In the 50th Year of the match against North Island, New Zealand (albeit we missed two years with COVID), the Kiwi team managed to complete the double once more, winning the Senior and Junior matches, both by relatively small margins this year. As previously reported, the Scotland teams shot at Denwood back in March, with Lenny Thomson and Rorie Watt the highest scores in the Senior and Junior teams respectively, while Hugh Simpson shot in the Scottish team for the 30th time. Click on the link below to see the results for this year.
2023 Scotland Senior Match Team
2023 North Island New Zealand Senior Match Team
2023 Scotland Junior Match Team
2023 North Island New Zealand Junior Match Team
In reporting from Palmerston North, Janet Hunt tells us:
I have attached the 2023 team photos. The flags are to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this match.
I have also included photos of the 50th anniversary celebrations on Sunday. We had a speech and cutting of the cake by our Manawatu life member Bruce Marchant, who shot in the NI team 8 times - 1981, 82, 83, 84, 98, 99, 2000 and 2001.
I have also attached photos of the 1974 NI Open team and the 1974 results sheet from the first match.
One of the original NI team members Malcolm Duthie from Waikato, is still shooting today at the age of 91. He is the one in the centre of the front row, wearing his shooting gear.
From the Scottish team of 1974, I can tell that at least one member - Jim Manson - of Elgin is still shooting, and still to a very high standard. If there are any others from that team still shooting, please let us know!
And so thoughts will turn to the 2024 match. The Speedway final is scheduled to he held at the Balerno & Currie club in Edinburgh on Sunday 3rd March, using their newly installed electronic targets, the highest eight place shooters in that will automatically be selected for the Senior Scottish team. The remaining places, along with the junior team, will be selected from those performing well in a number of indoor competitions, including the STS Medal, Speedway first stage, NSRA Scottish Short Range Championship (aka the Daily Record), the STS and NSRA National Short Range team leagues, NSRA Inter-County leagues and performance in recent NINZ matches. I hope we can get a date and venue confirmed for the 2024 match soon and circulated well in advance.
While this was the 50th year of the competition, we did not provide cake to the Scottish teams this year, but 2025 will be the 50th match for the senior teams, and we should consider how we most appropriately mark that at our end.
Report and photos by Donald McIntosh, SBR AMG New Zealand Match Co-ordinator