JERICHO, Vt. – The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) New England HP & Games Matches, held September 18-25, 2022, at the Camp Ethan Allen National Guard training site in Vermont, can be described In a word: wet.
Although suffering through one of the harshest weather weeks in the event’s history due to cold temperatures and constant rain, the competitors still managed to deliver outstanding performances on the firing line that included exciting rivalries and record scoring.
The New England Games features CMP’s own exciting lineup of vintage and modern military pistol and rifle competitions. Designed for everyone to enjoy, the events are suitable for those just starting out in the sport of marksmanship and offer fun and tough challenges for more experienced individuals.
In pistol action, CPT Cliffton Allen, 36, of New Port Center, Vt., topped multiple Any Sight events in the Pistol Aggregate Match, claiming the .22 Rimfire and .45 matches on his way to overall victory. of the Pistol 2700. Allen found himself trading places first and second in the pistol events with William Tierney, 72, of Cornish, NH, who ultimately claimed the overall victory in the Center Fire 900 Aggregate.
Leading the Metallic View portion of Addendum 2700 was John Kurek, 72, of Jacksonville, NC
Also finding multiple wins, such as in the .22 Rimfire Pistol EIC Match where he was just two points shy of the current New England Games record, was 33-year-old TSgt Nicolas Poirier of Jericho, Vt.
Other top players in pistol matches included CW3 Cara Krauss, 41, of Bristol, Vt., who not only took first place in the Military and Police Service Pistol Match, but also won the title gun overall.
In the CMP Games rifle events, Brian Williams, 48, of Granby, Massachusetts, who currently holds the New England Games record in multiple events, set another record with a Carabine Match score of 383-6X , surpassing the previous score I had. was set in 2016. Williams also came just two points away from setting a new record at the Modern Military event, although he holds the current record in the match from his 2018 performance.
Maisey Loucks, 28, of Mechanicville, New York, showed great talent in the TU Class of the Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match, recording 579-26X, just three points off the current event record score. Loucks came to the New England Games following her own national record at the Camp Perry National Matches in July, where she captured the High Woman title in the National Carbine Match.
Hard Leg #2 (James Horton, Jack Chomko), who broke the previous record set in 2018 by an x-shot, scoring 397-16X, hit a new New England Games record in the Vintage Sniper Match.
Outside of the Arcade Games Matches, the CMP hosted a series of Highpower matches that included a team event, three days of 800 Aggregate shooting and a climactic 2400 Aggregate. Individuals were recognized for their use of a match or service rifle, scores in each position, and civil or military status.
SSG John Coggshall, 37, of East Hampton, Conn., and PO1 Dean Bates, 42, of King George, Va., each set new aggregate record scores of 2400. Coggshall scored 2370-100X in the part of the Service Rifle, while Bates achieved 2343-73X in the Match Rifle category.
SSG Verne Conant, 26, of Cataula, Ga., broke an EIC Match record for count x and racked up a score of 497-26X in his impressive victory. The best competitors in the match earned EIC (Excellence in Competition) points toward a Distinguished Badge, including two junior athletes: Jack Marshall, 20, of Woburn, Mass., and Shannon Moriarty, 14, of Great Mills, Md. Marshall finished the match fourth overall when Moriarty landed just behind him in fifth.
Overall Winners of the 2022 New England CMP Games and HP Rifle Matches:
All pistol events:
EIC M9 pistol: Nathan Zajac, 42, Northampton, MA – 261-2X
.22 Rimfire 900 Added Any View: CPT Cliffton Allen, 36, New Port Center, VT – 866-25X
.22 Rimfire 900 Metal Sight added: TSgt Nicolas Poirier, 33, Jericho, VT – 843-24X
Center Fire 900 Added Any View: William Tierney, 72, Cornish, New Hampshire – 843-28X
Added metal sight Center Fire 900: CSM Paul Edwards, 58, South Burlington, VT – 719-7X
.45 Pistol 900 Added Any Scope: CPT Cliffton Allen, 36, New Port Center, VT – 835-18X
.45 Pistol 900 Metal Sight added: TSgt Nicolas Poirier, 33, Jericho, VT – 813-14X
Pistol 2700 Added Any Scope: CPT Cliffton Allen, 36, New Port Center, VT – 2537-61X
Pistol 2700 metal sight added: John Kurek, 72, Jacksonville, North Carolina – 2047-11X
.22 EIC Rimfire Pistol: TSgt Nicolas Poirier, 33, Jericho, VT – 286-10X
Pistol as issued in 1911: SFC Dwayne Lewis, 56, Greenville, SC – 364-7X
Military and police service pistol: CW3 Cara Krauss, 41, Bristol, VT – 369-8X
EIC Gun: William Tierney, 72, Cornwall, New Hampshire – 283-6X
Games Rifle Events:
EIC M16 rifle: Rebecca Harrington, 26, Needham, MA – 380-2X
Juan C. Garand: Michael Speary, 48, Cortland, New York – 286-7X
Springfield: Christopher Corning, 40, Northwood, NH – 284-12X
Former Military: Brian Williams, 48, Granby, MA – 287-3X
Modern Military: Brian Williams, 48, Granby, MA – 294-9X
Added three/four guns: Michael Speary, 48, Cortland, NY – 847-17X (Three), 1126-21X (Four)
Carbine: Brian Williams, 48, Granby, MA – 383-6X
Rimfire sporting rifle: Bruce Baroffio, 64, Northfield, VT – 566-16X (Class O); Brian Williams – 591-30X (T-Class); Maisey Loucks, 28, Mechanicville, NY – 579-26X (Class TU)
Vintage sniper manual equipment: Hard Leg #2 (James Horton, Jack Chomko) – 397-16X
HP Rifle Events:
Added Service Rifle 2400 Overall: SSG John Coggshall, 37 East Hampton, CT – 2370-100X
General Aggregate Match Rifle 2400: PO1 Dean Bates, 42, King George, VA – 2343-73X
EIC rifle: SSG Verne Conant, 26, Cataula, GA – 497-26X
4-man team: Hammer Time (CDR Thomas Lowry, MAJ Ian Swisher, Christopher Leonard, Brian Williams) – 1951-64X
Find a complete list of results on the CMP Competition Tracker page at https://ct.thecmp.org/2022NEGamesResults. Photos from the event can be viewed and downloaded for free at https://cmp1.zenfolio.com/f34794755.
The Civilian Aim Program is a federally chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. It is dedicated to firearms safety and marksmanship training and the promotion of competitive marksmanship for United States citizens. For more information about the CMP and its programs, log on to www.TheCMP.org.
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