metres from the thrower, with the maximum set at 25 metres.
“You earn your handicap meterage by either going up in grades of shooting,” he said.
Grades are determined by hit percentage. Quaid moves between A grade and AA.
“AA is the highest you can be. To get into AA and maintain it, you have to have a hit rate of 99.5 percent. For A grade, which I’m currently in, you have to have a hit rate of 97.5 percent. Last I checked, I’m looking at a 99.3 percent,” he said.
He estimated at least 15 to 20 shooters at the carnival were shooting above 99.3 percent.
Quaid also qualified for the Handicap Spectacular two weeks ago at Springsure.
“So, next for me, I’m shooting in the Handicap Spectacular, which is a night competition, which you have to win any handicap event in order to qualify,” he said.
“It is a night event. So, it’s a 50-target event shot on the lights, and it’s point scoring, which is very interesting. So, you hit the target on your first shot, you get plus three points. If you hit it on your second shot, it’s two points, but if you miss it, it’s zero. So, your accuracy really does matter,” he said.
He also outlined how he earned his Queensland jacket.
“So, first you need to compete at the state carnival, which this year is being held in Roma, and you have to qualify. So, you have to shoot a certain amount of targets or points, and then once you get that amount of points, you then have to shoot off against other people who have got that number of points to acquire it. So, it doesn’t come easy for sure,” he said.
Zoom out
Several strong shooters competed at the carnival.
Mr Burrows named young Quade Blighton, Jack Brandt and Kim Neelam among the handy competitors.
Mr Neelam is set to compete in New Zealand and at the world titles in March.
“He’s very handy. He’s off AA 32 metres for handicap,” Mr Burrows said.
What to look for next?
Focus now shifts to upcoming major events, including the Handicap Spectacular and the state carnival in Roma, where shooters will again compete for qualification and honours.
