CLIVE Barton won’t be the only local shooter taking aim for Australia against the world’s best in the UK later this year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
While Barton is on target for a spot at the London Olympic Games in August, John Sleightholme is headed to Wales in July after shooting his way to a national trap title and onto the Australian team.
He won his place in the five-strong open men’s shoulder to shoulder team by finishing third in the Mackintosh event at the National Trap Titles in Wagga Wagga.
Sleightholme had to qualify to shoot in that, with the top 25 shooters after the single barrel, double barrel and shotgun events earning the chance to compete for a green and gold jacket.
“I shot all the events clean and that allowed me to go into the Mackintosh team as the number one shooter,” Sleightholme said.
The 25 then shot another 100 targets for a maximum 300 points.
“Unfortunately I lost one point,” Sleightholme said.
“I pulled one second barrel.”
That was all the difference was, with the two shooters ahead of him scoring clean.
He’d earlier claimed the double rise national title with 98 out of a possible 100.
In the double rise the two birds come out at once.
“I’ve always been able to shoot the double rise well,” Sleightholme said.
He missed his first shot in the middle of the first 25 section, and his second two-thirds of the way through the third round.
“I thought ‘hold it together’,” he said.
But he didn’t miss a target after that to win by two targets.
“The closest to me was a junior girl from Victoria and she shot a 97,” he said.
“The next best man was 96.”
His scores from that combined with his score from the handicap where he shot 46 out of 50, and champions of champions – 124 points from 125 – and the other three events saw him also take out the overall high gun.
He finished with 518 from a possible 525 and was three points in front of his closest rival.
“The double rise gave me the edge,” Sleightholme said.
It also gave him his first national title, one of several he achieved over the few days.
He hadn’t shot three clean rounds at that level or done as well in the Mackintosh.
“I’ve shot in the Mackintosh team before but I’ve never been fortunate enough to get a score to get in the top five,” he said.
He had been shooting well leading up to the event but still had to keep check of nerves, of which there were plenty.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt pressure like it,” he said.
“You’ve only got to let one slip and you’re gone.”
“It’s not like other sports where you can recover.
“In this once the points are gone they’re gone.”
Doing so well only added to it.
“After the first three hard events I thought to myself ‘I’ve got this lead, don’t let it out of your grasp’,” Sleightholme said.
“Then when I went into the Mackintosh I thought ‘I’m never going to get this chance again’.”
Now he’s got the chance to represent his country.
“Wearing that green and gold jacket for Australia will be wonderful,” he said.
The Australian team will compete at a shoot in Wales and then the three-day world
championships.
