Shawn Murphy has found himself atop the pistol podium with his win at the world sixgun championships, held in Banks, Ore., last month.
The 51-year-old Langley resident, who has only been competing in fast draw for three years, edged out former all-around titleholder Jon “Trickshot” Wilson by a scant thousandths of a second which, in the World Fast Draw Association, is all it takes to win.
Prior to this event, Murphy placed sixth overall at the Aldergrove Fair Days’ World Index Fast Draw Championships in July.
Murphy is a member of the Thunderbird Fast Draw Club (www.thunderbirdfastdraw.com) whose members practise drawing single-action revolvers while firing wax bullets or blank ammo at varied targets on Friday nights at the Langley Rod and Gun Club in Brookswood.
Bears, Falcons deadlock
The North Langley Bears battled to a 16-16 tie with the Abbotsford Falcons on Saturday afternoon, in a back-and-forth bantam football contest that saw the six lead changes.
The Falcons scored first when ex-Bear Charlie May’s opening kickoff bounced into the end zone for a single point.
The Bears responded immediately.
A six-play North Langley drive was capped by a one-yard Evan Rees run for the touchdown.
The Falcons rallied with a converted touchdown of their own in the second quarter but once again, the Bears answered back when quarterback Nick Lacroix ran the ball into the end-zone on a one yard scramble.
The Falcons went ahead 15-13 early in the third quarter but a 15-yard field goal by Bears kicker David Wegert put the Bears ahead 16-15.
When Abbotsford drove to the Bears’ 21-yard line late in the game, it looked like the Falcons would go ahead for good but Ryan Taylor partially blocked May’s field goal attempt and the Falcons had to settle for a game-tying single point.
Rees and Pablo Wigwigan each ran for 114 yards and Lacroix added 20 more to lead the Bears offence.
Connor Hurley and K’Paw Shee Htoo each had interceptions with Hurley also recovering a fumble for the Bears defence.
