Barbados Today

Twenty-one of Barbados’ top shooters recently returned home having performed creditably at the Suriname Open 2015 competition.

Members of the Barbados Rifle Association and Barbados Rifle and Pistol Federation combined forces to take on top shooters from across the region and battled through 12 stages in the 38 degree sun in the quest for glory. Match officials Kevin Grant and Ryan Best, both from Barbados, assisted the Surinamese management team as range officers and ensured that their relative areas were adequately managed.

There were 80 competitors who took aim at the tournament, representing territories inclusive of Curacao, Jamaica, Aruba, French Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia and Barbados.

Forty-two shooters competed in the Standard Division with Barbados’ Rodney Clarke finishing second with 878 points, behind Jamaica’s Ronald Brown. On his first overseas trip to represent Barbados Gerard Gill placed ninth with 628 points. Ryan “Cool Breeze” Best placed fifth with 677 points.

In the ladies category Barbados’ Julia Jones placed fourth in her first overseas assignment. Also representing Barbados in this category were Donna Barrow and Allison Burke.

The Production Division had 22 shooters with Barbados’ Adrian Marshall and Kevin ‘Enforcer’ Grant placing in the top three. They were the only Barbadians in this division with Grant’s 805 points giving him third place and Marshall copping second spot with 883 points. Placing first in this division was international shooter Angus Hobdell from the USA.