Tamworth shooter Clive Barton was the standout performer on Day 2 of the 2011 Oceania Championships with a strong performance to win the men’s skeet at the Sydney International Shooting Centre.

It was another successful day for the Australian team as it qualified four more quota places for the 2012 London Olympic Games to take its overall tally to 11 athletes who will board the plane next year.

It was 2000 Sydney Olympic Games representative Barton that shone however as he held on for a one target victory in the men’s skeet.

With two Olympic quotas available in the discipline, Barton led the field into the second day of the competition and shot rounds of 25 and 22 this morning to record a qualifying score of 118.

Barton, 40, led Keith Ferguson (Longford, VIC) by one target moving into the 25 target final, while the best placed New Zealander, Grant Taylor was a further three targets back in fourth place.

In the final Barton, who is currently ranked one in Australia, held his nerve over the closing stages to edge out Ferguson and 19-year-old Paul Adams (Brisbane, Australia) by a single target on an overall score of 141.

Adams secured second place after a shoot-off win over Ferguson, with the result allowing Australia to win both the quota places on offer in the men’s skeet.

Barton said it was a relief that the result had gone their way today.

“It was a great result for the team today and I good result for myself as well,” Barton said. “It was a reasonable score but the Kiwis pushed us all the way and I’m just glad we got out in front of them.

“Grant Taylor really hung in there today and it was good to get on top of him near the end, because he really gave us a run for our money.

“It’s a weight off the shoulders getting Oceania out the way now and winning both those quotas. It’s just one little brick in the wall that we don’t have to build.”

In other results on the second day of competition Will Godward won his second consecutive rifle event of the week, taking out the men’s 50m rifle 3 position.

Godward, who had won the men’s 10m air rifle on Monday, was ineligible to win another Olympic quota for Australia, leaving second placed Chris Gulvin (Perth, WA) to secure the place for Australia for next year.

Godward finished on a total of 1243.3, while Gulvin was six points further back in second place and Dane Sampson (Arana Hills, QLD) third on a total of 1229.1.

Bruce Quick (Shepparton, VIC) took out the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol ahead of David Chapman (Aberfoyle Park, SA) with a strong final.

Quick, who has competed at the past two Olympic Games, secured Australia’s fourth Olympic quota place of the day.

Australia after two days of competition has now secured seven quota places for London from a possible eight, and will have the chance to earn a further seven over the final two days.

Australia qualified 16 shooters for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and is on track to equal or eclipse that mark next year.

Australia’s only medallist from Beijing, Warren Potent (Currans Hill, NSW), will headline the action on Day 3 (Wednesday 30 November) as he aims to win a quota for Australia in the men’s 50m rifle prone.

The Olympic bronze medallist will headline the Australian team that has the chance to win two quotas in the rifle prone, while Australia’s women’s rifle 3 position team will shoot for one quota tomorrow.

In other action on the penultimate day of competition, 2004 Olympic gold medallist Suzy Balogh (Sydney, NSW), Laetisha Scanlan (Berwick, VIC) and Catherine Skinner (Mansfield, VIC) will chase a quota in the women’s trap, while the first day of the men’s trap will also be held with Australia still capable of winning a further quota in this discipline.

Australian International Shooting Ltd