Thurtell, along with fellow club members Wendy Moon and Steve Southwell, were among 20 shooters selected for the Australian squad, to compete in the World Long Range Palma World Titles in Brisbane next year.

“Wingham Rifle Club has never in the history of the club had a shooting member on an Australian Target Rifle Team for the Palma event, so to have three is a fantastic achievement for a small country club,” Moon said.

While the club is only small, Thurtell said it is arguably the strongest club in Australia.

“It’s coincidental that some of Australia’s best shooters just happen to be living in the same area. I guess the club is going through a bit of a golden era now, with three or four Australian players in the A grade team,” Thurtell said.

The trio underwent a rigorous testing process and extensive physical and mental training during the last 12 months of trials, as four selectors sifted through thousands of groups before putting together a team of Australia’s 20 best shooters. The final squad to compete will be reduced to 18, later this year.

“It’s probably the biggest international long-range shooting competition,” he said.

Thurtell, whose father used to compete, has been involved with rifles since he was a kid.

He said he had been training in preparation for selection.

“I’ve been working hard for a couple of years towards the selections, so I knew I had a chance of being seriously considered for the team.”

First shot in 1876, the Palma match is the Olympics of target rifle shooting and takes place every four years at different venues around the world.

Teams are sent from Germany, England, the US, UK, South Africa, and New Zealand to compete.

- Chloe Raines