Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Matthew Clark shooting for the stars

Bay of Plenty Times
4 Jun, 2017 07:58 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

SHARP SHOOTER: Matthew Clark, 13, won a clutch of clay shooting titles at the Australian Clay Target Skeet Nationals. PHOTO: ANDREW WARNER

SHARP SHOOTER: Matthew Clark, 13, won a clutch of clay shooting titles at the Australian Clay Target Skeet Nationals. PHOTO: ANDREW WARNER

Matthew Clark has quickly established himself as the best young skeet shooter in Australasia.

He returned home from the Australian Clay Target Skeet Nationals, held at Wagga Wagga, NSW from May 16-29, laden down with medals after cleaning up in every division he entered.

Clark, 13, won seven separate titles at the Australian nationals in the sub-junior (aged 12-14) category and became the first New Zealander to win the Australian sub-junior title.

"The titles are all equal, but particularly I am very proud of the sub-junior High Gun title and the sub-junior 12 Gauge which is like the big deciding national event," Clark said.

"I beat two others to win the overall title. It is a big deal for me. In New Zealand, I am the youngest person on the competition circuit, and there was one younger person at the [Australian] skeet nationals."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Clark did not set himself any clear goals to achieve in Australia.

"Whatever I got out if it was a bonus as I was mainly going there for experience which I could bring back and further develop.

"I am even prouder of myself now and a lot more self-confident. I know how much I can actually achieve and I can push myself to that level to make myself achieve."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Clark, a Year 9 student at Tauranga Boys' College, has been competing for three years in clay target shooting. He collected nine provincial titles in junior categories in the trap or down the line (DTL) discipline before deciding to switch to skeet a year ago.

Clay target shooting has different disciplines known as trap (DTL), skeet, ISSF and sporting clays which all have their challenges and intricacies.

Clark says there are major differences between the trap and skeet disciplines.

"DTL is where you are situated 15 metres behind the trap which flings the clay targets out. You have five stations in a slight arc, and you call pull. The trap is oscillating going left to right so when you call pull it flings the target at a different angle every time.

"Skeet is a bit different. You have what's called a high house and a low house. There are eight stations where you get a different sequence of targets from each station, and each station has its own little difficulties which I took a shining to."

Clark decided to change to skeet after he had realised it was a bigger challenge than DTL.

"I wanted to master each station when I go around as each station has its own difficulty level. The school circuit around here doesn't provide me with that challenge," he said.

After cleaning up the Australian nationals, Clark has his sights clearly focused on the New Zealand nationals to be held in Christchurch in November.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Teen's sudden cancer diagnosis puts close-knit family on 'rollercoaster ride'

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

Police search for suspect after man shot in leg

06 Jul 10:51 PM

Information sought about man in green coat and gumboots on Pine Drive, Murupara.

Teen's sudden cancer diagnosis puts close-knit family on 'rollercoaster ride'

Teen's sudden cancer diagnosis puts close-knit family on 'rollercoaster ride'

06 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

Balancing power: What the employment law changes mean for you

06 Jul 05:00 PM
Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

Nine Lotto players win nearly $31k each in Second Division – where tickets were sold

06 Jul 05:31 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP