PORTLAND COTTAGE, Clarendon — Geoffrey Ziadie and Aliana McMaster delivered commanding performances to emerge as the standout competitors at the Jackson Bay Sporting Clay Tournament, outlasting a field of more than 100 of the island’s top shooters to claim the event’s most coveted honors.
Ziadie secured the Highest Overall (HOA) title, while McMaster captured the Ladies championship, as the Jamaica Skeet Club launched its sporting clay calendar with a fiercely contested opener last Sunday at its Portland Cottage base.
Three-way deadlock forces high-pressure shoot-off
Victory did not come easily for either champion. At the end of the regulation 100-bird course, Ziadie, McMaster, and Peter Mahfood were locked together on identical scores of 92, forcing a three-way shoot-off to determine the overall winner.
The pressure intensified as the trio faced eight additional targets. Mahfood was first to exit after breaking four birds, earning the runner-up position. McMaster followed with three hits, leaving the stage set for Ziadie.
Displaying poise and precision, the seasoned shooter delivered a decisive performance, smashing six of eight targets to clinch the HOA title and the day’s ultimate bragging rights.
Ziadie credits mindset over mileage
Fresh off a strong 2025 season that included winning the AA Class at the Jack Links Cup in the United States, Ziadie credited mental preparation rather than volume practice for his success.
“(I) felt really good today. Coming out of no shooting for some time since Bird Season last year, I shot one tournament in Christmas before the hamper. I did well. I think I was first place. I missed the other one after that, and starting the year fresh, was a really good feeling. I’ve been doing some mental training and some visualization with my coach Kaleel Azan and it just worked out great. Not much practice but understanding what targets are doing and mentally focusing to shoot and today was my day.
“I came out on top, tied with three other people. Went into a shoot-off, and I end up being successful, shooting six out of eight, so I felt very comfortable about today, especially shooting with the youngsters. The shoot-off was between two guys, two people, a lady and a gentleman that were under 25 years old. And at 57, I’m proud to say that I came out on top.”
McMaster extends her reign across multiple categories
McMaster continued her remarkable dominance, successfully defending three titles on the day, A Class, Ladies, and Juniors, marking her third consecutive hold on those honors.
Grateful yet reflective, she acknowledged both the challenges and the growth that shaped her performance.
“I’m so grateful for all of the titles since that I’ve been able to defend and maintain. I’m very grateful for just the opportunity to come out here and compete and then just being able to come out on top. Additionally, there were some challenges that I did face on the course.
“However, I’m not really frustrated with myself that they did end up affecting me in the end. I just understand that that was a process that happened and I gladly accept everything that has happened and I’m honestly like just happy to even just be here and participating and just being able to compete at the level where I could have been HOA.
“So I’m grateful for Juniors first, grateful for A-Class first, and I’m grateful for Ladies first.”
Additional shoot-offs decide class honors
The competitive edge extended beyond the headline categories, with two additional shoot-offs required to determine class champions.
In B Class, Rory Wilson edged Brian Kong after both posted scores of 87, with Wilson breaking five targets to Kong’s four. D Class also went to a shoot-off, where Denzil Dixon prevailed with four hits over Rheis McMaster after both shooters finished regulation tied on 83.
Class results highlight depth of competition
Top three finishers by category:
- A Class: Aliana McMaster 92; Chad Ziadie 90 (2nd); Roman Tavares-Finson 90 (3rd, long run)
- B Class: Rory Wilson 87 (1st, shoot-off); Brian Kong 87 (2nd, shoot-off); Adam Vaz 85
- C Class: Max Williams 86; Zaniel Knight 84 (2nd, long run); Sean Clacken 84 (3rd, long run)
- D Class: Denzil Wilson 83 (1st, shoot-off); Rheis McMaster 83 (2nd, shoot-off); Nick Dawson 82
- E Class: Stephen Silvera 79; Kevin Chin Shue 78; Rueben Carillo 77
- Hunters/Beginners: Perrin Gayle 79; Jude Bernard 73; Liam Samuda 72
- Ladies: Aliana McMaster 92; Wendy McMaster 79; Danica Williams 76
- Juniors: Aliana McMaster 92; Cameron Lee 80; Adam Clacken 66
- Sub Juniors: Rheis McMaster 83; Danica Williams 76; Liam Samuda 72
Club president praises community impact
Jamaica Skeet Club president Sean Clacken expressed satisfaction with both the competition and the club’s continued outreach efforts.
“Extremely happy, very, very happy. Couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Clacken emphasized the club’s commitment to supporting its surrounding community.
“Well, every year we try to raise funds towards the Portland Cottage Primary School and we meet with them every year, try to see how it is we can help and we put together contributions to try and meet those needs. We’re a hunting club. We live in a community and operate in a community and we must be part of the community, so we’ve always believed that we must help out.”
Clacken also credited the success of the event to the backing of title sponsors MailPac and Proforma Mega Marketing, along with platinum sponsors Levy Cheeks S&G Road Surfacing, RELMAC, Murrays Fish and Jerk, and the Jamaica Skeet Club, among others.
