The Shacman/Tank-Weld 200 Bird Sporting Clay Shoot concluded on Sunday after two days of intense competition at the lush Worthy Park Sugar Estate in Ewarton, St. Catherine. The event saw Craig Simpson crowned as the national sporting clay champion, while Aliana McMaster retained her title as the Ladies champion for the third consecutive year.

Participants faced challenging conditions, including rain, wind, high humidity, and extreme heat. These elements, combined with tricky target presentations, tested the shooters' skills and resilience. After the regulation 200 bird shoot, the top six scorers were selected for the decisive Super Six shoot-off.

Craig Simpson, Chad Zaidie, Christian Sasso, Andrew Hopwood, Roman Tavares-Finson, and JJ Ralston emerged as the top six shooters. The Super Six shoot-off, consisting of a 25-bird target shot over three rounds, ended in a tie between Simpson and Zaidie at 178 each. A subsequent shoot-off saw them tied again at 190 after two rounds. The third and final shoot-off broke the tie, with Simpson hitting seven out of eight targets under extreme pressure to clinch the championship by just one bird.

Reflecting on his victory, Simpson shared, “Yesterday was one of the most difficult sporting shoots I have shot in a long time, and I had to dig deep. I wanted the sporting clay title this year. This is my third win this year, and I was really hungry for it. I wanted to close out the year with the 200 Bird championship.”

Regarding the Super Six shoot-off, Simpson added, “I had a strong first station, shooting all eight targets. The middle was tough, but I managed to hold on and tie with Chad. Chad is a top-quality shooter and pushed me to earn it today. It was a very entertaining, high-class shoot-off.”

Khaleel Azan, past president of the Jamaica Skeet Club and coach of many local shooters, praised Simpson for his hard work, dedication, and passion for the sport. He also commended all the Super Six shooters, especially the two junior shooters, Roman Tavares-Finson and JJ Ralston, for their exceptional performance.

In the Ladies category, Aliana McMaster scored 142 to secure her third consecutive title. Her mother, Wendy McMaster, finished second with a total score of 132, while Toni Barnes placed third with 113. Aliana expressed her satisfaction with her performance, especially given the challenges she faced this year. “It feels amazing because I had to battle with so many things this year, especially with CSEC and school. I’m really happy that I could pull through and defend my title.”

Aliana described the competition as particularly challenging, noting, “It was my first time being in the super squad for A Class, and it was definitely a new environment. The course was very tough on the first day, and I had to be on my game. Today, I did much better.”

The top three shooters in the various classes were:

 A Class:

 Christian Sasso: 168

Roman Tavares-Finson: 165 (S/O)

Andrew Hopwood: 165 (S/O)

B Class:

 Brandon Laing: 149

Todd Lazarus: 139

Dominic Simpson: 115

C Class:

 Justin Samuda: 140

Anthony Desnes: 137

Richy Duquesnay: 135

D Class:

Stephen McConnell: 131

Cameron Lee: 125

Philip Burgess: 123

E Class:

 Fraser McConnell: 112

Che Rowe: 109

Kevin Chin Shue: 102

Ladies Class:

 Aliana McMaster: 142

Wendy McMaster: 132

Toni Barnes: 113

Juniors:

JJ Ralston: 154 (S/O)

Roman Tavares-Finson: 154 (S/O)

Mark Desnoes: 151

Hunters or Beginners:

 Tatrecia Mitchell: 112

Nick Dawson: 109

John Chin: 102