SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

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Cliff Austen
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SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#1 Postby Cliff Austen » Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:50 am

Attention to all our history buffs.

According to the information on the NRAA and VRA web sites shooting was the first sport to represent Australia.

1876 a team of shooters made up of people prom NSW and Vic officially represented Australia in the UK and then travelled to the USA and competed in the first Palma Match.

However, according to Cricket Australia a team of 13 all-Indigenous cricketers went to the UK in 1868 and played 47 matches. This was 8 years before the rifle team.

Question. Who really did represent Australia first? Are the above dates correct?

Cheers
Cliff

johnk
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Re: SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#2 Postby johnk » Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:39 am

There were individual Aussies competed at Bisley from 1861 onwards, the first being Allan McFarlane of South Australia. As far as the 1876 claim is concerned, the date is correct.

Beyond that, I suspect that claims enter the realms of semantics. Can two colonies represent a country that wasn't created until the 20th century, likewise the cricket team. With regatfd to the latter, here's what wiki says:

In 1868, a cricket team composed of Aboriginal Australians toured England between May and October of that year, thus becoming the first organised group of Australian sportspeople to travel overseas.[1] It would be another ten years before an Australian cricket team classed as representative would leave the country.

The concept of an Aboriginal cricket team can be traced to cattle stations in the Western District of Victoria, where, in the mid-1860s, European pastoralists introduced Aboriginal station hands to the sport. An Aboriginal XI was created with the assistance of Tom Wills—captain of the Victoria cricket team and founder of Australian rules football—who acted as the side's captain-coach in the lead-up to and during an 1866–67 tour of Victoria and New South Wales. Several members of this team joined what would become the Aboriginal XI that toured England under the captaincy of Englishman Charles Lawrence.

International sporting contact was rare in this era. Previously, only three cricket teams had travelled abroad, all English: to the United States and Canada in 1859, and to Australia in 1861–62 and 1863–64.

bruce moulds
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Re: SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#3 Postby bruce moulds » Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:05 pm

the 1876 match at the creedmoor range, new york, was not a palma match.
it was in fact known as the centenial match, and the americans challenged all comers.
it was not the first match at creedmoor.
the range was named after farmer creed who originally owned the land, which was poor land and described as a moor.
australia did not come last, finishing ahead of canada.
the research press website has a great deal on these subjects for those interested, and well worth a look through.
the ranges shot were 800, 900, and 1000 yds the same as palma.
palma evolved from the great creedmoor matches after long range shooting withered in favour of scheutzen at 200 yds in america,
it was a great and interesting era, the formative years of long range shooting.
bruce.
"SUCH IS LIFE" Edward Kelly 11 nov 1880
http://youtu.be/YRaRCCZjdTM

Gyro
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Re: SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#4 Postby Gyro » Tue Dec 29, 2020 2:15 pm

Were u there Bruce ?

bruce moulds
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Re: SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#5 Postby bruce moulds » Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:49 pm

sure would like to have been.
and i am nearly old enough :roll:
it was a great and exciting era the transition from muzzle to breech loading long range shooting.
some of those shooting breech loaders were actually muzzle loading the powder and projectiles on a chambered primed case, and many were breech seating projectiles ahead of the charged case, using the airgap between the bullet and overpowder wad to tune the load.
the back position in its many forms was prominent.
max rifle weight was 10 lb, shooting charges of 100 gns powder under a 540 gn bullet.
shooting was done 1 shot at a time in turns.
all bullets were paper patched.
all teams kept a barometer in their tent, as well as a thermometer, and knew exactly what to do should either instrument change its reading.
luncheon included champagne, and this was often used as a tool against other teams.
bruce.
"SUCH IS LIFE" Edward Kelly 11 nov 1880

http://youtu.be/YRaRCCZjdTM

johnk
Posts: 2211
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:55 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#6 Postby johnk » Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:30 am

Usually sever shooters per target - shoot, withdraw, wipe out, load, chat up the ladies (or lads),and then queue up for your next shot, adjusting the windage on the foresight just prior.

If the chance comes your way - The Target Rifle In Australia 1860-1900 by J.E. Corcoran.

bruce moulds
Posts: 2900
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:07 pm

Re: SHOOTING. THE FIRST SOPRT TO REPRESENT AUSTRALIA?????

#7 Postby bruce moulds » Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:18 am

yes that is an excellent book john.
you speak of wiping the barrel.
this was done by the americans in this style of shooting up until 1912 when seagirt was the only range left in america doing it.
by then the creedmoor range site had become a lunatic asylum.
the british, with an emphasis on military shooting, banned wiping in the 1880s.
they became masters of the blowtube, where you breathed moist air from the lungs into the barrel to soften the fouling.
also humidity of british air was more suited to softer fouling than some drier countries.
bruce.
"SUCH IS LIFE" Edward Kelly 11 nov 1880

http://youtu.be/YRaRCCZjdTM


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