Keen to show that it had more up it’s sleeve than challenging wind conditions, Ronaldsway conjured up a plethora of meteorological tricks for the benefit of the Isle of Man Archery Club last Sunday. Its leitmotif was one of oppressive mugginess which was not lessened by frequent showers . At times the skies cleared and the sun glared down upon the archers who gratefully removed waterproofs only to scramble hastily back into them as the next heavy shower hit. Against this backdrop the archers attempted a York/Hereford round as part of the Club’s Handicap league.
The York round shot by the men consists of 6 dozen arrows at 100yds, 4 dozen arrows at 80yds and 2 dozen at 60yds. The women shoot the equivalent Hereford round, with the same arrow spread at 80, 60 and 50yds respectively. The round was shot under handicap rules which meant the final totals were adjusted according to the individual archer’s handicap to produce the overall result. This allows recurve and compound archers of all ages and both sexes to shoot against each other.
There was a good turnout for the shoot and all but one of the archers achieved personal best scores. With changeable weather, sunshine sending the arrows higher on the target and heavy rain forcing them lower, this was no mean feat. Many club members were attempting the York/Hereford for the first time. The male recurve archers Rob Lott and Matt Smith found the 100yd distance particularly difficult but both men enjoyed the challenge. Pete Mumford continued his run of fine form by adding 42 points to his pb . Kirsten George added 26 points to her personal best .
Recurve archers Karen Lott and Barbara Harris were both attempting the 80yd distance for the first time. Both women surprised themselves by only recording a couple of misses each at the distance. Compound archer, Team GB member and Sportswoman of the Year Aalin George had no difficulty with the round as usual effortlessly recording the highest unadjusted total of the day.
The weather deteriorated into heavy rain but as this coincided with the lunch break no-one much cared. After lunch the skies cleared, the sun shone and the wind put in an appearance in the form of odd gusts at the worst possible moments. Rhys Moore and Bradley Layton arrived in the afternoon session. Moore shot a Long National and Layton a Short National with the latter adding 22 points to his pb for that round. The thunderstorms predicted for tea time failed to appear and the archers finished the day warm and dry.
Results York/Hereford Handicap: 1: Matt Smith 1630 (124 610 13) pb, 2: Dave Moore 1478 (141 1013 60) pb, 3: Karen Lott 1463 (142 803 22) pb, 4: Colin Moore 1437 (144 1050 48) pb, 5: Kirsten George 1431 (144 1186 89) pb, 6: Aalin George 1430 (144 1266 130), 7: Pete Mumford 1418 (144 1146 78) pb, 9: Rob Lott 1372 (90 382 6) pb, 10: Billy Lightfoot 1365 (144 940 37) pb, B. Harris 1365 (141 877 23) pb.
This Sunday is the Senior Club Championships. Field set up at 9:30 for a 10:30 start.
