Vella wins silver, Malta team first in Skeet event

The Malta Shooting Federation yesterday savoured another positive result in international competition after Darren Vella won a silver medal in the skeet event and the men's team claimed first place at the European Commonwealth Championships, currently being held at the Bidnija ranges.

In Wednesday's opening session, Vella put himself in a strong position for a podium place after finishing third with 68 from 75 clays, just two behind Welsh front-runners Malcolm Allen and Julian Jeremy.

In the final two rounds, Vella hit a solid 46 to qualify for the final barrage as joint-second with Jeremy, both having a total of 114 points. Allen retained top spot with 117 points.

The other three shooters securing a place in the barrage were Clive Farrugia (107), Northern Ireland's Alec Bechanan (107) and Jason Sciberras (106).

In the barrage, Allen maintained his fine form, hitting an impressive 24 to seal his success with a total of 141.

The fight for the silver medal was a tight affair with Vella showing commendable mental strength when taking second spot with a tally of 136, one clay better than the Welshman who had to settle for bronze. Farrugia (130) finished fourth ahead of Sciberras (127) who took fifth place after winning a shoot-off with Bechanan.

In the team competition, the Maltese outfit, composed of Farrugia, Vella, Sciberras and Max Fenech, preserved their overnight lead over the Welsh to finish with a six-clay advantage on 430 points.

The Commonwealth Championships resume tomorrow with the opening rounds of the Trap competition.

Other results

Pairs event: 1. Wales (J. Jeremy, M. Allen) 231; 2. Malta (D. Vella, C. Farrugia) 221; 3. Malta B (S. Attard, R. Mula) 212.

Best foreign shooters: 1. M. Allen (Wales) 117; 2. J. Jeremy (Wales) 114; 3. A. Bechanan (N. Ireland) 107.