THE double trap pairing of Tim Kneale and Jake Keeling finished their pairs competition at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi yesterday (Wednesday) in a frustrating fifth position.
Lying joint third with the Australians after the first round, the pair continued to shoot consistent scores through the second and final 50 clays.
The Australians eventually edged the Manx duo by just one clay, but both teams were overtaken by the Malaysians who finished very strongly to take the bronze by two clays. England took the gold and India the silver.
Tim Kneale said: "It's frustrating. I shot two average rounds. I feel as if I've let Jake down a bit – he shot really well. I'm keen to get going again tomorrow (Thursday) now."
The shooting was of an exceptional standard at the Dr. Karni Singh Range. Indeed the score the Manx pair attained yesterday would have won the silver medal in Melbourne - a fact that was not lost on Tim.
"The standard of shooting today was like a World Cup and the Individual will be exactly the same. We know what we've got to do."
Team manager Phil Ward said: "The lads shot well, but they were hoping for better.
"To finish within three clays of a medal just underlines how high the standard is. I'm looking forward to them putting in a good performance tomorrow."
