The Atlantic Championship Matches are hosted by PEI, NS and NB in that order.
The matches are held annually over the Labor Day weekend. The first match, Lady’s Slipper, is held on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 1:00 pm. On Sunday morning, the Herring Choker Match is held; Sunday afternoon the Bluenose Match is held. The fourth match, the Down East, is held on Monday morning, Labor Day. A corn boil is traditionally held on Sunday evening.
The first three matches are two sighters and ten on score from 300, 500, and 600 yards (m). The Down East match consists of two sighters and fifteen rounds on score from 300 and 600 yards (m). Sighters are convertible.
A Match Committee consisting of one representative from each of the provinces will be appointed by the host province; the host representative is the chairman of the committee.
A Team Match is usually held during the Bluenose Match, Sunday afternoon. The Match Director prior to the beginning of the Match will record the names of the team of four shooters from each province forming a Team. The Team Trophy has been lost many years ago and that, coupled with the dwindled number of shooters, has led to a reduced interest in the Team Match. Sometimes it is still fired to establish bragging rights.
Badges are awarded to the Top Ten shooters from the Atlantic Provinces. If a shooter from outside the Atlantic area places within the Top Ten, they are awarded a separate badge. Prizes are awarded to the winner of each match. Prizes are also awarded to the winner and runner-up in the Grand Aggregate. Each shooter is expected to bring a prize of approximately $5.00 in value for the Prize of a Kind draw during presentations.
The Championship Trophies, upon completion of the Match awards, should be transferred to the Chairman of the Fullbore Section of the PRA which will be the host province in the following year and will have the current year’s engraving completed. Any shooter who wishes to take the trophy that they have won must post a $100 bond.
Entry fees for Junior shooters one-half those of Seniors. The host province looks after all expenses and takes this into account as well as the number of shooters expected to attend in arriving at the entry fees for the weekend. The objective is not to make money from the event, but to come as close as possible to breaking even on the finances. For instance, entry fees in 1989 were $32.00 (PEI); in 1996 they were $60.00 (NS); in 1998 they were $50.00 (PEI) and in 1999 they were $60.00 (NS).