LEADING local marksman Ransford Goodluck was bang on target once again in last Sunday’s Recorded Shoot as the local riflemen prepare for the National Rifle Shooting Championships which will get cracking this weekend at the Timehri Rifle ranges. Goodluck squeezed past Fullbore captain Mahendra Persaud in a close duel by four V-bulls after both shooters ended on similar points over 300, 500 and 900 yards ranges.
Both tallied scores of 116 points out of a highest possible score (HPS) of 120 points.
Goodluck recorded 116 points with 14 Vs while Persaud secured 116 points with 10 Vs.
On a day with the wind constantly switching direction as well as increasing and decreasing in strength on a regular basis, the two shooters recorded scores of 48:5Vs at 300 yards.
They then shot 34:5 and 34:2 respectively at 500 yards and 34:4 and 34:3 at 900 yards.
There was also another close battle for third position with seasoned campaigner Richard ‘Dickie’ Fields and Lt Colonel Terry Stuart both securing 113 points with 7 Vs.
However, Fields got the nod for third place on a count back, having shot a higher score at the longest range.
The only possible of the day was shot by vice captain Dylan Fields with 35:5 at 900 yards.
The other top performers were Claude Duguid with 113.5 in fifth place, Dylan Fields 112.12 (sixth), Ryan Sampson 108.8  (seventh) and Inspector Dane Blair 108.7 (eighth).
According to Fullbore captain Persaud, these recorded shoots form part of Guyana’s preparation for the upcoming West Indies Fullbore Shooting Championships to be held at the Paragon Rifle Ranges in Barbados from May 23 to 31.
Guyana are presently the defending Champions for both the Short Range, formerly known as the BWIA Cup, and Long Range (Milex) Trophies.
In Barbados, Guyana will be seeking to make it an unprecedented 4 in a row, for the Short Range Title having won it for the last  3 years – 2007 in Guyana, 2008 in Jamaica.