Three-time winner Craig Simpson and four-time female winner Aliana McMaster finished tops at the Driftwood Gun Club Shoot at the 17-station Murphy Hill Course in St Ann recently.

Both competitors shot 95 out of 100 targets and dominated the packed field, which included a total of 157 of the best gunners on the island, such as nine-time national shotgun champion and president of the Jamaica Skeet Club Ian Banks; six-time national shotgun champion and defending champion Shaun Barnes; four-time and reigning national shotgun champion Christian Sasso; Chad Ziadie, the 2022 national shotgun champion; as well as five-time national female shotgun champion Wendy McMaster.

The young McMaster already created history by being the first female to make it to the A Class late last year and her score of 95 again etched her name in the history books, as it is the highest by any female locally. When her score was posted most people thought it very possible that she won, which would make her the first female to win any sporting clay event in Jamaica, but Simpson roared back with his high-scoring 95 to set up a tense shoot-off between them.

In the end, Simpson took down six of the eight targets, while McMaster struck only four.

“Winning is always an amazing feeling, it’s what keeps us going. I tell everybody that I don’t think I leave my house if I was not coming here to win. I am hungry for the win. Always hungry for the win. I am always excited about the competitive field, and as the years go by with the juniors emerging, the field only becomes more competitive, and it's an internal challenge to stay relevant. I have been able to do that over the years and I plan to continue to be there for as long as I can, but they are coming," Simpson said.

McMaster, on the other hand, was also happy with her performance.

“It’s honestly an amazing feeling. After you have a reputation or expectation from the people coming to the shoot it can get to you and really mess up your head. I feel it can play a big part in how that day goes, but I just had to approach it like any other shoot and just do my best, and frankly, winning four times in a row is honestly such a great feeling and I am absolutely grateful for it," she noted.

Meanwhile, the top three in the various classes were A Class: Christian Sasso (92) by way of shoot-off with William Zager (92) and Alex Cunningham (91); B Class: Gordon Bucknor (86), Robin Rickhi (84), and Zachary Harris (81); C Class: Brandon Laing (90), Adam Harris (85), and Wendy McMaster (85); D Class: Lori-Ann Harris (85) and Noah Vaughn (84); E Class: Seymour Essor (69), David Campbell (67), and Anthony Ayoub (67); Ladies: Aliana McMaster (95), Lori-Ann Harris (85), and Wendy McMaster (85); Hunters or Beginners: Philip Burgess (77), Cameron Lee (69), and Che Rowe (68); Juniors Aliana McMaster (95), David Wong (87), and Lori-Ann Harris (85); and Sub Juniors: Craig Powell Jr (55) and Levi Clarke (48).

Three-time defending champion Aliana McMaster and defending champion Shaun Barnes are ready to defend their Driftwood Gun Club titles on Sunday at the picturesque Murphy Hill Estate over-looking the town of Ocho Rios.

The event will begin at 9:30 am, with over 150 shooters set to contest the 17-station course.

It kicks off the first sporting clays shoot of the year for the Jamaica Skeet Club, which has a busy 2024 calendar.

Barnes, the six-time national shotgun champion, will battle the likes of four-time national champion Christian Sasso and nine-time national shotgun champion and current Jamaica Skeet Club president Ian Banks, as well as two-time Driftwood Gun Club champion Craig Simpson, the red-hot Nick Benjamin, with multiple wins under his belt in 2023, and the very consistent Ray McMaster among other outstanding shooters. They will be challenged by several sharp shooting juniors.

Meanwhile, the Ladies section will also be competitive with McMaster expected to be challenged by her mother, many-time national shotgun champion Wendy McMaster, former national shotgun champion Marguerite Harris and a number of very good lady shooters such as Renee Rickhi, Loriann Harris and others.

The shooters will compete in various classes including A to E, Juniors, Sub-Juniors, Ladies and Hunters or beginners.

Proceeds from the tournament will be used for the Driftwood Gun Club’s charities, which are dominated by educational support in the Treasure Beach area in the parish of St. Elizabeth.

Club president, Christina East is happy to have Proven on board for the fourth consecutive year as major sponsor. She credited David East who passed away in 2020 with playing a pivotal role in securing the venue (Murphy Hill) as the home of the club's annual competition.

East was considered to be a visionary club member who only wanted the best for sporting clays in Jamaica, hence the competition is held in his honour. This year marks twenty years of existence for the Driftwood Gun Club.

Chad Ziadie and Aliana McMaster were crowned Jamaica’s national sporting clays champions on following an exhilarating day of shooting action at the Tru-Juice Estate in Bog Walk, St Catherine.

More than 100 of Jamaica’s best shooters had assembled to vie for the title of national champion. In the end, the pinpoint accuracy of Ziadie and the teen Phenom, McMaster, put them above the rest.

Ziadie advanced to the Super Six round after scoring 174 and was followed by Nicholas Chen (170), Christian Sasso (167), Craig Simpson (167) JJ Ralston (167) and Shaun Barnes (163).

The round consists of a 25-bird target over three rounds of intense shooting to determine the overall winner.

After the three rounds, Ziadie and Chen were tied on 185 forcing another round of eight targets. Both were still tied on 191, which meant that a fifth round shoot-off became necessary.

Ziadie shot first and picked off seven of the eight targets, forcing Chen to hit all eight targets for the win. He hit six thus handing Ziadie his very first national title.

"It feel great. I have been runner-up twice, last year and two years ago, so it feels good to be finally on top,” said the newly minted champion, who revealed how nerve-racking it was during the shoot off.

“You have to keep your mental going until the very end and also just zone out everybody else and just focus on yourself,” he said.

“He (Chen) pushed me to the end and I am glad I came out on top."

Junior shooter JJ Ralston was declared the A Class champion after scoring 167 along with Craig Simpson -167 and Christian Sasso - 167.

All three shooters competed in the Super Six shoot-off. Their placements are a direct result of their scores at the end of the shoot-off which were 183, 182 and 180 respectively.

McMaster had a relatively easier time of it, scoring 149. Her mother Wendy McMaster shot a score of 140 while Jolie Chin (115) was third.

Aliana, who was also second in the B Class behind Ramon Pitter (167), was thought she could have shot better during the tournament.

"I am not entirely satisfied with my performance over the weekend however I am still grateful that I was still able to come out on top," she said.

The top three shooters in the various classes were:

A Class: JJ Ralston - 167, Craig Simpson - 167 and Christian Sasso - 167.

B Class: Ramon Pitter - 161, Aliana McMaster - 149 and Najeeb Haber - 137.

C Class: Gordon Bucknor - 145, Dominic Simpson - 143 and Wendy McMaster 140 (L/R).

D Class: Craig Hendrickson - 156, Justin Samuda - 149 and Anthony Desnoes 141.

E Class: Max Williams - 127, Seymour Essor - 124 and Chris Clarke - 121.

Ladies Class: Aliana McMaster - 149, Wendy McMaster -140 and Joelie Chin - 115.

The Juniors: JJ Ralston - 167, Roman Tavares-Finson - 161, Mark Desnoes – 159.

Hunters or Beginners: Andrew Clarke - 132, Kevin Chin Shue - 126 and Nick Dawson - 125.

 Jamaica's promising teen shooter Aliana McMaster was a standout for her country at the recent World English Sporting Clays Championship in England where she was the only shooter on the team to take home silverware.

The championship was held at the E J Churchill Shooting Ground in England from Wednesday July 5 to Saturday, July 8.

The 16-year-old McMasters, who won third place in the main event after scoring 144 out of a possible 200 in the Lady Sub Junior sporting clays also took second and third-place finishes in the Five-Stand or Sport Trap competition.

It marked the first time that any Jamaican and the first female to win a medal in any category on the European circuit. Buoyed by her performance she now looks forward to this weekend's National Shotgun Championship at the Tru-Juice property in St. Catherine.

Jamaica had its best results in 2022 after the female team ended in third position and the male team came fourth. It marked the first time that a local team was getting a podium finish.

The Jamaican team was comprised of Craig Simpson (captain), Ryan Chen (vice-captain), Ray McMaster, Robert Yap-Foo, Gordon Bucknor and Lennin Thompson. Simpson said that the team gained valuable experience at the championship and commended young McMaster for her outstanding performance.

Eleven countries including the USA, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Mexico, Italy, Sweden and Jamaica participated in the championships. The Jamaican team was supported by Proven, Hawkeye, Coldwell Bankers, National Bakery, Ammar's and BarePelt.

The last member of Jamaica’s nine-member team departed the island on Monday for the World English Sporting Clay Championship set to commence at the E.J. Churchill Shooting Ground in England on Wednesday, July 5 and end on Saturday, July 8.

Jamaica had its best results in 2022 when the women’s team finished third and the men’s came fourth, marking the first time that a team from the island took a spot on the podium.

The women’s team is comprised of national shotgun champion Wendy McMaster, Aliana McMaster and Abigail McMaster, who are hoping to at least equal their third-place finish.

Craig Simpson (captain), Ryan Chen (vice-captain), Ray McMaster, Robert Yap-Foo, Gordon Bucknor and Lennin Thompson, make up the men’s team.

The team is a mixture of experience and new members with Simpson, who has been competing in the championship since the early 2000s, being the most experienced.

“We are enthusiastic to be attending this prestigious event. My job as captain is to motivate my teammates while keeping them composed,” Simpson said.

“This trip is about gaining international exposure and knowledge of where the sport is at on the European continent and how we can get Jamaica to a higher level of competitiveness. The fraternity is excited to have us in attendance and our participation alone is a win for Jamaica."

Sponsors Proven, Hawkeye, Coldwell Bankers, National Bakery, Ammar's and BarePelt are backing the Jamaicans, who will be going up against teams from the USA, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Mexico, Italy and Sweden.

Defending champions Nicholas Chen and Aliana McMaster are ready to defend their titles at the Rangers Gun Club and Family Fun Day which is set for Sunday, May 7 beginning at 10 am at the True Juice complex in Bog Walk, St. Catherine. 

The Rangers Gun Club is expecting a field of approximately one hundred and fifty shooters along with family members to trek the lush walking course venue for a day of individual and team competition featuring the local gun clubs. 

For the second year in a row four clubs will compete for the trophy; Driftwood Gun Club, Jamaica Gun Club, Rangers Gun Club and defending champions, the Trelawny Gun Club. 

Competition for top honors will be stiff as some of the Jamaica Skeet Club's best shooters will be vying for top honors. They include nine-time national shotgun champion Ian Banks, six-time national shotgun champion Shaun Barnes, current national shotgun champion Chad Ziadie, his father Geoffrey Ziadie, Ray McMaster, Andrew Hopwood, Ryan Chen and Bobby Chung as well as the high performance family team of female McMasters - Aliana, Wendy (five-time national shotgun champion) and Abigail along with other well known female shooters in Renee Rickhi, who is part of the Jamaica Rifle Association's Alpha Angels lady shooters, Marguerite Harris and Tara Brown. 

Shooters in various classes from A- E, Hunters or Beginners, Juniors, Sub-Juniors, and Ladies will be competing in order to win their classes and, in some cases, move up to more challenging classes. The course features a seventeen-station walking course. 

Part proceeds from the event will be donated to the Food for the Poor organization. 

The lead sponsor for the Rangers Gun Club Sporting Clays and Family Day is Sterling Asset Management. Worthy Park Select is the gold sponsor and there are several 'station' sponsors. 

The club has rich a history of young business men and some of their fathers who loved shooting getting together in the mid 1980s to start the Rangers Gun Club at their Salt Gully base in St. Catherine. 

They initially focused on bird shooting then took on sporting clays which is currently the most popular form of the sport and is said to be the favorite of the younger shooters. The tournament is being brought back by on their request.  The club's archives show that Michael Ammar, John Ammar, David Shoucair and Wayne Srour took the leap with Michael Ammar Sr., Sameer Younis and Dr. Badih Shoucair to start the club.

Two time defending champions Craig Simpson and Aliana McMaster are ready to drop a 'three-peat' in the Proven David East Memorial Sporting Clays Challenge organized by the Driftwood Gun Club. 

The shoot will be held at the picturesque Murphy Hill Estate over-looking the town of Ocho Rios on Sunday with a 9:30 am shotgun start. 

It kicks off the first sporting clays shoot of the year for the Jamaica Skeet Club, which has robust calendar for 2023. 

Simpson will have to battle over 100 competitors including three-time national shotgun champion Christian Sasso, who he got the better of by way of long-run in 2021, six-time national shotgun champion Shaun Barnes and nine-time national shotgun champion and current president Ian Banks as well as the very consistent Ray McMaster and Robert Yap Foo among others. 

The Ladies section will be also be competitive as well with McMaster expecting to be challenged by her mother, five-time national shotgun champion Wendy McMaster, former national shotgun champion Marguerite Harris and a number of very good lady shooters. 

The shooters will compete in various classes including A to E, Juniors, Sub-Juniors, Ladies and Hunters or beginners. 

All the shooters are looking forward to this year's event which will be the first one which does not feature Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. It is expected that there will be on-course hospitality and lunch post- competition as well as the very popular prize giving and camaraderie among the competitors and members of the Jamaica Skeet Club. 

The proceeds of the tournament will be used for the Driftwood Gun Club’s charities which are dominated by educational support in the Treasure Beach area in the parish of St. Elizabeth. 

The club president, Christina East was happy to have Proven on board for the third consecutive year as title sponsor. She credited David East who passed away in 2020 with playing a pivotal in securing the venue as the home of the club's annual competition. East was a visionary club member who only wanted the best for sporting clays in Jamaica, hence the competition was named in his honour.

Former national shotgun champion Christian Sasso and in-form female shooter Aliana McMaster were in top form recently when they defeated Master Class shooters in the Jack Links Cup and the Zoli Cup, respectively, in Florida.

Sasso emerged the victor in a shoot-off with USA Master Class shooters Joseph Fanizzi (USA) and Bill McGuire (USA) after all three were deadlocked in a three-way tie in Jack Links Cup at Quail Creek Sporting Ranch.

Naturally, he was ecstatic about his performance. "I would like to thank the sponsors who helped me to compete in the Jack Links Cup tournament in Florida, Sasco Distributors, Azan Super Centre and Issa Construction - they all played an integral part of my success that took place over the competition," he said.

"Right now I am ecstatic. I always try to do my best but to place in Master Class Fitasc, after a shoot-off with Joseph Fanizzi and Bill McGuire, two giants in the sport, I couldn't be any happier with the results. As you know Fitasc is only one category of many in the tournament. Right now my shooting scores are in line with the pros.

"I believe that with more international tournaments to come and exposure to different targets, I can consistently produce a first, second or third place."

He also congratulated his Jamaican colleagues who also competed.

"I would like to congratulate all the Jamaicans who participated and placed in the tournament. I will start with Aliana McMaster, who is a junior excelling in the sport as basically a newcomer, Roman Tavares-Finson, who shot exceptionally well, Zachary Chin, Jonathan Ralston, who is a junior producing good scores right now; Isaac Mair, Chad Zaidie, Shaun and Marc Barnes, Edward Zacca, Paul Burke, Wendy McMaster, John Desnoes, Gordon Bucknor (and) Lenin Thompson.

“All of these persons did extremely well in their respective classes, and I would just like to big up all of them and big up team Jamaica."

Shaun Barnes, a six-time national shotgun champion topped the AA Class preliminaries with a score of 83 and the AA Class Fitasc (86).

Roman Tavares-Finson won the AA Class in 5-Stand after scoring 93 while Chad Zaidie topped the Main Event with a score of 172. Young Jonathan Ralston bagged first place in a number of disciplines namely, A Class Thursday Prelims - 81, A Class Fitasc - 85 and A-Class Super Sporting - 42.

 In the Zoli Classic at the South Florida Shooting Club, there were outstanding performances from Aliana McMaster, Chad Ziadie, Richard Todd and Brandon Laing.

McMaster was the number one female performer for Jamaica after topping the D Class - 87 in the Thursday Prelims, Friday Prelims - 83 and 5-Stand - 85.  She is the first Jamaican female shooter to win a class in any overseas shooting competition under the Jamaica Skeet Club banner. She bagged 10 trophies in the tournament.

"My performance overall between the overseas shoots so far has been my best performance I could have put out there. I didn't feel like I left anything out there,” she said.

“I couldn't have done more. All I learnt is knowledge and experience and just a feeling of accomplishment and also dealing with disappointment and different aspects of things I need to learn about myself when shooting in foreign and I couldn't have asked for a better result or game."

Meanwhile, Chad Ziadie won four AA Class categories with scores of - Thursday Prelims - 95, Friday Prelims - 86, Fitasc - 80 and Super Sporting - 44.

The recent Jamaica Gun Club Sporting Clays tournament turned out to be a good one for the McMaster family.  The tournament attracted 148 shooters from across the island to its Salt Island facility in Clarendon where the McMasters demonstrated their mastery.

In extreme heat, Ray McMaster shot a score of 92 to take the top spot by long run ahead of Chad Ziadie and Brett Thwaites, who also had scores of 92.

McMaster’s wife Wendy shot a 78 to win the Ladies' competition while their in-form daughter Aliana was second with a score of 69. Aliana’s sister Abigail finished with a score of 62 to finish in fourth place.

McMaster, who for the second time walked away with the trophy for the Highest Overall score, was thrilled at the outcome.

"Awesome, awesome, awesome! I actually didn't think the 92 would prevail," he said, revealing that he was unable to say exactly what made him victorious.

"I don't know but I just come out and do the same exact thing, come out and execute. For one, the breeze wasn't blowing too much and I think that helped with the course. Shooting is like that, you just come out and everything happens for you on the day. I must say I am happy that I prevailed but the score could have been better but I am very happy."

Wendy, meanwhile, was equally chuffed at her triumph.

"I feel really good. My confidence level is going back to where it was. I was struggling back in several shoots before and I worked on my weakness and I have discovered how to correct it so right now I am in a good place, just to work on it a little bit more so I can always be on top," she said.

The top three shooters in the various classes were as follows:

 A Class: Brett Thwaites 92, Shaun Barnes 91 (LR) and Jordan Thwaites 91 (LR);

B Class: Najeeb Haber 79, Craig Davis 77 and Evan Thwaites 76;

C Class: Nathan Chin 90, Paul Burke 82 (LR) and Ricky DuQuesdnay 82 (LR);

D Class: Gordon Bucknor 87, Justin Samuda 83 and Richard Todd 80;

E Class: Noah Vaughn 81, Matthew Grant 77 (LR) and Carlton Davis 77 (LR);

Hunters or Beginners: Kashka Jones 72 (LR), Lucas Thomson 72 (LR) and Anthony Ayoub 72 (LR);

Ladies: Wendy McMaster 78, Aliana McMaster 69 and Tara Brown 67;

Juniors: Nathan Chin 90, David Wong 87 and Mark Desnoes 82;

Sub Juniors: Christopher Lee 50.

Two shooters, Noah Vaughn and Kashka Jones were promoted to D Class and E Class respectively after winning their respective classes on the day.

Defending champions Craig Simpson and Aliana McMaster successfully defended their titles at the David East Memorial Sporting Clays shoot at Murphy Hill in St Ann on Sunday.

In cool and cloudy conditions, both shooters proved to be a class apart with Simpson, who shot a 92 to be the only shooter to score in the nineties while McMaster, scored 81 and was the only female to score in the eighties.

"It feels good. It took everything I had today,” said Simpson, who had a perfect start at Station Nine picking off all six birds.

“I really put out everything today and at the end of it, I am always happy to come out with a favourable score. I know what I am up against. I know the talent that's here (and) yes it can also have a negative effect in that you are trying not to be beaten and that's actually what comes with the territory.

 “Fortunately, I was able to zone that out and just keep what was in front of me. I can feel them right behind me but I am not looking back."

Simpson hit 24 consecutive birds before dropping one on Station 14.

He said that the weather had little effect on him during the competition.

"I enjoy this weather. Actually, it wasn't too cold for me. This was comfortable for me, I like it.”

‘A’-Class shooter Geoffrey Ziadie copped the runner-up spot after posting 89 in the morning session while three-time national shotgun champion Christian Sasso who tied with Simpson last year on 96, shot an 84.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old McMaster, who had a perfect start on Station 12  before missing two at the next station said she was proud of her final score.

"Honestly, I am very proud of my score and I knew it could have been higher but I am very proud of myself. I have never felt so proud of myself and accomplished, especially after a tournament,” she said. “Honestly, the course was really good and I enjoyed even the difficult targets and stations that I might have not shot as well at, I enjoyed knowing that I need to go practice this to come back again and shoot a better course."

For her, the conditions were a factor.

"I hate shooting in the cold and when it’s kind of overcast because it kind of messes with you when you are cold. It kind of distracts you away from what you are trying to do, which is shoot and get a good score but once you just embrace it and focus on what matters most then you should be fine and I was."

Craig Simpson defeated defending champion Christian Sasso via long run to win the David East Memorial Sporting Clays on Sunday. Meanwhile, Aliana McMaster dethroned her mother, Wendy, to take the women’s title.