Introduction

The following rules are applicable to all UTNZ Inc. managed qualifying events held throughout New Zealand. They may also be applied to any other Universal Trench event at a clubs discretion, as ‘club rules’ supplementary to NZCTA approved rules. The following rules are not NZCTA approved rules, and are supplementary to NZCTA rules for Universal Trench. The NZCTA Rule Book (authorised by NZCTA Council February 2014, Updated April 2021) forms the basis for which these Universal Trench rules supplement.

The following Handicap rules may be applied to Universal Trench or Ball Trap matches with total match targets of 50 or 150.

Handicapping for Universal Trench and Ball Trap events

1.1 Handicap ‘targets in’ is to be based on a percentage bracket range system, and shall be determined by taking the higher of the most recent two rule off percentages for Universal Trench from their NZCTA Handicap book.

Basic NZCTA grade percentages for Universal Trench (updated Aug 2021)

AA grade - 93% and above

A grade - 87% and below 93%
B grade - 80% and below 87%
C grade - less than 80%

Bracket - rule off percentage                        targets in         targets in
I bracket (AA1) - 95.5% and above               0 over 50       (1 over 150)    
II bracket (AA2) - 93% and below 95.5%       0 over 50       (2 over 150)
III bracket (A1) - 90% and below 93%           1 over 50       (3 over 150)
VI bracket (A2) - 87% and below 90%           2 over 50       (6 over 150)
XII bracket (B1) - 83.5% and below 87%        4 over 50       (12 over 150)    
XVIII bracket (B2) - 80% and below 83.5%      6 over 50       (18 over 150)
XXIV bracket (C1) - 74% and below 80%        8 over 50       (24 over 150)

XXX bracket (C2) - below 74%                     10 over 50      (30 over 150)    

1.2 Movement from this ‘bracket’ will be established from shooting Universal Trench targets only, for percentage rule off movements. (Percentage movements will be applicable to both UTNZ Inc. Universal Trench and Ball Trap matches) Earned ‘handicap by placing’ movements shall only be earned at UTNZ Inc. managed qualifying tournaments, and shall only be applicable to the discipline in which they were earned.

a) Handicap by percentage will be established at each percentage rule off of Universal Trench targets in a shooters NZCTA handicap book. The number of targets shot to be re-bracketed up shall be 200, and the number of targets shot to be re-bracketed down shall be 400. (As per NZCTA rule 3-01 (h) rule offs shall occur at the conclusion of a match, not necessarily the end of a day.)

b) Earned handicap by placing. (Earned handicap by placing movements will be applicable to all UTNZ Inc. Handicap matches, and may only be earned and applied in the their respective disciplines). A first placing at a UTNZ Inc. managed qualifying event shall incur a 2 bracket upward movement in that discipline. A second or third placing shall incur a single bracket upward movement.

c) Penalties earned via placings (as in b above) are not cumulative with percentage penalties. Only the highest penalty shall apply.

d) A shooter who’s handicap bracket was established as in (b) above with an earned handicap by placing, may be confirmed in that percentage bracket, or re-bracketed upward on the subsequent 200 target percentage rule off. They may only be re-bracketed downward after having competed in at least one subsequent UTNZ Inc. managed qualifying event where that penalty earned via placing has applied, whereafter, the shooters ruled off percentages will apply as per 1.1.

e) As per NZCTA rule 3-02 (k) no shooter who has achieved an A grade bracket can ever go back to a C Grade bracket, for the purposes of these handicapping rules. (This does not preclude NZCTA rule 3-02 (j)). This excludes a shooter who may achieve an A grade ‘bracket’ through earned ‘handicap by placing’ movement (penalty for winning a UTNZ event), where, after the appropriate amount of targets have been shot for a downward movement, they shall be re-bracketed to their ‘handicap by percentage’ bracket. (Which may be a C bracket)

1.3 Shooters attending a handicap event without a rule off in Universal Trench targets shall be have a handicap bracket established in one of the following ways:

a) If that shooter has shot at least 100 registered Universal Trench targets, a temporary percentage calculation shall be carried out on that number to bracket the shooter for that event. Subsequently, at the end of the event a rule off will be carried out, and that percentage rule off will establish the shooters handicap bracket. The temporary percentage will hold no bearing against the official rule off. i.e 400 targets are not required for a downward movement if that is the case, the percentage rule off will instantly determine that shooters starting earned handicap bracket.

b) A shooter who has less than 100 registered Universal Trench targets in their NZCTA handicap book, but with experience in other clay target disciplines, will be graded according to NZCTA rule 3-24 ‘Starting Grade for Experienced Shooters’.

(i) NZCTA rule 3-24 ‘If a shooter has attained AA or A grade in any discipline, their starting grade in any new discipline is to be one grade lower than the highest grade achieved. Starting percentage for the new discipline is to be equal to the lowest percentage for the new grade, in the new discipline. If the shooter’s highest grade in any other discipline is B or under, new shooter rules for that discipline will apply.’

(ii) AA shall apply, and AA in any other discipline will determine A grade as the starting grade for Universal Trench.

(iii) Shooters establishing a handicap by this rule shall enter at the lower of the grade brackets, given their base percentage will be the base of that grade. i.e a AA DTL shooter shall enter Universal Trench as an A grade shooter, and as an A2 (VI bracket) competitor given their starting percentage would be 87%. An A grade sporting shooter, shall enter Universal Trench as a B grade shooter with starting percentage of 80%, and therefore as a B2 (XVIII bracket) competitor.

c) A new shooter who doesn’t comply with (a) or (b) above shall be placed in C2 (XXX bracket), and shall be given a starting percentage of 74%.

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d) From 1st January 2020, a new Universal Trench shooters ISSF Trap grade will have no relevance to UT. (During 2019, if a new Universal Trench shooter had an ISSF Trap rule off, that ISSF grade would be their starting grade for Universal Trench, rather than 1.3 (b) applying.)