Simpson claims highest overall, McMaster sweeps ladies and juniors at Rangers clays meet

Craig Simpson finished top of the leaderboard for highest overall, while Aliana McMaster walked away with the women’s title, following the Rangers Gun Club Sporting Clays Classic staged Sunday on the large layout at the Tru-Juice Complex in Bog Walk, St Catherine.

Organisers said close to 145 competitors vied for honours across the divisions as scorching temperatures and heavy humidity hung over the course for much of the day.

Simpson opened his round at Station 17 and failed to break his opening clay. He steadied and cleared the remaining five presentations on that peg, then added only two further losses before he reached Station 10. Station 11, the bonus layout, tested the field; he broke three of four. When the scores were tallied he had dropped 11 birds for 89, enough to secure the HOA trophy.

“I thought there was something there for everybody. There was the first section of the course, I started at 17. To Station 10, I thought it was a soft course and then we hit the reality at Station 11, going back to 16 which I thought was very challenging,” Simpson said.

He said he was pleased to lift the main prize again after winning in 2023 with 97. The outright result was not settled on paper alone: three other competitors also posted 88, forcing shoot-offs to settle runner-up and the A Class order.

McMaster collected the women’s award for a fourth time after registering 85 from 100. She began at Station 12 with a clean six-for-six, lost one target at Station 13, then returned a full house of six at Station 14. Her card included multiple stations without a loss, though on the bonus layout she left all four intact like many others.

“I think 85 is a really good score for today. I’m very happy with it,” McMaster said. “I could appreciate some of the stations that we had gone through today and I thought it was just a very well-balanced course.”

After regulation play, extra sequences decided the silver medal. Andrew Azan emerged as runner-up following three shoot-off rounds. The remaining two shooters on 88 were Christian Sasso, who headed A Class, and Ian Banks in second. Toby Hugh was the lone competitor to run Station 11 without a loss.

Sterling Asset Management led the sponsor lineup, with backing from Worthy Park Estates, STL Solar, Wisynco, Legend Beer, Tru-Juice, the Jamaica Skeet Club, KFC, and other partners. A share of the proceeds will be donated to Food For the Poor.

Class results: A Class – Christian Sasso 88; B Class – Michael Banbury 80; C Class – Zachary Chong 81; D Class – Luke Chin 80; E Class – Scott Roman 74; Hunters or Beginners – Toby Hugh 79; Ladies – Aliana McMaster 85; Juniors – Aliana McMaster 85; Sub-Juniors – Liam Samuda 79.