The Antigua & Barbuda Rifle Association (ABRA) will be hosting its first national Full Bore Shooting Championship this weekend.

Thomas Greenaway, vice president of the ABRA told The Daily OBSERVER yesterday that one of the purposes of this competition is to select a team of 10 persons to participate in the annual West Indies Full Bore Shooting Council Championship (WIFBSCC) to be held in Barbados from May 24 to 30 this year.

Greeenaway explained that annually the organisation sends a team to compete in the regional championship that is usually held either in Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad or Barbados. However since Antigua & Barbuda has never had a national qualifying shoot, the new executive that came on stream in December decided that this was the best forum from which to choose a national team.

“This is our first (championship) and it is slated to be an annual event,” the VP said.

“It’s an open championship to all big bore rifle shooters,” he added, pointing out that it will be open to individuals, as well as clubs.

So far, the organisations on-board are The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force, The Royal Police Force of Antigua & Barbuda, The Antigua & Barbuda Shooting Club and Antigua & Barbuda Sharp Shooters.

The competition will be held at Crabb’s Shooting Range on Saturday, March 27 at 9:30 am.

Meanwhile, Antigua & Barbuda would be hosting the WIFBSCC in 2011. The regional body presently consists of Antigua & Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados. Greenaway disclosed that Bermuda, as well as a team from England sometimes participates in the competition.

Additionally, ABRA will also be hosting a good-will competition on May 21 and 22, prior to the regional meet in Barbados.

Last year, the regional championship was held in Tucker Village, Trinidad