News | Rally Clays Comes to New Zealand
- Wairarapa Clay Target Club
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 10 minutes ago
Fast, live, head-to-head clay target shooting launches at Wairarapa Clay Target Club
NEW ZEALAND LAUNCH
14–16 August 2026
Wairarapa Clay Target Club
The first competition will run from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August, followed by separate events in September, October and November.
Each weekend will be a separate Rally Clays competition, with its own leaderboards, results and prizes.
Four separate Rally Clays competitions across August, September, October and November
Rally Clays is coming to New Zealand, and it begins in Wairarapa.
Created in the United Kingdom by Simon Reinhold, Rally Clays transforms clay target shooting into a direct contest between two competitors.
Rather than completing a round and comparing scorecards later, two shooters step up together and challenge one another point by point. Every target has an immediate consequence, every break sends the pressure back to the opponent, and a single miss can end the rally.
It is quick to understand, tactical under pressure and entertaining to watch.
Rally Clays NZ will launch at Wairarapa Clay Target Club, which will host the first four New Zealand competitions through the 2026 Falcon Sporting Clay weekends.
James Mackie is Simon Reinhold’s New Zealand Agent for Rally Clays, coordinating the format’s introduction and development in New Zealand and acting as the local point of contact.
The first competition will run from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August, followed by separate events in September, October and November.
Each weekend will be a separate Rally Clays competition, with its own leaderboards, results and prizes.
What is Rally Clays?
The easiest comparison is a rally in tennis.
Two competitors stand at separate shooting positions, facing a field of seven target presentations.
A coin toss begins the match. The winner of the coin toss chooses their shooting position, while the other chooses whether to shoot first or second.
The first shooter calls for target one. If the target is broken, target two is immediately presented to the opposing shooter.
If that shooter breaks their target, the third target comes back to the first competitor.
The rally continues between the two shooters, moving through the seven targets. At the end of the sequence, the direction reverses and continues back through the field.
Each shooter may use both shots to break their target.
The rally continues for as long as both competitors keep breaking targets.
As soon as one shooter misses, that shooter loses the point.
Running out of cartridges during the rally also loses the point.
Under the standard Rally Clays format, the first competitor to five points wins the match. For the inaugural Wairarapa weekend, 14–16 August, matches will be shortened to first to three points.
The full original format is explained through Simon Reinhold’s official Rally Clays page.
Every break sends the pressure back
Traditional clay target competition is generally a contest between the shooter, the target and the final scorecard.
Rally Clays introduces an opponent.
You see what your opponent has just done. They see the target you are about to face. Break it and the pressure immediately returns to them.
One rally may end on the first presentation. Another may continue through target after target as both shooters reload, remain composed and refuse to give the other an opening.
The format rewards:
target-breaking ability
composure under visible pressure
concentration
safe and efficient firearm handling
the ability to recover quickly and face the next point
The winner is not necessarily the competitor with the strongest conventional Sporting score.
A developing shooter can put an experienced competitor under genuine pressure. A confident game shooter can challenge a regular clay shooter. Friends can settle a long-running rivalry in front of the clubhouse.
Once the match begins, grades and reputations become background noise. The next target is what matters.
Watch Rally Clays in action
The best way to understand Rally Clays is to watch a match unfold.
Watch Simon Reinhold demonstrate the format and introduce the idea:
For a quicker look at the atmosphere and pace of a Rally Clays competition:
How Rally Clays will operate at Wairarapa
Rally Clays will operate on a dedicated field in front of the Wairarapa Clay Target Club clubhouse throughout each Falcon Sporting Clay Weekend.
The four scheduled competitions are:
14–16 August
11–13 September
16–18 October
13–15 November
Each weekend will be treated as a separate Rally Clays competition.
Rally Clays operating times
Friday
12:00pm–5:00pm
Final match start: 4:00pm
Saturday
9:00am–5:00pm
Final match start: 4:00pm
Sunday
10:00am–4:00pm
Final match start: 3:00pm
Matches are subject to field availability and the direction of the Rally Clays organisers.
During busy periods, official matches may be scheduled around English Sporting, Super Sporting and other club operations.
Three Rally Clays leaderboard pools
The Wairarapa Rally Clays competitions will use three leaderboard pools:
AA/A Pool
For AA and A Grade Sporting shooters.
B Grade Pool
For B Grade Sporting shooters.
C/Novice Pool
For C Grade, ungraded and developing Sporting shooters.
A competitor’s current Sporting grade at the beginning of the weekend will normally determine their leaderboard pool.
The organisers reserve the right to review or adjust a competitor’s selected grade where required.
Ungraded competitors will be placed in the category considered most appropriate for their experience and current shooting ability.
The pool determines which leaderboard the winner’s points are added to. It does not mean that every match must take place between shooters in the same pool.
Who can challenge whom?
For a match to earn leaderboard points, shooters may challenge someone in their own grade or one grade either side.
This provides enough flexibility for matches to keep moving across a three-day Flexi Weekend, while avoiding unsuitable mismatches between competitors at opposite ends of the experience range.
Eligible challenges are:
AA Grade: AA or A
A Grade: AA, A or B
B Grade: A, B or C
C Grade: B, C or Novice
Novice: C or Novice
The winner earns the Rally Clays ranking points from the match. Those points are added to the leaderboard for the winner’s own pool.
For example, if a B Grade shooter defeats an A Grade opponent, the B Grade shooter earns the points and adds them to the B Grade leaderboard.
If the A Grade shooter wins, the points are added to the AA/A leaderboard.
Matches outside the eligible grade range may be permitted for fun at the organisers’ discretion, but will not earn leaderboard points.
How the weekend leaderboards will work
Challenges are made by mutual agreement.
Shooters may complete as many matches as field availability allows.
A competitor’s best two eligible winning results against two different opponents will count toward the weekend standings.
This means shooters can continue challenging opponents and attempt to improve their position, but their two counting results cannot both come from matches against the same person.
The winner of each match will earn ranking points based on the result and the performance achieved during the match.
The detailed points and ranking calculation will be published once Simon Reinhold’s updated system has been confirmed.
At the conclusion of each weekend, prizes will be awarded across all three leaderboard pools.
Where competitors finish tied on leaderboard points, the relevant prize will be divided equally.
Match cost: the loser pays
There is no fixed Rally Clays match-entry charge.
Instead, the losing shooter pays for all targets thrown during the match at:
40 cents per target
The total cost therefore depends on how long the match lasts.
For example:
A 25-target match costs the losing shooter $10
A 40-target match costs the losing shooter $16
A 60-target match costs the losing shooter $24
There is no maximum target charge and no match-cost cap.
Both competitors must understand and accept the variable loser-pays arrangement before the match begins.
The target mix will be designed to keep matches competitive, entertaining and moving.
That uncertainty is part of the challenge. Win the match and the targets cost you nothing. Lose it and the scorecard comes back to the office with you.
Exact target recording
Every Rally Clays match will be operated through the club’s Promatic Claymate card system.
This records the exact number of targets thrown during the match, removing any uncertainty around the final target charge.
Each match will also have a referee.
The referee will:
control the match
confirm points and the final result
verify the total number of targets recorded
complete or approve the match scorecard
At the end of the match, the losing shooter must take the completed scorecard to the office, pay the target charge and have the result recorded on the appropriate leaderboard.
Who can enter Rally Clays?
You do not need to be an elite Sporting Clays competitor.
Rally Clays is open to regular club shooters, capable game shooters, graded Sporting competitors and developing shooters who are ready for the format.
However, Rally Clays is not designed as a first-time shooting introduction.
Competitors need to be:
safe and proficient
comfortable handling and loading their firearm
able to follow the referee’s instructions
capable of shooting without introductory coaching
comfortable taking part in a live head-to-head match
The C/Novice pool provides a place for developing and ungraded competitors, but the word “Novice” does not mean someone handling a firearm for the first time.
Complete beginners are welcome to watch Rally Clays and take part in one of the club’s separate guided introduction sessions before progressing further.
Firearms licences and direct supervision
A firearms licence is not compulsory for entering Rally Clays.
However, every competitor must meet one of the following requirements:
hold a current firearms licence, or
bring an appropriately licensed person who will directly supervise them throughout the match
An unlicensed competitor cannot rely on the club to find a supervisor when they arrive.
Their licensed supervisor must attend with them, remain alongside them and provide direct supervision throughout the match.
All competitors remain subject to the referee’s instructions and the club’s normal safety requirements.
Prizes and eligibility
Falcon ammunition prizes will be awarded across the three Rally Clays leaderboard pools at each weekend.
Everyone meeting the shooting and supervision requirements may enter Rally Clays.
However, eligibility for Rally Clays prizes requires the competitor to be a paid-up Wairarapa Clay Target Club member for 2026.
Full, Junior and eligible Associate Membership options are available through the Falcon weekend registration form.
A valid firearms licence must be produced before any ammunition prize can be released.
Competitors shooting only Rally Clays will be eligible for the Rally Clays prizes, but will not automatically enter the weekend’s general random prize draws.
To enter those random draws, an eligible club member must also post an official English Sporting or Super Sporting score during the weekend.
Rally Clays and the Falcon Sporting Clay Weekends
Rally Clays will run alongside:
40-target English Sporting
60-target Super Sporting
Sporting practice
guided introductions during selected periods
coaching and development opportunities
Shooters can build Rally Clays into the weekend in whatever way suits them.
You might shoot your English Sporting round, challenge a mate at Rally Clays and then move onto Super Sporting.
You might arrive specifically to play several Rally Clays matches and spend the rest of your visit watching the field from the clubhouse.
You can attend for one session, stay for the day or return across the three-day weekend.
There is no requirement to attend all three days or all four Falcon weekends.
Registration
Please register through the relevant Falcon Sporting Clay Weekend form and indicate that you are interested in Rally Clays.
Registration helps the club understand:
which days competitors plan to attend
their current Sporting grade
how many potential Rally Clays matches may be requested
likely field demand
whether any competitor will be shooting under direct supervision
Challenges can then be arranged at the club, subject to suitable opponents and field availability.
Rally Clays in New Zealand
Rally Clays was created in the United Kingdom by Simon Reinhold, with James Mackie acting as his New Zealand Agent for Rally Clays.
Wairarapa Clay Target Club will host the New Zealand launch and the first four competitions during the 2026 Falcon Sporting Clay weekends.
Clubs, organisations and shooters interested in Rally Clays, including future events elsewhere in New Zealand, are welcome to contact James:
Email: wairarapactc@gmail.com
Phone: 027 277 9221
Be part of the New Zealand launch
The first Rally Clays competition in New Zealand will run from:
Friday 14 August to Sunday 16 August 2026
Wairarapa Clay Target Club
170 Moroa Road
Greytown, Wairarapa
Come and see the format in action.
Challenge a clubmate. Take on someone from the grade above. Put an old rivalry onto the scorecard.
You may break every target cleanly on your Sporting round, but Rally Clays asks a different question:
Can you do it when your opponent has just handed the pressure straight back to you?
Rally Clays NZ starts here.
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