(Match Report by Tyler Patner)
The Northeast Ohio Airgunners hosted a bonus match this past weekend, on Saturday, June 18th. As there were no scheduled matches in Ohio, we wanted to give everyone an opportunity (albeit last minute) to shoot over Father’s Day Weekend. Thankfully we had great weather, with temps in the high 60s and low 70s, and sunny skies with barely any clouds.
We shot the field course, which proved to be a considerable challenge due to 15mph gusting winds that plagued the field through the day. There were 13 targets over 40 yards, many of which looked like they had been brutalized by face hits after the match was over. While there are many shots in open sections of the old vineyard that the course resides in, there are a number of lanes that are well protected by old grape rows. This can be especially tricky, because you will see the foliage moving down the lane, but when you send a shot, you quickly realize it doesn’t move much with all of that wind protection. Deceptive is a good word for it.
The course was right around a 31.5T, and offered some great training for the 17 shooters that made it out to the match. While a lot of shooters struggle to find their groove on a course where the wind is constantly shifting, a handful embrace the opportunity and learn what they can from each and every shot. This match was no exception. Keith Walters posted an impressive 57/60, missing just three shots with his .20 caliber RAW. An absolutely awesome score on a tough course.
In Hunter PCP, Jeff Little took top honors shooting a 49 with his Daystate Redwolf. He was followed closely by Doug Cunningham with a 48. Just one point behind both of them, was Lucas Marusiak in WFTF PCP. He posted a 47 with his Anschutz 9003, a solid score for a 12 FPE shooter. Also on a 47 was Tyler Patner shooting in Open Piston with a Sub 12 FPE Air Arms TX200 HC.
Tim Baylor and Jim Miller both shot in the Unlimited division, with Tim prevailing by finishing with a 46. And in WFTF Piston, Dan Putz turned in a 40/60, besting Jeff Paddock by just one shot to take the top spot.
We want to thank all of our members that came out to help setup on Friday night, we can’t do this without all of your help and we appreciate it greatly. And thanks to everyone that came out to the match and shot with us. It was great to see everyone, and we hope you’ll all be back for our July match, which is scheduled for the 24th.
Until then, shoot straight!