Results | JUNE 2026 Sporting Clays + DTL incl. Club Championships

Wairarapa Clay Target Club
Jun 18
5 min read

Updated: Jul 7

June Sporting + DTL Weekend – Results & Wrap-Up

The June Sporting + DTL Weekend is done and dusted, and despite a weather forecast that looked fairly grim for much of the week, it turned into another really positive weekend for the club.

Friday afternoon again proved its worth. With calm conditions and winter sunshine, a good number of shooters took the opportunity to sneak away from work a little early and enjoy some relaxed rounds before the weekend rush. It continues to show why the three-day format works so well. Some people enjoy the quieter atmosphere, some enjoy chasing scores all weekend, and others simply appreciate being able to participate when it suits them.

Saturday and Sunday forecasts undoubtedly scared a few people away, but those who took the chance found conditions far better than expected. Sunday in particular was almost dead calm, with broken cloud, and rays of sunlight streaming across the grounds.

Across the weekend we had 45 individual shooters participate, many attending for multiple days and posting numerous rounds across the three disciplines. Given the forecast, that represents another very strong turnout and continues the momentum the club has been building over the past twelve months.

This month's programme featured English Sporting, Super Sporting Club Championship and the DTL Point Score Club Championship.

The English Sporting layout again produced plenty of discussion, with shooters returning for additional rounds and trying to improve on earlier scores. Reno Verde's 39 stood out as the leading score of the weekend and showed just how important consistency remains across all forty targets.

Super Sporting again provided the broadest challenge of the three disciplines, with James Mackie's score of 58 setting the benchmark. Several shooters posted multiple rounds across the weekend, creating some very competitive grade battles and ensuring the final placings weren't decided until the shooting was complete.

The DTL Point Score Club Championship produced one of the closest contests of the weekend. James Mabin from Hawke's Bay and James Mackie both finished tied on 149 points from their best two rounds, requiring the championship to be separated using the next highest scores available under the club's tie-break procedure. It was exactly the sort of close competition that keeps people coming back for another round.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the weekend was seeing members of the Wairarapa College Secondary Schools Shooting Team back at the club following the previous weekend's Secondary Schools Shoot and Sporting Challenge.

It was fantastic to see those young shooters getting involved in the wider club environment and taking the opportunity to shoot alongside experienced competitors. The Secondary Schools series provides an excellent foundation through DTL shooting, but developing as an all-round shotgun shooter requires exposure to a wider variety of targets, disciplines and shooting situations.

That is one of the biggest strengths of the club weekends. Young and newer shooters are able to watch experienced competitors, ask questions, receive coaching and guidance, and continue developing their skills in a practical shooting environment. There is some outstanding talent coming through the secondary school ranks at the moment and we can see enormous potential in many of these young shooters.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the weekend, however, was once again the atmosphere around the grounds.

There were experienced competitors, new shooters, secondary school shooters, gamebird hunters, families and regular club members all participating alongside one another. People helped each other, shared knowledge, scored for one another, offered advice, and genuinely enjoyed seeing others improve.

Twelve months ago the club was facing some difficult questions about participation and direction.

Like many clubs around the country, it would have been easy to conclude that people simply weren't interested anymore. Our experience has been quite different.

What we've found is that people are still incredibly keen to shoot. They still want to challenge themselves, improve their skills and spend time around good people. The difference is that many are looking for a club environment that offers flexibility, welcomes a broad range of shooters, and allows them to participate in a way that fits around modern life.

That philosophy has shaped almost everything we've done over the past year.

Rather than expecting every shooter to fit into one traditional format, we've tried to build weekends that cater for the widest possible range of people. Whether someone wants to shoot one round, spend the whole weekend chasing scores, bring the family along, receive coaching, or simply broaden their experience across different disciplines, there is a place for them.

The response has been incredibly encouraging.

Strong attendances. Growing membership. Secondary school shooters beginning to make the transition into club competition. Experienced competitors generously sharing their knowledge. A positive culture that people consistently comment on when they visit.

The continued support for these weekends gives us real confidence that we're heading in the right direction, and we're excited to keep building on that momentum.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the weekend happen, including those who set fields, loaded traps, scored, refereed, coached, photographed, worked in the office and helped keep everything running smoothly.

The results, prize winners and giveaways are listed below.

Prizes & Giveaways

English Sporting

AA – John Hillier (37)

R/U – James Mackie (36)

A – Reno Verde (39)

R/U – Rod Bryant (38)

B – Duncan Sutherland / Greg Hamilton (37)

C – Grant Macaulay / Frank Keegan (33)

Novice – Richard Capel (24)

R/U – Connor Nel (17)

Super Sporting

(Club Championship)

AA – James Mackie (58)

R/U – John Hillier (54)

A – Rod Bryant (54)

R/U – Reno Verde (53)

B – Chris Hooson (52)

R/U – Murray Gribben / Duncan Sutherland / Logan Bryant (48)

C – Grant Macaulay (52)

R/U – Richard Millican (38)

Novice – Richard Capel (32)

DTL Point Score

(Club Championship)

AA – James Mackie (149 + 73)

R/U – James Mabin (149 + 71)

A – Mark McGhie (139)

B – Yvonne Ker (135)

R/U – Paddy Borthwick (122)

C – Peter Gallagher (142)

R/U – Tim Crum (136)

💰 Prizes & Giveaways

As always, the Wairarapa Clay Target Club aims to give back as much as possible to those who support and participate in our shoots.

Across the weekend we’ve allocated cash prizes to 1st and 2nd place in each grade across all three disciplines.

Prize amounts are $50 for grade winners and $30 for runners-up.

We’ve also allocated Falcon Ammunition prizes and a selection of random prize draws from shooters who posted at least one official score during the weekend.

All prizes are available for collection from the club office, with collection to be finalised by the conclusion of the next Sporting Weekend 24 - 26 July. Any unclaimed prizes at that time will be returned to the club prize pool.

As with previous events, prize eligibility is limited to paid-up Wairarapa Clay Target Club members for 2026 (Full, Junior or Associate members)

Ammunition prizes will only be issued upon presentation of a valid NZ firearms licence.