Mr. Mackintosh, the Australian, was once more favourite for the £1,100
and Trophy, which entitles its holder to claim to be the best shot in
the world.
The accident of England being the only country in the world which makes
driving more fashionable than walking up game, has taught young shooters
here that pigeon shooting is not now good practice for game killing. On
the other hand, clay-bird shooting at the clubs is good practice for
pigeons, and so it happens that the man who seemed to have the only
chance of winning for England at the end of the seventh round of the
Grand Prix was a clay-bird shooter of pronounced success, viz., Mr.
Cave. This was also true of the last Englishman to win the trophy, viz.,
Captain Pellier Johnson.
On the other hand, the most successful Englishman in the present season
at Monte Carlo has been a regular Hurlingham and Gun Club pigeon-shooter
for many years. This is Mr. Hodgson Roberts, who took the Prix Journu
Handicap from the extreme range of 30 metres with 15 straight kills on
January 9th, and on January 30th won the Grande Poule d’Essai, an even
distance event, with 19 consecutive kills. Nevertheless, the betting for
the bigger event favoured Mr. Mackintosh all through the season,
although in the last-named event he had killed but four birds, and had
not been either lucky or great during the season. His principal triumph
was the Prix Myosotis Handicap, which he divided from the 31 metres
mark, but with only 7 kills; the famous French shooter, M. Journu, being
in with him from the 29½ metres distance. On January 15th Mr. Roberts
and Mr. C. Robinson (the latter representing America) had won the Prix
H. Grasselli, with a run of eight kills each. This prize is named after
the victor in 1902 and 1905, and should have its amount multiplied by
three in future years, as an honour to the Italian shooter who has
become the first three-times-victor, who also has won twice
consecutively, for, in spite of the penalty distance, he has now won a
third time. Surely where pigeon shooting counts as a proof of
marksmanship he must be held to be the greatest shot in the world. The
triumph of Italy was almost a foregone conclusion when Mr. Cave failed
for England at his eighth bird, but it was not Signor H. Grasselli who
the Italians backed then, but his runner-up last year. This was Signor
Marconcini, who, having killed his eleventh bird without a a miss, went
to the traps with £1,100 and the trophy trembling in the balance against
the life of one pigeon. Nerves were on the side of the latter, which
was, however, an easy bird and feathered by both barrels, but fell dead
just the wrong side of the boundary, which made all the difference to
Signor Marconcini, who was not even amongst the six victors in the end.
The betting at the start was 100 to 7 Mackintosh, 20 to 1 against H.
Grasselli, last year’s victor, and then 25 to 1 was obtained about
Roberts, Robinson, and P. Thellusson. The first named of these three
missed his first bird, and the last named his second. Probably the
betting really indicates the status of the shooters quite as much as the
chances of war and eventual victory, and for that reason it may be added
that 33 to 1 was to be had against Journu, Marconcini, Wilder, Lazzara,
Habite, Moore, Huet, and F. Thellusson, and 50 to 1 each against
Chiannini, Bruce, Moncorge, Hans, Marsh, H. Cave, C. Cave, Webb,
Horadetski and Rosslyn, and 66 to 1 against any others. As there were
175 shooters, it cannot be said that the odds were upon the liberal
side. The strength of the birds and some wind soon settled the chances
of more than three parts of the competitors, but those who had the luck
to get to the last day had no wind to contend with, although the birds
were of the best throughout. Of course the entry was the record, for in
spite of our insular prejudice the event grows in importance. Signor H.
Grasselli won with 19 kills in 20 birds; Signor Bordoni killed 18 out of
20 birds and took second, and Dom Luro, from Brazil, with 16 out of 18
obtained third place. The fourth prize was secured by 15 out of 16 shots
by three shooters, who divided, these were two Italians and one
Frenchman, so that there were four Italian victors out of six. The
fourth men were Signor Chirericati, Signor Schianini, and Count Lazzana.
The victories are now twelve times for England, all but three of them in
the first half of the competitions, twelve for Italy, all but three of
these being the last half of the annual events. Four times Frenchmen
won. Three times Austria and Hungary have taken the trophy. Twice it has
been won by Belgium, and Spain has taken it once, as also has the United
States, which was in the year of its initiation. America, for different
reasons to England (for game driving is unknown there) seems to have
dropped almost out of the competition, although it is probable that the
best pigeon shots are to be found in that country. At any rate, the best
clay-bird shots are, and the ease with which they overthrew the English
team in which Mr. Cave shot a few years ago will hardly be forgotten,
and they did it with one barrel against the English two.