National skeet champion Allan Daniel Peoples shot a 117 in the second trials at the Moti Bagh Gun Club in Patiala on Wednesday, but topped the table with an average of 119.75 after the tabulation of the scores (National championship and the two selection trials).
Peoples finished first with a 122 in the qualification phase of the National championship and that kept him ahead after modest scores of 118 and 117 in the two trials in Delhi and Patiala.
Man Singh in second spot
Asian champion Man Singh, who shot a record 149 out of 150 in the Asian shotgun championship in Kuala Lumpur, was in the second spot with an average of 119.5, following scores of 121 in the National championship and an average of 118 from the two trials.
Former National champion Mairaj Ahmad Khan retained his place in the National squad, finishing third among seven shooters with an average of 118.25. He shot 118 and 115 in the trials, but a bronze-winning total of 120 in the National championship helped his cause.
Smit misses out
National championship silver medallist Smit Singh missed a berth by a whisker (0.25 points), literally a solitary bird over three competitions.
He was top class in the first trial with a 122, but a 116 in the second trial coupled with a 117 in the National event (average 118) put paid to his chances.
Parampal Singh Guron, who narrowly missed the Olympic quota in the Asian championship in Doha recently after a 120, finished with an average of 116.5 after shooting a 117 in the second trial.
He shot 116 in the National meet and a 117 in the first trial.
Sheeraj Sheikh (117) and Amrinder Singh Cheema (113.75) finished in that order.
The trap trials will be held on Friday and Saturday after official training on Thursday.
