Can We Win

The Haslam Shield?

The VUCDRC having been revived very successfully by the concentrated efforts of H. M. Sansum and D. V. Henderson, has, after a series of elimination shoots, chosen the following to represent VUC at Easter:—

Anson, Bradstock, Catley, Henderson, Howarth, McKenzie, Scoones.

This selection includes a fair proportion of experienced men and some men who will be competing in their first Haslam.

Rifle shooting is a virtually unpredictable sport as regards future performances as any enthusiast will tell you, but in McKenzie we have a service rifleman of outstanding ability; he captained the 2nd NZEF team in Middle East. The team as such, and McKenzie in particular, shot brilliantly and in fact were never beaten. Scoones has an outstanding record dating from college days and is capable of an excellent performance. Howarth represented VUC in 1939 and has shot during the war for various RNZAF teams with some success. Anson, Bradstock, Catley and Henderson are riflemen of above average calibre, but lack the range and competition experience of the other members. However, their performances during practices indicate that they as a team are capable of winning the Haslam Shield.

Otago's chances are, we understand, slim, and those of AUC are not likely to unduly worry our side, In CUC, however, we have the home team, who have been practising every morning, and it is from this source that we anticipate our most serious opposition.

Whatever the outcome of the match the VUC team will do credit to the high standard it has previously shown at Haslam, and the team is very confident of success.

The only regret the team has is that the President, R. H. Johnston, is not able to travel with the team this year. Roy, in the writer's opinion, is the best shot produced by VUC in the last ten years. Competitors in 1939 will no doubt recall his misfortune of being denied an NZU Blue owing to a marker's error (that's putting it very mildly). Was he able to compete this year we could have predicted one NZU Blue for VUC.