Guyana NRA’s inaugural Independence IPSC Shoot 2018… Hopkinson, Richards and McKinnon emerge winners at inaugural event

May 22, 2018 Sports

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Guyana NRA in conjunction with IPSC Guyana held its’, 2018 Independence IPSC Shoot, at the just refurbished Timehri Rifle Ranges on the Linden Soesdyke Highway.
Twenty two shooters from the Guyana NRA and the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) participated. The competition started with 3 IPSC Classifiers. These are the results of these stages. The first Classifer Stage was won by RD, IPSC, Harold Hopkinson, Second Chad Melville, 3rd Ryan McKinnon, 4th Andrew Phang and 5th Rajiv Latchana.
Second Classifier Stage – 1st. John Phang, 2nd Ryan McKinnon, 3rd Dr. Pravesh Harry, 4th Andrew Phang and 5th Harold Hopkinson.
Third Classifier Stage – 1st Rajiv Latchana, 2nd Harold Hopkinson, 3rd Gordon Richard’s, 4th Ryan McKinnon and 5th Dr. Pavesh Harry.
Then the competition evolved in earnest when shooters engaged the Fourth stage called “The Joker”, this 20 round course was all smiles for our resident Dentist, Dr Harry who took the first position, 2nd Harold Hopkinson 3rd Azzad Hassan, 4th John Phang and the Small Bore Captain Dale Hing took the fifth spot.
The Fifth Stage, Oops, designed by the Regional Director, who got the idea from his Tobago Counterparts, was all steel, with no margin for error. This consisted of 6 steel plates and 6 steel poppers, 35 and 30 feet away. This unassuming 12 round course defeated the top contenders. When the disappointment and many, many missed shots were tallied, Veteran sharpshooter, Harold Hopkinson showed his fellow shooters how to do it, by taking the first position, Second Andrew Phang, Third Surijballi Persaud, fourth Dale Hing and 5th Chad Melville.
Some competitors took as much as 40 rounds to complete the12 round course. One said it bordered on the impossible. It was demanding. The scenario was, knock down the big poppers freestyle, make a mandatory magazine change before engaging the remaining IPSC sanctioned small plates one handed.
The Sixth and final Stage “Over or Under” was physically demanding. The copper tunnel was the downfall of many shooters. Shooters knocked off the barrier, which they had to go under safely, (none went over). Any shooter who dislodged the barrier cost lost 10 points. The lean and keen, GSSF President, Ryan McKinnon took care of business, by taking the first position, 2nd Assad Hassan, 3rd Dr. Pravesh Harry, 4th Gordon Richards and Fifth place Rajiv Latchana.
Division Results: Production Division ( Stock Guns)
Ryan McKinnon first, 2nd Dr. Pravesh Harry, 3rd Matthew Phang, 4th Rajiv Latchana and fifth John Phang.
Standard Division (Mofified Guns) 1st Gordon Richard’s, 2nd Azaad Hassan, 3rd. Surujbali Persaud, 4th Dale Hing and fifth Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon.
The Regional Director, Harold Hopkinson was unchallenged in the Open Division, with his Akai Custom gun, which ran very loud and flawless.
Combined results were first Ryan McKinnon, 436.4586 match points. Second Harold Hopkinson, 480 match Points, Gordon Richards third, 423.3279 match points fourth Dr. Pravesh Harry 356.3753 and Fifth Matthew Phang.329.9295
Harold Hopkinson took the Super Seniors (60 years and over).
Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon took the Ladies division.
The 3-man, consisting of Ryan McKinnon, Dr. Pravesh Harry and Andrew Phang of the GSSF took the Team Shoot, Second was the GNRA, team of Harold Hopkinson, Dale Hing and Gordon Richards.
In keeping with President of Guyana, H. E. David Granger, who is also the patron of the Guyana NRA, Hopkinson said, “We followed our Head of States, “green state” initiative of Guyana and reduced the use of paper, we utilized the Practiscore electronic system, used exclusively last Sunday”. This scoring system increased the efficiency of scoring margin for error which was almost nil. The network, designed and controlled by our Statistics Director, Michael Tang, networked Five Lenova Tablets for the scoring, the shooters had to hit the approve button to authorize and authenticate their scores. The stage computers were then synced to a main frame Samsung tablet that had a transmitter, that could be accessed by all present with a password.
The Regional Director, Harold Hopkinson, extends special thanks to the stage construction team of Michael Tang, Mrs Tang, Clint McKenzie, Chad Melville and Ron Gouviea for braving the elements and preparing 36 targets, 14 poppers, 10 plates in the 5 bays, constructed by the GDF Engineering Corp. Not forgetting Mrs. Roxana Hopkinson who provided the tasty red beans cook up and fried chicken, which caused the ethnic fatigue of some.
All the steel targets used, were fabricated by Calven Singh and his team. Special thanks to out to Association President, Brigadier Patrick West, MSS, the Commissioner of Police Acting, Assistant Commissioner Paul William’s and ranks of the Tactical Services Unit. Last but not least the members who demonstrated the highest amount of firearm safety. No one was disqualified.

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