Jamaica Skeet Club pleased with World English Championship gains

The Jamaica Skeet Club is brimming with pride following multiple podium finishes by the male and female teams and individual shooters, who competed at the recently held World English Championship in San Antonio, Texas, USA. 

There were over 1,000 competitors from 19 countries, including the top shooters from the USA, England, Italy, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, to contest one of the sport's most prestigious international events.

The Jamaica Skeet Club fielded a 10-member national team of six males and four females. In all, 27 shooters made the trip to Texas to represent the island across every division from D to Master class. 

The ladies team of Aliana McMaster, Wendy McMaster, Lori-Anne Harris, and Toni Barnes produced the standout result of the championship, finishing third in the main event behind the USA and England.

The men's team of Christian Sasso, Shaun Barnes, Roman Tavares-Finson, Jonathan Ralston, Nicholas Chen, and Alex Cunningham placed fifth behind Ireland (777) by just one point after ending on 776. The USA were first on 903 while England (876) and Italy (842) were second and third, respectively.

Beyond the team standings, Jamaica's competitors made their presence felt in the individual events. Lori-Anne Harris claimed the Winchester Ladies Cup A-D High Overall (HOA) title with a combined score of 228/300, while also placing second in the Main Event C Class. Aliana McMaster added a Lone Star Cup AA Class bronze to complement the ladies' team medal along with an impressive score of 81/100 in FITASC. Roman Tavares-Finson secured two podium finishes in the Main Event and Super Sporting AA Class, and Jonathan Ralston joined him on the Super Sporting AA class podium with a second-place finish.

Among the independent Jamaican competitors, Philip Burgess claimed an extraordinary five podium finishes across D Class - first place in FITASC, the Lone Star Cup, and American Field Sporting, as well as third place in the Main Event and third in 5-Stand. Long- time national coach Khaleel Azan won FITASC C Class gold, David Subaran took FITASC A Class silver, and Brian Kong bagged Super Sporting B Class silver.