Shooting Sports: Disappointing day as gunmen fail to fire

Winton farmer Paul Wilson fell at the final hurdle in his bid to make the final of the Commonwealth Games skeet event yesterday.

Wilson was always in the mix for a spot in the six-man decider throughout the five qualifying rounds but missed out in a three-way sudden death eliminator for the final spot to finish seventh equal. The title was won by Cypriot George Achilleos, with a Games record 123. Including the final, he bagged an outstanding 148 out of 150.

Having started the day second equal after two rounds, Wilson shot successive 23s to finish at 117, along with Michael Maskell of Barbados and Chee Feh Tei from Malaysia. Chee and Wilson both dropped one of their two targets on their first turn. Maskell drilled both his to seal a final place.

"It was a little bit unsatisfactory, a bit less than I'd hoped for,"Wilson said.

He didn't have a target score in mind at the start of yesterday. The tricky morning wind made scoring tough. "As it turned out, one or two more targets would have put me in the final."

Wilson was in another sudden death shoot-off at the Commonwealth Championships at the same venue a year ago. That time, he made the final.

"In some ways, I'd rather have lost that shoot-off and won this one. I did feel I had a good chance."

New Zealander Malcolm Duff finished on 116 in a share of ninth.

Earlier, pistol shooters Alan Earle and Jason Wakeling finished 17th and 19th in the 25m standard pistol.

New Zealand's shooting statistics in Melbourne are grim, for a sport which was expected to be the country's most successful.

Government funding agency Sparc had expectations of up to 12 medals. But the only gongs heading home are trap shooter Graeme Ede's gold, a silver for riflewoman Juliet Etherington, who also bagged a bronze with Kathryn Mead in the 50m prone, and a silver for veteran pistol man Greg Yelavich.

-HERALD ON SUNDAY