Ray McMaster outshot his competitors in the Jamaica Skeet Club’s Spring Open Sporting Clays Tournament last week Sunday, at the club’s headquarters in Portmore, to win his first sporting clays tournament.

McMaster shot 87 ahead of last year’s runner-up Geoffrey Ziadie and Gerry Chin, who both shot 86 and had to duel in a shoot-off to determine the runner-up. Ziadie got the better of Chin after putting away five of eight targets to Chin’s three to bag the runner-up spot for the second year in a row, while Chin became the ‘A’ Class champion.

McMaster was pleased with the win. “To be honest, I am grateful for the score but it could be better. But on the day whatever wins, and the score of 87 won today and I am very grateful.”

He added: “It was a challenging course — fair target I thought, very good course. Oneil Brown [course setter] at his best again. I just thought it was an excellent course; this course can stand up anywhere in United States.”

According to him the tournament condition “was slight wind at the time, moving the targets, changing the trajectory of lines of the target, and you just had to bury your head and keep looking at the targets. Occasionally we have a little bit of sun and most [of the] time I was begging when I am in the cage, for the sun to come up. But other than that the overcast [condition] did play on all of us, not just me, on all of us, and you just had to really focus on the target and [be] looking at them hard.

“It means a lot. They say the first one is always the hardest and this is my first sporting clay match win. I have won side events before but this is the first one and I just hope, going on from here, more will come. It’s all about the process of execution, that’s all it is for me now. Never for a minute would I think of winning and today it just played out. I thought the score wouldn’t hold out, but it did.”

McMaster now looks forward to the Gator Cup to put in a good performance. Fifteen Jamaicans are currently in the United States to compete in the Gator Cup, including his wife Wendy McMaster. She won the Spring Open last year but did not compete this year, as she was off the island.

Ladies winner Marguerite Harris shot 63 ahead of Renee Rickhi (59) and Yasmin Benjamin (50). Harris has not been on top of the podium for some time. She was, however, pleased with the win.

“It feels very good and yes, I haven’t been for a little while. It was a difficult course, challenging, and we had four pairs so that made it a little bit harder.”

The shooters had to pick off 100 birds or targets on the day.

Three of the 75 shooters who competed in the Spring Open Sporting Clays gained promotion to higher classes after winning their classes. President of the club Jordan Samuda won the ‘B’ Class and will now move on to the ‘A’ Class. Joshua Lym has been promoted to ‘D’ Class, and David Ffrench has also been promoted to ‘E’ Class.

The top three in the various classes were: A Class — Gerry Chin 86, Bobby Chung 84 and Peter Mahfood 83; B Class — Jordan Samuda 84, Robin Rickhi 78 and Robbie Subaran 77; C Class — Craig Davis 84, Damien Sawyer 79 and Omar Francis 77; D Class — Justin Samuda 80, Dale Delapenha 68 and Anthony Desnoes 67; E Class — Joshua Lym 65, Bradley Wright 64 by way of long run ahead of Richard Rerrie 64; Hunters Class — David Ffrench 71, Steven Silvera 69 and Carlton Davis 63; Ladies Class — Marguerite Harris 63, Renee Rickhi 59 and Yasmin Benjamin 50; Juniors — Peter Mahfood 83, JJ Ralston 76 and Cameron Phang Sang 76; Sub Juniors — Noah Azan 62 and Justin Clarke 54.