Shotgun King Shaun Barnes raises aim
With his fifth National Shotgun Championships title now in the bag, the ever-excelling Shaun Barnes is now aiming to make a mark on the international Sporting Clays circuit.
Barnes was the toast of the Jamaica Skeet Club (JSC) awards banquet at Jade Gardens on Monday as he was presented with the prestigious Jackie Thwaites Crystal, dethroning arch-rival Christian Sasso. Robert Yap Foo was the second runner-up in the national championship battle.
The 34-year-old, who wrapped up the national accolade with a superb victory in the Stewart Industrial 200-bird Sporting tournament at Woodleigh recently, pointed out that his next target will be in the United States as build-up to an even bigger dream.
“I am elated because five or six years ago I didn’t think I would be in this position winning five national championships, and the more time progresses it helps me to get more confident. So I feel like I can do better, not only locally, but I think I can make a real impact internationally as well and that is my next step,” Barnes told the Jamaica Observer.
“The Olympic Games is definitely there; if I get the support, that is something that I am going to be focusing on for 2020. But right now I am going to try and make a mark on some of the international sporting clays competitions, especially the ones in Florida and Texas, and see what happens,” he added.
Barnes also walked away with the top prize for the Super Sporting tournament, which is a combination of Fitasc and Five-stand, but had to settle for the runner-up prize for the Tony Jelly Classics won by David Lazarus.
Meanwhile, newcomer Wendy McMaster, who started shooting in January, was also a big winner on the night in the ladies and hunters category, while Tomas Kelly walked away with the Tony Kelly Cup as the E class top gun.
Alex Cunningham and Jordan Thwaites copped the Errol Ziadie and Khaleel Azan Cup for the D and C class, respectively, with the much-improved Marc Barnes finishing tops in the B class for the Peter McConnell Cup.
Geoffrey Ziadie took home the Best Dressed Chicken Cup as the top A class shooter for the season, while Sasso was presented with the Hugh Croskery Cup as runner-up to the national champion. Jake Therrien was once again the top Junior shooter.
— Sherdon Cowan
