SHOOTING - Deadeye locals aim to impress for NZ

Northland trapshooters excelled at the Clay Target Down the Line Nationals, with four qualifying for the New Zealand Open Team and all bringing home a swag of medals.
• Chris Erceg, Ethan Erceg and Ricky Schraag of the Whangarei Combined Gun Club, and Rob Smith of the Kaeo Gun Club, qualified for the New Zealand McKintosh open team. Chris, Ethan and Ricky qualified in the top 25 shooters and Rob made the veterans' team.
• Ethan Erceg, 15, a student at Whangarei Boys' High School, won gold in both the New Zealand A-grade single barrel championship and the A-grade pointscore championship. He won first place junior in the New Zealand handicap by distance championship and second in the A-grade 100 year anniversary shoot.
• Ricky Schraag, 17, of Mangakahia Area School, won gold in the A-grade single rise championship and bronze in the A-grade single barrel championship. He won first A-grade and juniors in the 100-year anniversary shoot.
• Nick Gavin, 17, of Whangarei Boys' High School, won top junior in the New Zealand triples championship, top junior in the single rise championship and bronze in the AA-grade New Zealand single rise championship.
• Ricky Schraag and Nick Gavin were in the North Island junior team that beat the South Island team.
• Nick Gavin qualified throughout the year for the New Zealand Junior Team to go to Ireland. Ethan Erceg and Ricky Schraag have been invited to Ireland in August to shoot at the World Down the Line Championships.