Aliana McMaster and Christian Sasso battled some punishing conditions of searing heat, high winds and rain last Saturday and Sunday at the Worthy Park Sugar Factory in Ewarton, St Catherine, to be crowned champion and runner-up, respectively at this year’s Jamaica Skeet Club’s National Sporting Clays Championship. They came out ahead of a massive field of 152 other shooters

They shot one hundred targets/birds each day and an additional twenty-five birds on Sunday as part of the very competitive Super Six shoot-off. That shoot-off features an intense battle among the shooters with the six best scores at the end of the main event (200 Birds).

Sunday’s Super Six shoot-off consisted of six gunners who entered the ‘bullring’ to determine the national sporting clays champion for the year. After the Super Six scores were added to the main event scores, the shooters amassed the following totals – McMaster 195, Sasso 191, Roman Tavares-Finson 191, Todd Lazarus 189, Chad Zaidie 187 and David Wong 185.

During the two-day main event, McMaster’s 177 was three shots better than her nearest rival, Sasso, who shot 174. Her two-day scores were 87 and 90 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, while Sasso posted 81 and 93, respectively.

McMaster is the first female to be the HOA – highest overall winner of the 200-Bird National Sporting Clays Championship. She topped the main event and bagged 18 of 25 birds in the Super-Six on her way to winning the championship. She was also declared the Ladies winner for the fourth time as well as the Junior’s winner.

“I think the event was well organised, well set, the course was good quality targets. I think a lot of people can agree with me when I say that the 200-Bird in particular is one of the more challenging events in the NSC (National Shotgun Championship which consist of four separate events) lineup so just to come out here and do my best and keep my head on the gun and breaking the clays, it was honestly just a blessing to just enjoy the whole experience as well” said a very pleased McMaster.

This year’s runner-up, Sasso was also pleased with his performance. “It feels good. I shot in the super six with five other amazing shooters who really came out this year and performed at their best so it feels good to be with them.”

He credited his experience and ability to handle pressure for his performance in the Super-Six shoot-off. “I don’t really have that pressure issue but I have experience. I can see where others will kind of fall under pressure. Everybody did pretty well though and handled themselves well. It’s just experience that will take us through.”

The class champions were: A Class – Roman Tavares-Finson 191 (he was involved in an additional eight bird shoot-off with Sasso to determine the runner-up and the A Class champion); B Class – Rajhir DaCosta – 157; C Class – Wendy McMaster 147; D Class – Brandon Hugh 144; E Class – Neesa DaCosta – 136; Ladies – Aliana McMaster 195; Juniors – Aliana McMaster 195; Sub Juniors – Rheis McMaster 136 and Hunters or Beginners – Andrewain Smith – 116.

Several shooters were promoted to higher classes based on their performance. They were Rajhir DaCosta to A, Wendy McMaster to B, Brandon Hugh to C, Neesa DaCosta to D; Andrewain Smith, Zander James and Alyssa Moo Young to E Class.