The Armidale School (TAS) Rifle Club member Hamish Turnbull was crowned ‘King of the Range’ at the GPS Shooting Premiership in Sydney.

The competition was staged at Hornsby Rifle Range last Tuesday and Wednesday in calm and sunny conditions.

GPS schools competing in the event were TAS, Kings, Shore, Sydney Boys High, Scots and Sydney Grammar.

New England Girls’ School (NEGS) also competed alongside the boys at the event.

Competitors shot at three ranges over the two days from 300m, 500m and 600m for a possible 200 points.

All matches involved deliberate shooting for eight man teams, with the final match also involving a military style ‘snap’ event at 300m.

Hamish Turnbull, a Year 11 boarding student at TAS from Ebor, shot an excellent score of 197 with 11 centre bulls-eyes.

Jock Barnett of Delungra, also a Year 11 TAS boarder, shot a score of 190-10, and Sam Adams from Armidale shot 187-7.

All three boys were selected in the GPS representative team to compete against the NSW Under 25 team at ANZAC Rifle Range Malabar on Sunday.

The GPS Shooting Premiership was a hard fought and close event this year.

Shore won the Rawson Cup, shot at 500m and 600m with Kings coming second.

In the NRA Shield shot at 600m, Sydney Boys High won with TAS second.

The final event, The Buchanan Shield, shot at 300m would decide the winner.

Kings narrowly won it on centre count from Sydney Boys High.

As a result of accumulated premiership points over the two days, Sydney Boys High School and The Kings School were announced as joint winners of the GPS Shooting Premiership, the first time the honours had been shared since 1953.

TAS, Sydney Boys High and NEGS also competed for the Bisley Bullet during the GPS Premiership.

The Bisley Bullet, presented by the National Rifle Association of the UK in 2000 at the Millennium Imperial Meeting in Bisley, is decided by the best individual shooter from each school.

With Hamish Turnbull’s score of 197-11 and ‘King of the Range’ crown, TAS won the Bisley Bullet again for 2009.

© 2009 Armidale Express

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