The Central Otago Smallbore Rifle Association hosted the Andrew Faulkner Shield, the most prestigious trophy of the season for South Island smallbore shooters, for the first time on Saturday.
Association president Murray Petrie, of Alexandra, said three years' planning went into the event, which attracted about 200 of the top shooters from clubs all over the South Island.
The venue was the Dunstan High School gym in Alexandra and the ages of the competitors ranged from 12 to 75.
''This is a great thing for Dunstan and Alexandra and a chance to show safe shooting in action. We were pleased to gain the right to host the event and logistically, it's been quite a big job but the feedback from everyone about the venue has been very positive,'' he said.
East Otago shooters were first division winners, claiming the Andrew Faulkner Shield. Southland won the second division and the Lindsay Smith Memorial Trophy, while the junior division was won by East Otago.
Building the range and securing the targets was one of the many tasks carried out by the 20 strong organising committee and the range was certified by Target Shooting New Zealand, the governing body of the sport.
The competition was run in a ''very controlled environment'' with 16 shooters competing at once, throughout the day, Mr Petrie said. Former national coach and rifleman Leon Griebel has devoted 50 years to the sport and although retired, he was still ''keeping an eye on it'' in Alexandra.
The 76 year old Blenheim man would like to see more people involved and the sport given a higher profile.
''People think shooting is a bad thing but actually this sport teaches you how to handle guns properly and teaches you strict discipline.
''It's all about attitude and temperament and there's no place in this sport for cowboys, they just don't hack it.''
He does miss competing after retiring a couple of years ago at the top of his game, still a master grade shooter.
When he started as a rifleman, the sport was more popular in this country.
''Every little town had a rifle range, but these days there's so many other things going on, and kids live in a virtual world on their computers instead of getting out and actually doing something.''
Griebel continues to coach, which he finds satisfying.
''There's the sheer enjoyment of watching them start out as juniors and grow in the sport and eventually make national teams in some cases.''
