Neil Cracknell (left) is presented with his trophy and a $1100 Winchester American Classic .22 rifle from Tim Steerer from Winchester after winning the South Australian state double barrel title.
MARYBOROUGH shooter Neil Cracknell is the South Australian state double barrel champion after winning the shooting title last weekend at the South Australian Shooting Park, in Bolivar.
Cracknell shot 195 out of 195 targets to claim the number one ranking, defeating fellow Victorian Mitchell Iles who finished with a score of 194 out of 195.
It is the Little River Game Ranch club member’s first state title, won against a field of 200 shooters that included former world champion Darren Nicholls.
“It’s probably my biggest win in 34 years of shooting,” the 49-year-old said. “It was very windy conditions, which made it very hard.”
Qualifying for the title was 50 targets, with all shooters to shoot all 50, then going into a shoot-off where a miss automatically dropped the competitor out of the competition. A week earlier, Cracknell won the Leigh Knight Memorial Deauville Double, teamed with Robert Ross of Bendigo. Prior to that he won the 50-50 double barrel championship at Sebastopol, shooting the only 50-50 of the day.
He will contest the three-day Warrnambool Seaside Carnival this weekend.