Tuesday evening.

As we, the ITOs, gathered in the bar at the hotel this evening, the general consensus was that this had been "one helluva day".

It all started so hopefully - with a clear light, a light breeze and the air not quite so warm. However, by late morning, we were in deep trouble. Targets started to fail in increasing numbers, going down like ninepins or like the maple leaves now coming down in the Fall in Canada.

To cut a long story short, we ended up having to fire a partial third relay to catch up on the legacy of target breakdowns and shooters' protests. We finally got away from the range, in pitch darkness, just before 7 pm, getting back here after 8 pm, and immediately taking those life saving swigs of Kingfisher beer. The drive back was relatively uneventful - we had our normal police escort (not the Bren gun) who got us through the heavy traffic without too many heart-stopping moments. The staff at the hotel thought that this might be our last night, so they gave us a special drink and dessert. We could hardly tell them that we'll all be back tomorrow!

It took a little while to sort out the day's results, and there may still be protests in the morning. However, this is where things are now.

Pairs: 1. Australia 446-48; 2. New Zealand 445.45; 3. Canada 444.42; 4. Scotland 443.40; 5. Wales 442.43; 6. England 442.40. All very close, and with 15 (we hope) rounds at 1000 (we hope) yards tomorrow, much may happen.

Individual: 1. Jim Corbett, AUS, 326.37; 2. Geoff Grenfell, AUS, 326.28; 3. David Calvert NIR, 325.34; 4. Petrus Haasbroek, RSA, 325.29; 5. Mike Collings, NZ, 325.27; 6. Ross McQuillan, NIR, 324.31. Jim Paton slipped a little today and is now 13th with 321.30. Des Vamplew, still paying for that very expensive cross-fire, is 30th with 308.27.

Tomorrow, all being well, will see the final stages of the Pairs and Individual, followed by the presentation of medals.

Last night, after I'd packed it in, Des sent me his comments on Monday. I'll paste them into yesterday's notes. Nothing from him tonight yet, so I'll add what comes tomorrow.