Jamaica’s top practical pistol shooters will be back in action today as they take aim at ending the season with a bang in the annual Christmas Hamper.

Things should get cracking at the Jamaica Rifle Association (JRA) base on Mountain View Avenue with an opening ceremony at 9:30 am, while the first shot is expected at 30 minutes later.

JRA club pistol captain Al Palmer says he expects explosive action in every category of competition, which are the divisions of Limited, Production, Carry Optics and Open.

“My expectation of the competitors is for them to go all out as this is the final match for the year, and even though it’s a competition, I expect that they will all have fun,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Palmer, who is out injured after rupturing an Achilles tendon during dexterity/mobility exercises in preparation for competition, says he is happy with the level of preparedness and readiness of the shooters.

“The shooters’ preparation went well from all indications [as] they have been training consistently with both live and dry fire exercises to maintain their skill level and improve where necessary,” he noted.

Palmer believes that the recently staged Fast and Furious served as quality practice for the Christmas Hamper which is a “highly anticipated” match on the shooting calendar.

“Fast and Furious served as an excellent preparation tool for the Hamper, especially considering the fact that the Hamper will be a mixture of fast flowing stages and stages which test the technical ability of the shooters,” he explained.

The veteran shooter says the inclusion of the “Super Six” women’s team is a moment of pride as their emergence in practical pistols shooting has triggered a new wave of interest with females.

“Their inclusion in the Hamper demonstrates a renewed interest in shooting by women. Since the Super Six, the club has been flooded with enquiries from females who want to become involved in the sport of practical shooting. The response has been tremendous,” Palmer said.

As pistol captain at the JRA, Palmer’s substantive function spans the general operation of the practical pistol shooting discipline, organising matches locally and internationally and “ensuring that the needs of our local shooters are met”.

Elite shooter Ryan Bramwell, who recently retained his title at Fast and Furious, is favourite to reprise his championship status in the Limited Division at the Hamper.

“There is a high level of competition at the club and the guys are training very hard for this event. With some new equipment about to make its way in the hands of some competitors, the energy and anticipation are running very high and everyone its gunning for a shot at the title,” he said.

“I am and always will be confident of retaining my title, as I have been shooting well leading up to this competition. I am very in tune with the gun right now, and will shoot a good score,” Bramwell added.

While Fast and Furious was contested over eight stages, the Hamper, a United States Practical Shooting Association match, is slated for 10 stages.

“There will be partial targets, no shoots and steel targets included, so we will have to aim a little harder this time around, but the open targets at the previous match (Fast and Furious) were still good preparation for this event,” Bramwell reasoned.

Seasoned campaigner and title contender in the Limited Division Andy Yap is optimistic that he can topple the high calibre field.

“I am very confident going into this match where there are very good shooters, so I will have good competition.

“This year I haven’t participated in a lot of competition, so winning high overall in Christmas Hamper would be a nice ending to the year and a good start for 2022,” he said.

Other top shooters and title contenders in the division are Greg Henry and Darin Richards.

Carry Optics defending champions Adrian Randle is determined to keep his title in the bag, but he is well aware that his aim and technique have to be spot on.

“I hope to retain that title going into 2022, but there are a number of quality competitors in my division, so while I am very confident, I will not underestimate my competitors,” he said.

Randle is smarting from losing his title in the Fast and Furious match, but hopes that loss will fire him up for the Hamper.

“Having lost the Fast and Furious title by the narrowest of margins (0.31 per cent), it has fuelled me to put in much needed training to ensure a win in this upcoming event,” he noted.

He will have to keep an eye on Chris Hart and Chris Nunes, who could disturb his sight picture.

In the Production Division, top contenders are Anthony “TJ” Johnson, Andrew Bent and Sanjay Welsh, while blazing action in the Open Division is expected from Alberto Dascola, Andre Oddman and Garfield WIlliams.

— Sean Williams