Cootamundra Rifle Club member Garry Trudgett has won the New South Wales Champion of Champions title in the F Class ( scoped rifle ) Open category.
Garry, who resides in Young, comes over to Coota each week to compete. Garry becomes only the second Coota club member to win a State title.
The first was Jim Collingridge way back in 1956, when they were still using the old .303 rifles. Garry was competing at Malabar range in Sydney on Saturday, July 2, against champions from all regions of NSW.
He was a clear winner, the only competitor to shoot the possible 180 points over the three ranges.
Garry qualified to represent Riverina in Sydney by winning the Riverina Champion of Champions contest at Lockhart a few weeks before.
It has been a good year for the champion marksman.
He finished second at the extremely competitive two day event at Lyndhurst earlier this year, having won this event in 2001.
He finished second in the Riverina Open at Coota last May.
In other Club news, Garry dropped only one point to win the NSW Rifle Association Medal at Coota on May 7.
Shooting one round each over 300, 500 and 600 yards for a possible 180 points, place getters were: Garry Trudgett 179 with 15 super centres; Greg Bentick 171.7; Phil Long 169.8.
On Saturday, June 18, the Club conducted its annual Anthony Hall Memorial day. Anthony was a very popular member of the Club and an outstanding F Class shooter.
Competitors fired two rounds each from the 500 yards mound for a possible 120 points. Results were: Garry Trudgett 119 with 10 super centres; Ian Mason 119 with 8 supers; Rod James 115 with 5; Honor Orford 114.3; Jayce James 112.7; Merv Orford 108.4; Phil Long 107.4.