Hundreds of the world's top clay target shooters are set to converge on Hamilton Clay Target Club for the ICTSF DTL World Championships.
The club, which doubles as one of the country's two national grounds, will host more than 600 shooters from March 10-12 as part of a fortnight of action beginning with the week-long 2014 New Zealand National Championships tomorrow.
The scheduling quirk means participants will have the opportunity of taking on more than 1000 targets over 12 consecutive days of shooting at a venue poised to become one of the finest shooting venues in Australasia thanks to significant redevelopment.
About 300 New Zealand shooters are registered and will be setting their sights on a share of $27,000 in total prize money and the Beretta Shotgun awarded to the overall winner.
The huge number of local entries can be attributed to the 12 years since the event was held in Christchurch in 2002, and the fact that as an open event any shooter affiliated to his/her country can compete as an individual.
The World Championship Down-the-Line event was granted to the New Zealand governing body three years ago, triggering the Waikato Clay Target Club's heavy investment in modifications to the clubhouse and surrounds - including the creation of additional trap layouts.
Waikato Clay Target Club president David Muggeridge said the improvements make the venue ideal for hosting the championships.
"We've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a facility that is if not the best certainly among the best in the Southern Hemisphere," Muggeridge said.
"It was overdue for some renovation because things get tired ... we've managed to do it without external funding. We've been preparing for this coming fortnight for three years, so obviously it will now come down to how the event is delivered."
About 380,000 clay targets, costing competitors 30 cents apiece, have been ordered for the event.
Muggeridge is tipping Huntly shooter Jon Beddis as one to watch.
"He would be currently the most consistent competitor in this country and equal to anyone else in the world based on his recent performances."
He said participants were generally good people as "average" characters often could not gain gun licences, and that the sport is one of the most mentally challenging competitive pursuits.
"It is the ultimate sport for learning how to manage yourself. When Dan Carter is teeing up the ball on the sideline in front of 50,000 screaming South Africans and he needs the conversion to win the test match ... you go through those processes every time you call for a target."
The world event, comprising both a representative country teams championship and individual competitions across a range of grades and categories, is held every two years, alternating between the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
Teams from England, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, French Polynesia, Samoa, Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand are registered, with Australia accounting for about 200 of the 640 competitors set to take part.
In addition to the team entries, individual shooters from the USA, Fiji and the Norfolk Islands are attending.
New Zealand shooters have had some success at past championships.
Natalie Curtis from Matamata won the Women's World Championship in England in 2004 and Paul Schmidt from Tauranga won the World Veterans title in 2006 in Australia.
Colin Waghorn from Southland won the Open World Championship in Ireland in 2008, Natalie Rooney from Timaru won the Women's World Championship the same year as well as the Ladies Championship in Wales in 2012, and the New Zealand women's team also won the Women's Championships in 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
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