Sorry to be rather late.
I made it in the just as they started the 500 yards, and discoverd its a bloody sight harder than it should be to manouver on a sloping grass mound on crutches. Also those in charge were apparently forced into implementing the rule about NO electronic devices on the mound/firing line. That made it impossible for me on one crutch to record anything in real time, and also mide it difficult for able bodied Craig McGowan to update his posts on the 7mm.com.au Facebook page.
Once again there were a number of broken hearts, with a noticeable number of long faces .
Over half of the field had dropped 3 or more points at the 300, and only 4 possibles in the great field of 37 starters in F Open. Another 8 had dropped just one, including that Roderick fella from Cessnock NSW who ended day one on top.
From the time I got there, the wind basically never stopped switching , and was virtually simultaneously blowing from the left at 10+ mph then flicking to head on, switching rapidly from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock then whooooomph...back to hard from the left. I believe most shops in the Belmont district sold out of tissues.
I haven't had the pleasure of meeting this "new boy" David Goldberg who won the 300 yards range, but he rolled them again at 500 with a 60-4.
Then it was a quick lunch before starting again at 12-45 and once again things were damn tough.
Brent Knudsen from Beaudesert shot well to take the range with the only 60, with that Cessnock dude , Roderick someone Close behind, and the only one on a 59. Five more shooters on a 58 meant that three quarters of the field had dropped three or more.
There were numerous wind changes through this first 600 of 4 or more minutes of wind, that completely bamboozled anyone unlucky enough to be shooting at the time.
The final 600 again saw some ridiculous wind events, but this time only half the field dropped three or more points.
A 60-7 and a Range win certainly put a smile on Denis Aaron's face, with Rod just one "X" behind him in second place.
By the time Day one was over, Rod Davies held a two point margin over his Clubmate David Goldberg, with Michael Waites just one point behind and holding onto Third in the Aggregate.
Weather is virtually guaranteed to get really ugly tomorrow as the change arrives with a vengeance, and Saturday could be VERY wet.
I can't get there tomorrow, so recommend that anyone who is keen for a "blow by blow" description as the tears fall, should use Facebook and "like" the 7mm.com.au Facebook page which should let all and sundry then follow Craig McGowans posts. He is doing his best to keep it all current, walking up and down the line following the scores, but the "No Electronic Devices" means he has to write the scores by hand and then re-type all details to post to Facebook.
My own excuse for a poor reporting job today is slippery grass slopes, crutches and my half on an Equipment List
