The Club Chairman decreed that shooting would take place on Sunday no matter what the conditions. Thus the Senior Club Championships began in what, to the casual observer, looked like a monsoon. Fortunately there was no wind and the temperature was high; no one froze but the score sheets, in spite of being kept in plastic bags, suffered. The Senior Championships consist of a WA1440 round; three dozen arrows shot at each of four distances – 90/70/50/30m for the Gents and 70/60/50/30m for the ladies.
The Gents Compound Division provided the largest field of the day, with five archers vying for the title. Rhys Moore had dominated the Outdoor season but had looked in danger of losing to Dad David the previous week until Dave got over-excited and put an arrow into someone else’s target. Pete Mumford was back to shooting full distances after a shoulder injury had limited the poundage he could pull during the season. Ethan Moore was home for a visit and Colin Moore was hoping to cap a decent season with a win.
After the first distance it became obvious that Rhys was going to lift the Trophy and the fight was really for the minor places. With Rhys 21 points clear of his nearest rival, only three points separated Dave, Pete and Ethan, while Colin was a further ten points behind. By the half way stage Rhys was 26 points clear, while Dave had opened up a twenty point lead over Pete. Pete then came back over the 50m distance to lie in joint second with Dave Moore. Pete shot well over the final distance but Dave was just that little bit better and took second place by seven points. Rhys Moore cantered to victory with a 43 point winning margin and a New Club Record into the bargain. Colin Moore finished in last place but added 53 points to his pb for the round. Ethan Moore shot a Bowman equivalent score but had to settle for fourth.
Joy Gough was once again the only Lady Compound archer but she lifted the Trophy in style putting in a season’s best score of 1262.
The Gents Recurve had a field of four, with Championship debutante Alex Parkes joining Dave Berry, Danny Cowin and reigning Champion Josh Trafford. Danny Cowin was looking to lift the Trophy after beating Josh with a season’s best score of 1058 the previous week. Dave Berry was looking to improve his form and Alex Parkes was hoping to get some of his arrows on the target somewhere. Never having shot the round before Alex had no sight marks and was aiming at the trees most of the time to make the distance at 90m. He stuck to it and cheerfully made it through the day to set a personal best score. Dave Berry put in a season’s best score to finish in third place but the fight for the Trophy was always going to be between Josh and Danny. At the end of the 90m distance Josh had a slim 4 point lead. Danny stuck with him over the 70m distance with Josh only able to add one more point to his lead. It looked like it might go down to the wire but as it was, the title was decided at the 50m mark. Josh put in the best distance score he had ever shot at 50m, while Danny’s erratic scoring put him 35 points behind. Danny steadied at the 30m distance but Josh was flying and his final score added 28 points to his pb for the round and broke the old Club Record for the u18’s by 15 points.
The Ladies Recurve division had a field of two with Denyse Hill and Barbara Harris keeping each other company in the rain. Denyse had been unable to shoot for most of the season due to family commitments and had picked up an injury the last time she had shot. Still, it was a day out, albeit a soggy one. Denyse recorded a decent score for her first attempt at the round and was pleased to finish given her lack of practice. Barbara Harris shot solidly, the 70m distance letting her down a bit but still recorded a season’s best score to take the title.
Results Senior Club Championships – Gents Compound – 1. R.Moore 144/1329/70/22NCR, 2. D.Moore 143/1286/54/16, 3. P.Mumford 144/1279/41/14, 4. E.Moore 143/1266/47/15, 5. C.Moore 144/1237/35/10pb. Ladies Compound – J.Gough 142 /1262/51/15. Gents Recurve – 1. J.Trafford 144/1097/18/3pb,NCR, 2. D.Cowin 144/1049/11/3, 3. D. Berry 132/896/12/5, 4. A.Parkes 98/528/6/3pb. Ladies Recurve – 1. B.Harris 143/1058/15/3, 2. D.Hill 121/635/1/1pb.
