Simpson, young McMaster claim Sporting Clays titles

CRAIG SIMPSON and Aliana McMaster were the top shooters at the Jackson Bay Hunting & Fishing Club in Jackson Bay, Clarendon, recently.

Simpson, who secured 91 points, had nothing but praise for the venue and the targets while giving his victory speech.

While acknowledging that it was more challenging than he had expected, that didn’t stop him from putting in the mental work needed to win.

“The wind made it more challenging than you would expect, but still, there was something there for everybody. You had a mixture of targets, some of which were of international standards, testing the best of us. I’m happy that I came out on top,” he said.

McMaster, who scored 86 points, won the ladies section ahead of her mother, Wendy McMaster, 83, who was dethroned last year as the five-time national female champion.

It was all love and support for the mother-daughter duo as Wendy shared that at one point, she sensed that her daughter was withholding and she had to have a pep talk with her.

Wendy, after accompanying her husband to several bird-shooting events in support before he took up clay shooting, said she eventually decided it didn’t seem that hard and she could try it, too. She eventually ‘dragged’ her children into it.

“To tell you the truth, I was just tired of watching. I was, like, I’m going to be here anyway, I might as well participate. So that’s how I got into it, and I think it was maybe the following year that I did my first lesson,” said Aliana.

There is no competition between mother and daughter, with Wendy pointing at other targets.

“I’m not competing against my daughter; I’m really competing against all the men in the C class; she competes to win her class,” Wendy, who ended third in the C class, said.

Aliana also quickly dismissed the rivalry, stressing how much she admired and supported her mother.

“I am her biggest supporter,” she said.

The day was an overwhelming success, and president of the Jackson Bay Hunting and Fishing Gun Club, Sean Clacken, said the improvement in the tournament was notable.

More than 150 gunners participated.

“We created our own trophies. They are all made of wood and have clay on them,” said Clacken, giving credit to the creators, Chris Lee and Woodman 876.

Improvements were also made to the course as the gunners wanted a shorter walking course, explained Clacken.

“We wanted to facilitate those young to the sport but at the same time give challenges to the more experienced,” he said.

Sable-Joy McLaren, senior manager of group marketing at First Rock Group, title sponsors for the competition, was thrilled with the success of the event. “We’re very pleased with this year’s staging of the competition. The incredible talent and sportsmanship displayed by all the participants made this a great experience,” said McLaren.

“It’s actually FirstRock’s second year sponsoring the event, and this time around, we supported in a more expansive way by including other members of our Group - Ultra Financier, Century 21 Jamaica, and Optimum Distributors,” McLaren explained.

Among the other winners on the day were Liam McConnel with 79 points in the Hunter category, Brian Kong with 83 points in the C category, and Chad Ziadie with 91 points in the A category.