Photo: Kingston College Old Boy Shaun Barnes took the Inaugural Sasco Open Sporting Clays Championship on Sunday at the picturesque Murphy Hill in St. Ann.
Kingston College Old Boy Shaun Barnes, one of Jamaica’s best marksmen took the Inaugural Sasco Open Sporting Clays Championship on Sunday at the picturesque Murphy Hill in St. Ann. He posted the highest overall score of eighty-two (82) out of one hundred attempts.
According to Barnes “it was really a challenging course but I am happy that I was able to hold it mentally and finish the course with a good score. It is something that I am sure all the other competitors came out here to win knowing that it’s Sasco’s inaugural event but I just held my head and do my best.
He also said ” the course setter tricked us alot, they used the landscape to deceive us with what the targets were doing so I had to hold my head down and really read these birds in detail and plus with the scenery, the scenery is awesome. I got distracted a couple of times just staring out into space but it was really a good course.”
He said further that in his preparation he focused on his mental game which carried through. “I am very happy with the score and I am also very happy coming out on top. To be associated with a competition like this and to have my name etched on his trophy is an awesome feeling.” Additionally, Barnes had high praises for the venue and hoped that the championship returns to the venue in the future.
There were several other winners in various categories such as Classes A to E, Men, Ladies, Juniors (16-21), sub-Juniors (under 16) and Hunters (beginners).
Bobby Chung 77 posted the second highest overall score followed by Errol Zaidie with a score of 76.
The A Class winner was Bruce Duquesnay 75 followed by Damian Moe 75 while third place went to Craig Simpson.
Andrew Hopwood 71 took B Class while Tommy Smith 69 came second and Marc Barnes 66 was third.
The top three place in C Class went to Jake Therrien 70, Zachary Chen 69 and Paul Buckle 66.
Ramon Pitter 66 took D Class while Matthew Josephs 61 was second and third went to Nicky Chai-Chong 56.
Gareth Pearce 57 won the E Class followed by Nari Singh 51 while Kristian Maley 50 came third.
The Junior category winners are Jake Therrien 70 1st, Zachary Chen 69 2nd and Todd Lazarus 61.
Matthew Josephs 61 snagged the Sub-Junior category followed by Zachary Lazarus 58 and Roman Tavares-Finson 55 in third place.
The Ladies category went to Alysia Evans 40 while LiseAnn Harris 32 bagged second and Renee Richi got third place.
The Hunters or beginners section went to Delano Vickers 51, Alex Cunningham 50 was second and Sanjay Welsh 48 was third.
The eight-club category was taken by Rangers Gun Club comprising five shooters led by chief organizer Leighton Sasso with an overall score of 285. Trelawny Gun Club led by Andrew Hopwood was second with a score of 282 while Jamaica Gun Club led by Bruce Duquesnay and a score of 276 came third.
Chief organizer Leighton Sasso was happy for the turnout of shooters numbering over one hundred and fifty and the successful event based on the feedback from the competitors and everyone else who attended the inaugural event.
Noted overseas shooter Theo Ribbs III, who set the course said “I thought that the course was good. The high for the day was 82. I had set it for about 86-88, we did not get that number. Maybe that conditions was a little windy out there and maybe that played a part in it but I thing it was good targets. Some people thought it was a bit tougher than they should have been but I am just trying to give these guys a challenge.”
On whether Jamaica can compete on a world stage, he said “If Jamaica as s country is going to compete on a world class level or world stage they are gonna need to shoot tougher targets to compete with shooters in the US and England.” He also had high praises for the venue and recommended that the tournament be repeated there in the future.
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