Ashley Bidgood opened the 2012 shooting season with a possible 150 to win his Crows Nest-Goombungee Rifle Club Annual Prize Shoot on Sunday for the second year in a row. 

He was the only competitor not to drop a shot in the field of more than 70 shooters from Central Queensland to Northern New South Wales.

The match shot over 500 and 600 yards provided some flukey wind challenges, with the heaviest rain luckily falling during the lunch break.

Ashley is one of the State’s top shooters who be in the Country team to take on City in April and is in the Queensland team which this year will compete in the national championships in Adelaide.

Another seasoned campaigner Rob Bondfield from Southern Downs headed a group of four shooters who dropped a single shot.

Rob, who posted the best single range score for the weekend, a 50.9, beat Colin Cole a member of North Arm Club by 18 centre bulls to 14, with Brisbane shooter Mijo Brdjanovic a close fourth with 13 centres and Alan Cronk from Murwillumbah with 12.

Alan took out the 15-shot Sweepstakes on Saturday with a possible 75.9 which gave him a winning weekend Grand Aggregate score of 224.21.

Cameron McEwan from Dalby-Tara Rifle Club narrowly took out the F Open class for scope rifles with a score of 176.13 from University’s John Tracey on 176.10.

Evergreen Albert District shooter Dick Blocksidge was a clear winner of the strong F Standard competition.

Dick got his first taste of rifle shooting at Crows Nest 60 years ago as a 13 year old.

The next event on the rifle shooting calendar will be the South Burnett District Annual Prize Meeting at Wondai on March 24 and 25.