FOUR overseas-based shooters have been named in Guyana’s 14-man squad for the West Indies Fullbore shooting championships announced by the Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA), as the Guyanese seek to retain the regional crown in Barbados next week. United States-based Guyanese Sigmund Douglas, John Fraser and Derrick Narine, as well as former Guyana and West Indies ‘top gun’ veteran Paul Archer, who is based in Canada, have been named in the squad for Barbados.
Douglas, Fraser and Narine are regulars on the local side but Archer will be returning to regional competition after a long hiatus from the sport he once dominated back in the 1070s and 80s before he migrated to Canada in 1982.
The other members include National captain Mahendra Persaud, vice-captain Dylan Fields, national champion Ransford Goodluck, Richard Fields, Dane Blair, Ryan Sampson, Claude Duguid, Lt. Col. Terry Stuart, Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Slowe and Charles Deane.
Persaud, Goodluck, Sampson and Stuart will travel to Antigua/Barbuda tomorrow for a Goodwill Series before joining the rest of the squad in Barbados on Monday.
The local-based continent will depart Guyana on Sunday for Bridgetown under the management of ACP Slowe who is also vice-president of the GNRA.
The West Indies fullbore championships will fire off on Monday with a practice shoot followed by three days of individual competition from Tuesday to Thursday with a Rest Day planned for Friday.
Rifle shooters from Antigua/Barbuda, hosts Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago will contest both the individual and team championships.
The team championships will take place on Saturday and Sunday.
Guyana are the reigning champions of both the short and long range titles.
The long range competition over 900 and 1 000 yards will be contested on Saturday while the short range over 300, 500 and 600 yards ranges will be shot on Sunday.
Team captain Mahendra Persaud said he is confident that the local side will be firing on all cylinders against tough competitors who will be seeking to dethrone the Guyanese.
According to Persaud Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and hosts Barbados are all serious competitors for the title but he expects the Antiguans and Bermudans to be formidable contenders.
The regional championships will also be used as a warm- up for shooters selected to attend the Commonwealth Games in India in October this year.