Chetcuti slumps to 33rd spot in Zagreb

William Chetcuti's poor show in this year's World Cup series continued yesterday as the Malta Double Trap champion failed to leave his mark in the ISSF championships which are being held in Zagreb, Croatia.

Chetcuti was far off the final cut for the barrage. He was missing out for the fourth time after previous World Cup shoots in China, Egypt and Germany.

Yesterday, he scored a good 45 in his opening round at the Vrapcanski Potok range before hitting lower scores of 40 and 44 for a modest 129. He finished 33rd overall from 57 shooters.

Chetcuti is looking to earn an automatic entry for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. However, his erratic form of late on the international scene could jeopardise his position.

Earlier this year, he finished 13th in Qingyuan and then 16th in Cairo. His best performance came in Suhl where he improved to eighth, two clays away from a place in the barrage.

Chetcuti is now almost certain to be out of the running for a place in October's ISSF World Cup Finals in Grenada, Spain.

Last year, he qualified for the finals in Dubai after a series of remarkable results in World Cup shoots.

In Zagreb, the Malta Shooting Federation had two other competitors in the Trap championship.

Nicky Carabott finished 100th, from an entry of 125, with 107 clays. John J. Aquilina was 116th with 100 hits.