(Match Report by Tyler Patner)
The Northeast Ohio Airgunners held their second match of the season on a hot and sweaty Sunday, July 19th. Shooting the woods course at the Twin Oaks Air Rifle Range provided some relief from the sun, but not from the heat. Thankfully, a slight breeze was present through the trees to help cool shooters off….and push their pellets around. 23 shooters took on the challenging course, and conditions, all while adhering to current social distancing guidelines.
This was a standard 60 shot match and the course featured some new target placements and a few more challenges on the positional lanes. Everyone's favorite being a 42 yard standing shot, which is just a hair under the 50T limit! The course was just under a 35T with lighting factored in. There were 13 targets over 40 yards, with an average target distance of 34.9 yards.
We had six shooters submit scores for the Buckeye FT series, which is being run in conjunction with the four other FT clubs here in Ohio. The series is run similarly to the AAFTA grand prix. A shooter can submit one score at each of the clubs throughout the year and they must declare the match results will be submitted for the Buckeye series BEFORE the match begins. Their best 3 scores are counted towards the final standings. Winners in each class will be announced at the end of the season. So far, only two shooters have submitted multiple match results (both Hunter PCP shooters) and Donnie Reed (The Tacoman!) leads the pack!
Back to the action! There were three shooters taking on the challenge of Hunter Piston, with Dan Putz posting a 40/60 to take top honors. Nick Lawrence wasn’t far behind though, coming in with a 37. Keith Walters was the lone Open PCP shooter, finishing with a 48/60. In WFTF PCP, Tyler Patner posted the match high score with a 57/60. Jeff Paddock also put in a solid 51 with his newly custom stocked Air Arms EV2.
In Hunter PCP, Bill Rabbitt and his Thomas/Nightforce combo took top honors with a 55. He was followed closely by Donnie Reed with a 52. Dave Hitchcock and Ted Andro both posted 50’s as well.
A big thank you to Tim Baylor for making up some great wood awards with the NOA logo, division and place embossed on them. Each award has a magnet on the back, so shooters can display their finishes with pride at home on the fridge (or anywhere a magnet will stick).
A note to all shooters, we have decided that we will not be hosting the Burning River 120 this year. Instead, we will host a normal, single day shoot, on August 30th. And because the Pyramyd Air Cup will not be happening, we will be looking to schedule a date in September (planning around the other Ohio clubs’ schedules) that we will determine in the next few weeks.
Thanks again to all that attended, and we look forward to seeing you in August!