Chetcuti second in Belgrade

William Chetcuti was one clay away from winning the European Junior Championship yesterday after finishing second in a high-profile Double Trap shoot, held in Belgrade, Serbia.

Chetcuti made it to the final with 138 clays from 150 after rounds of 46, 45 and 47. At that point he was four clays behind the leading shooter who was representing Germany.

In the barrage, Chetcuti smashed another 47 clays to narrow the gap with the other contender for gold. The latter, however, just made it to the highest step on the podium with a score of 44 for an overall 186 to Chetcuti's 185.

This has been a hectic period for Chetcuti in competitions outside our shores. In June he won a GSSE gold medal in Andorra and a few weeks ago he was third in the Mediterranean Games in Almeria, Spain. Chetcuti's next assignment on the international scene will again be in Belgrade. On Wednesday he will shoot in World Cup Double Trap event.

Other shooters who took part in the European Championships yesterday were Anthony Bugeja, Stanley Cardona and Nicky Carabott, in Trap, and Jason Sciberras in Skeet.