The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-15 00:00:00

The National Rifle Association.

The unfortunate change in the weather which so
spoiled what would otherwise have been the impos-
ing spectacle of the reception of the Belgians by the
Prince of Wales, had a considerable effect on the
shooting. During a portion of the afternoon of
Saturday the rain poured dawn in such torrents as
to make practice au impossibility. Shooters and
register-keepers were alike driven to seek the scant
shelter that the camps afforded. Many volunteers,
from the time thus lost, were unable t) fire in com-
petitions for which they were entered, while the
pool targets were of course deserted, to the great
loss of the Association. This interruption was the
more to be regretted as the programme embraced a
very large number of competitions.
The first important match of the day was for the
China Challenge Cup, a piece of plate, value £525,
given by the volunteers in China for competition
amongst the home volunteers. To this the National
Rifle Association add £5O. The conditions of the
competition are that each county shall send a squad
of ten efficient volunteers to fire at 200 and 500
yards, five shots at each range. The squad making
the highest score take the cup, which remains for
the year in the custody of the Lord Lieutenant of
their county, and a purse of £25. The second
squad takes a purse of £l5, and the third a purse
of £lO. The competition took place before the
rain came on, and was therefore satisfactorily con-
cluded. The winners were the West Yorks, who
made 296 marks, or within a fraction of an average
of centres. The second squad—that sent by the
Queen's Edinburghs—were only a short distance
behind with 293 marks, and the Staffordshire ten
came in third with 288 marks.

The second competition of the day was that for
the Belgian Challenge Cup, a piece of plate pre-
sented by the Chasseurs Eclaireurs and other Bel-
gian visitors to Wimbledon in 1866, for volley
firing. The National Rifle Association add £75,
divided into £3O for the first squad, £2O for the
second, £l5 for the third, and £lO for the fourth
squad. The conditions are a squad of ten men
from any battalion, each squad to fire five rounds
kneeling at 400 yards, in accordance with the
army regulations for volley firing. The squad
making the highest score wins the cup, which is
held by the commanding officer. The bad weather
interfered so much with the shooting' that it was
impossible to finish this competition. The squad
sent by the Berkshire battalion, and made up from
the Windsor Company, was understood to stand
very high amongst those firing on Saturday ; but
whatever may be their score, they deserved great
credit for the soldierlike, automatic style in which
they worked together.
In the contest for the Martin's Challenge Cup,
with £5O added by the Association, the conditions
of which are that marksmen of 1866 and 1867 only
shall fire five rounds with the Enfield, the winners
and scores were as follows :

......... Prizo.3
x Plll:7B7Bs.Oup and £lO
CorporalEo on
iso ;
ug rn Corporal
sG eßuorwege
an,t
m.n2jedi
sot
bEtt
Bennett,
to
Warwick u
tsrhgo
i 'limiedrdsel
et s
e.
Corporl Breeze, Ist Norfolk
... 5
Private Peak°, 6th Lancashire
Captain There Privatel7 ... 3
Private Frere, London Rifle Brigade 173
... 3
Ensign Grieve, 4th Roxburgh
Roberta,Dweaasr,9a t,
hskte Bristolciodnd Middlesex
s l7 ... 3
Sergeant Baillie, London Scottish l7 3
17 ... 3
Private Ray, 4th Surrey l6 ... 3 •
16 ... 3
Private Ryley, Victoria
pexrize given to the Daily
Telegraph prize, which was won last week by Ser-
geant-Major Cooke with the remarkable score of 20,
at 500 yards. This second prize was a piece of plate
value £25, presented by the proprietors of Land and
Water. The winner was Private J. Road, of the
14th Staffordshire, who scored the best 18 that was
in the competition, no ono being able to approach-
nearer than that, the " highest possible" of Sergt.
Major Cooke.
On Friday and Saturday the struggle for the
Albert series of prizes commenced. It will be con-
tinued to-day, and close to-morrow evening. It is
the first of the small-bore competitions of the meet-
ing for a series at 200, 500, GOO, and 800 yards,
each of the value of £l3O. The accuracy of small-
bore men is nosv so great that it is hardly likely that
less than the " highest possible" will take a prize at
any of the ranges. The names of several well known
good shots gere mentioned as having attained the
maximum of 20 marks, and by the time the score
closes, the cream of the best shots of the United
Kingdom will appear on the register.
The competition for the Enfield Association Cup
closed on Saturday. The marvelloas score of 37,
three short of the highest possible, made by Mr.
Edward Ross, and Private Marsh of the 12th Nor-
folk, was never touched, though several eompetitors
totalled up 36 marks, Mr, NarBll, theixforel from .