It was a day of high drama, soaring clay targets, and scorching heat at the Rangers Gun Club Sporting Clays Classic on Sunday, May 4 —but nothing burned brighter than the performance of father-daughter pair Ray and Aliana McMaster. The duo emerged as standout winners at the scenic Tru-Juice Complex in Bog Walk, St. Catherine, where over 130 shooters battled for glory on a challenging course made even tougher by sweltering temperatures and high humidity.
With the sun blazing down, some competitors even took to the river for relief after completing the course. But for the McMasters, the heat was no match for their cool precision.
Ray McMaster got off to a blazing start, nailing all six targets on his opening station and dropping only five birds in total to post a phenomenal score of 95 out of 100. Yet, he remained modest as he awaited the final results, knowing that several elite shooters, including 2023 champion Christian Sasso, had yet to finish.
When the win was finally confirmed, Ray’s joy was unmistakable.
"I'm elated. Very good. It felt very good," he said. "I knew I was shooting well and I figured I would put up a good score, so I was confident to say the least—and it just happened today."
But what made the victory even sweeter was sharing the moment with his daughter, Aliana, who once again proved her class by successfully defending both the Ladies' and Junior titles with a final score of 90.
"Sharing that moment with her is special to me. Many times, it's a norm for her to be the female champion, but she normally shares it with another male champion," he said. "Today, being able to deliver a solid performance and share that champion status with her—it’s just special."
Aliana mirrored her father’s strong start by also hitting all six targets on Station 1. She faced a few bumps on Stations 4 and 5, dropping five of ten targets, but showed grit and skill to sweep the next five stations clean. She eventually dropped five more shots to close out at 90.
"Honestly, I kinda leave the statistics for everybody else to keep up with," she said. "I just set my own personal goals and focus on having fun. Winning will never trump just having fun—and that's really what’s helped me stay consistent and improve in the sport."
Still, the emotional highlight for her came in celebrating with her dad.
"I'm honestly so proud of him. I wasn’t squadding with him today, which is unusual for us, but words really can't describe how special these moments are," she added. "They don’t come around often enough, so I truly appreciate that we can celebrate this together."
After the main event, the action didn’t stop. A shoot-off was required to determine the overall runner-up, with Gregg Chong edging out Todd Lazarus and Ian Banks—each of whom had scored 93.
The excitement continued in the Hunters/Beginner category where Krishna Phillips needed three shoot-off rounds to outlast Ammon Lalwani after both men posted scores of 75.
Meanwhile, Station 4, nicknamed the "Bonus Station," proved treacherous for most—with only Christian Sasso and Todd Lazarus managing to hit all four targets. Lazarus eventually prevailed in their tie-breaker shoot-off and walked away beaming with a bundle of prizes: a barbecue grill, cooler, and knapsack.
Several competitors were promoted in class, while others earned bragging rights as category champions:
B Class: Robin Rickhi – 83
C Class: Zachary Chong – 86
D Class: Max Williams – 89
E Class/Sub-Junior: Rheis McMaster – 81
Proceeds from the event will benefit Food For the Poor, underscoring the shoot’s commitment to giving back.
The event was generously supported by Sterling Asset Management as lead sponsor, with gold sponsors Worthy Park Rum, Stewarts Auto Sales, and STL Solar. Wisynco kept everyone hydrated with Tru-Juice and Wata, while many other sponsors contributed to making the day a resounding success.