The
McEachran Quaich Match
The History - By Colin McEachran
| The Tally Board | |||||
| Scotland | Tasmania | Victoria | NSW | Sth Australia | Queensland |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
In 2003 a group of 6 members of the Spoon club and
guests and 4 wives commenced on trip called “Holidaying with the match rifle”.
The trip took us to Masterton in N.Z.; Tasmania (Queenstown, Strachan and
Campbell Town) and Corryong in Victoria. We shot on 4 week-ends and holidayed in
between.
The
classical education of the ex-ambassador to Brazil gave us the up-market title
of
“Scientes
scopum” and everyone
had such a good time that a trip the following year was planned.
In
the end it became a trip for National Rifle Club of Scotland (NRCofS) members. I
decided to present a trophy for competition between any of the states of
Australia and the NRCofS (National Rifle Club of Scotland) as in population
terms that made the competition relatively fair.
A quaich was purchased, duly inscribed
“for competition between the NRCofS and the States of
Australia.” and
taken out to Tasmania in March 2003
The first competition took place on that difficult
windy range at Campbell Town.
The tour report states:-
“Colin
McEachran had brought a silver quaich to be contested for between
Scotland
and the States, and the Australians meantime had established yet
Another
prize, the Phil Cole Trophy, to be contested between the State and
“any
overseas regional team. English, Irish, Welsh, Normans, and all other
MR
shooters please take note; this new trophy is available for competition
Each
year.
We
entered two Scottish Teams: Scotland “Blue” consisting of Hayes,
Hunter,
McAllister and McEachran; and Scotland “White” with Bell,
Brown, Jo
Campbell-smith and Mackie. Each team had of course to coach
itself.
NSW and South Australia were strongly fancied but Tasmania soon
showed
that they were the ones to beat. Our Blue team had a modest start
leaving
us 8 points adrift, but then shot a blinder at 1100 yards to lead
Tasmania
by 2 points at lunch with the rest of the field trailing. At 1200
Yards we
were holding our own and McAllister’s 211 was a fine score on the
day.
But, sadly, McEachran was signalled an unlikely miss between 2 bulls,
when for
once the wind was doing nothing and Tasmania got home to win by
a single
point and , it must be said, a lot more V-bulls.
The White team
meantime
found their form and tipped the range at 1200 yards by 7 points,
Brown
leading them with a fine 68, but it was too late to bring them into the
reckoning.
Scores
Tasmania
809.57
Scotland Blue
808.36
McAllister 211.14
McEachran 202.10
Hayes
202.03
Hunter
193.09
South Australia 799.44.
N.S.W.
794.46
Queensland
791.47.
WA/NT
788.34
Scotland White
785.39
Victoria
785.36
The next competition for the Quaich was in 2004 when
Colin Hayes took a G.B. team to Australia.
Scores
Tasmania
831.45
Victoria
822.51
NSW
814.48
The Scots
814.44
WA/ACT
811.45
South
Australia
805.33
Queensland
803.34
Shooting Alongside
England Taipans
825.47
The Celts
824.57
England Red Backs
795.43
Unfortunately the trophy again stayed in Australian
hands.
2007 Corryong
Fortunately and against all the odds and helped by a
very fine shoot at 1200 by Tim
Kidner, a Bisley Grand Aggregate winner, the Quaich was won for the
NRCofS
for the first time.
The Quaich now has a fine Australian wood stand
but the Aussies are insisting that it stays in Oz.