2018 Winter Archery UK MagazineCover

Official magazine of Archery GB

Cover teasers

Why you should try: Flight, longbow, barebow. Have-a-go sessions: Tips and advice. New look: Our latest plans for 2019. Inside: Our great Christmas gift guide. Inside: Sign up for our free photography masterclass with Dean Alberga.

Cover photo credits:

Title: Hannah Mason.Picture: Courtesy of Riverside Archers.

Editor's letter

Welcome.

Christmas is on its way. It's been a fantastic, glorious, summer and autumn, but now it's time to look forward. So what do we have lined up?

In this issue we take a last look at the outdoor season's achievements, highlight your stories, celebrate your anniversaries, and help you start to plan for 2019. We have the dates for all our major tournaments, tips on how to make the most of your have-a-go sessions (with the latest guidelines) and we explore the coach-athlete relationship.

But that is not all. We are planning a new look for Archery UK and want you to get involved. Find out how in the 'all change' news article. And we are running another photography masterclass with Dean Alberga, plus a news writing masterclass, in March. Find out how to sign up in the 'photography masterclass' section.

All that's left now is for me to wish you a very happy Christmas, a wonderful new year and a fruitful indoor season. See you in the spring.

Good shooting.

Jane PercivalEditor

Contents

4 News12 Photography masterclass12 Have-a-go sessions17 More than just a sport: Invictus games19 Disabilities21 Archers' Stories22 Juniors24 Field26 Sport: Pathway27 Sport: Participation31 Sport: Performance33 Tournaments38 Experts42 Mailbag45 Your pictures48 Christmas gift guide: including Competition for HM Archery targets59 News Extra

60 Archery GB61 Records and achievements86 And finally87 Sponsors

Separate documents

2018 Winter Tournament Diary: Archery UK Magazine2018 Winter Directory: Archery UK Magazine

Production information

Publisher

Produced on behalf of Archery GB by: TRMG Ltd, 1 Forum Place, Hatfield, Herts AL10 0RN. Tel: 01707 273 999. TRMG web site: www.trmg.co.uk .

Publishing Director: Jon Fellows. Operations Director: Andrew Stevens. Head of Production: Charles Dragazis. Project Manager: Stefan Glosby. Design: Andrew Pollard. Senior Commercial Manager: Steve Chambers.

Disclaimer

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the organisers Archery GB and the publishers TRMG cannot accept liability for any statement or error contained herein © 2018.

Printing

The paper used for printing this magazine has been sourced from sustainably managed forests in accordance with the ISO 14001 and EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) standards, which are internationally recognised and externally audited integrated environmental management systems.

Published for:

Archery GB, Lilleshall National Sports & Conferencing Centre, Newport, Shropshire TF10 9AT. Tel: 01952 677888. AGB web site: www.archerygb.org . Email: magazine@archerygb.org. See also the Directory document for individual staff contact details.

Correspondence

Correspondence with regard to Archery UK including mailing list queries and enquiries about advertising, should be addressed to Archery GB at the address above.

Copy deadline for the spring edition:

12 February 2019.

AGB disclaimer

Archery UK is the Official Magazine of Archery GB and is read by all members. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, however caused. Letters, articles and features do not necessarily represent the opinion of Archery GB.

The decision whether or not to include material submitted for inclusion (whether advertising or otherwise) shall be entirely at the discretion of the Editor and/or the Marketing Manager. No responsibility can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork, editorial or advertising material in transmission or with the publishers or their agents, although every care will be taken to ensure safe return of items requested to be returned.

© 2018 Archery GB

News

We did it: Deer Park gets its clubhouse

It has taken four years and grants totalling more than £290,000 but Deer Park Archers finally has its new clubhouse.

The club began at a Girlguiding activity centre more than 20 years ago, mainly offering have-a-go sessions to Guides and Brownies. As interest grew, so did the pressure on space and it moved to a temporary home four years ago.

Within 12 months it had its own ground and, helped by Sport England and the Environmental Trust, installed storage, services, playing surface drainage and a covered shooting area. Now it has its own clubhouse and training centre with access ramps and paving.

Deer Park has achieved all three ontarget specialisms: Performance, Young People and Community and now has a membership of more than 200. It has won a string of awards, counts two World champions, three European champions and multiple British champions among its members and supports three satellite clubs and a school games programme across Gloucestershire.

Head coach Steph Gill said: "These are exciting times for the club but also for our sport with our Governing Body committed to so much change over the coming years. As a club and as a county we are well placed to fully engage and contribute to their and our own success.

"As a club we are committed to doing our best to make every activity a quality experience. That may or may not generate future champions but it will ensure the club will continue to thrive."

And to add to the good news, Steph and Dan Gill have just been named coaches of the year at the Gloucestershire Sports Media Awards.

Save the date: Big Weekend

The Archery Big Weekend is back for 2019 and this time it will happen on 17, 18 and 19 May.

This year's event was a huge success, putting clubs at the centre of their communities and introducing thousands of people to our wonderful sport. Keep an eye on the Big Weekend web page for more details; and make sure you save the date.

What’s in a number?

Is it 40 years or 70? Nobody at Kirby Muxlow Archery Club is quite sure which anniversary they should be celebrating, but they do know one thing: it's time to party.

The club, in its present form, was set up in Leicestershire in 1978. The confusion has arisen from one of its club trophies. It is solid silver and engraved with the first winner's name: Miss P Peckham 1948.

Secretary and coach Lynn Pearson said: "We know the club ran for many years then must have folded at some point, but in 1978 the club was reformed and we still shoot at the same venue of Kirby Muxloe Sports and Village Club."

Whatever the anniversary, members have been busy celebrating and one of the high points was a past and present members' fun shoot. Juniors made special targets, one of the mums made a cake with target colours layers and there was a chance to chat to old friends.

All change: We’re getting a brand new look for 2019

It's time to give Archery UK a new look, and a change of emphasis, for 2019. And we need your help.

We want to put you right at the heart of your magazine. We have some great ideas. We want to make sure there is something for every archer, no matter how old you are, or what you shoot. The focus is going to be firmly on the grass roots of the sport. But we want to hear your ideas too.

That's why we are running a member survey to find out what you like, what you don't and what you want to see. If you want to take part it's simple. Just use this link to access the survey: Ragdoll research AGB magazine survey (http://bit.ly/AGBmag).

If you want to get even more involved, we are looking for regional correspondents. If you want to make sure everyone knows what's going on in your neck of the woods and write regularly for us, get in touch at magazine@archerygb.org. Do you want to see your words or pictures in print or to share your, or your club's, stories? We want to see and hear them so again, please, send them in.

If you are worried about how to write for a magazine or the quality of your pictures, don't be. We have the answer. Check out the news about our new photography and writing masterclasses in the 'photography masterclass' section of this edition. And if you don't bag a place, we are always here to give you any advice you need.

This is your magazine. We want to make it the best it can be. Now just get involved and tell us what you want.

Where longbow meets barebow

It is 25 years since Sherwood Archers decided to run its first longbow and barebow shoot and, since then, the event has turned into a club favourite. We asked Tournament organiser and Club President George Brown to tell us more.

"I was 'volunteered' to the post of Tournament Organiser in 1988. By 1993 I was a confirmed longbowman, so I suggested we include a longbow Albion. That summer was spent marketing it at all the events we went to. The result was a field of 21 longbowmen and two of our members who shot barebow.

"The following year we renamed it the Longbow/Barebow Albion. That resulted in entries from 20 longbows and 10 barebows. Encouraged, we added a Windsor in 1995 and the entries grew again to 12 longbow Albion, eight barebow Albion, six longbow Windsor and five barebow Windsor.

"So it continued until 2009. We had moved to a new field with enough space for a two-way shoot, so we tried a two-way Western with 15 longbow and six barebow entrants. We tried that for three years, then moved back to an Albion two-way. We added a short two-way for juniors, which made the field lay-out very complicated.

"In 2016 we made it a two-way Albion/Windsor for longbow and Barebow, and this is how it will remain. This year we had 19 longbows and 15 barebows, reflecting the increasing popularity of barebow shooting.

"We have a set of trophies with a horn theme. They were gathered from car boot sales and antique fairs. We give commemorative glasses instead of gold medals, awards for best gold of the meeting, worst white wooden spoon, and gold sweep included in the entry fee. 

"All add to the fun of the shoot and this year was the best of my 25 years of organising the Longbow/Barebow."

Share your story

Do you have a story to share? If you do, we want to hear it. Just send it, along with some high-res pictures, to magazine@archerygb.org and we will do our best to get it into a future edition.

Hauntingly good

Help for Heroes and injured serviceman personnel were the big winners when Brixham Archers held its Hallowe'en shoot.

But there was plenty on offer for members too.

They have been holding a series of food shoots for the charity. These have kept them well-fed and were made possible by an ontarget grant which meant they could buy a barbecue, shelter and benches for the events.

The club's coaches have also been working with Endeavour Archers, injured and disabled serviceman and women. In fact, one is developing a harness to allow a one-armed veteran to shoot his bow. The results have been life-changing for the veteran who said the degree of focus archery demands to shoot accurately has helped his PTSD.

It also meant members were delighted when Endeavour archers agreed to be special guests at the shoot, and to accept a cheque for £700 on behalf of Help for Heroes.

The longbow masters: Louise, Simon and William keep it in the family

Simon, Louise and William Thomas have one thing in common. They love their longbows, and they are so dedicated that they have overcome some major obstacles to achieve total mastery.

William, 14, started shooting longbow last year. This year he broke the Bristol 2 round single record national record three times, the double record, and achieved Junior Master Bowman status.

Louise reached Master Bowman in 2017 and has kept it. Simon became a Master Bowman this year.

"That makes us a family of longbow Master Bowmen," said Louise, a member of Hingham Bowmen in Norfolk. "We are all very passionate about our archery. We travel to a lot of different counties for competitions and encourage others to enter too. Archery is a wonderful sport and we have made many friends."

But it has also been a tough year. Simon is waiting for carpel tunnel syndrome surgery while Louise, who has fibromyalgia, is due for a gastroesophageal reflux disease operation. "Both Simon and I are dreading the recuperation,” said Louise. “No archery for up to four weeks. But we shall struggle through and be ready with our bows. And William will still be competing, of course."

1066 and all that? Back to the drawing board for the Normans

The Battle of Hastings. 1066. We all know the outcome, right? Well Jersey Archery Society might just have something to say about that.

Every year it holds a shoot marking the invasion of England by Norman forces. This year it had to be held indoors because of high winds and rain. That was not the only the only thing that did not quite go to plan. Combatants of all disciplines chose allegiance to either Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson or William, Duke of Normandy. And history was rewritten as King Harold’s forces defeated the Norman invaders by 964 points to 925.

Members also took part in 3D field shoot at Dielament Manor in memory of Sid Clements. This year's senior barebow champion is Tony Vardon, the junior trophy went to Mollie Perrett and the longbow title was won by Heath Perrett.

Meet Henry the marvel

Henry Hannant shoots his 45lb longbow come rain or shine. Not unusual, you may think. But Henry is 87 years old and has been shooting since he was 14.

He attends practice at Norwich Company of Archers every week and, according to Chairman Dave Dack, puts people much younger to shame and is one of its most active members.

But that's not enough. Henry is also the chairman of a local model aircraft club, holding displays and regularly entering competitions as well as being a keen Scottish dancer.

"He’s a marvel," said Dave, "and an inspiration."

If you know of any older archers who are still shooting regularly, let us know at magazine@archerygb.org.

50 glorious years

Allington Castle Archers is celebrating its golden jubilee; and it all started when the Saunders family of Maidstone tried archery on holiday.

They could not stop talking about it when they got home and inspired local interest. There was a meeting in a pub, a club was formed and it got permission from Carmelite friars, who ran Allington Castle as a retreat, to shoot in its water meadow.

After a while members started shooting in the Mid Kent League, county and open tournaments. In 1984, they organised a hugely successful double York-Hereford Sir Thomas Wyatt tournament. A few years later, an unofficial splinter group of longbow archers was set up and some of its members went on to win county honours.

In 1990, the friars decided to sell the castle and the club found refuge on a junior school playing field where it continues to flourish.

A special shoot and barbecue are being held at its original home (pictured) to celebrate its 50th anniversary and all members will be given a commemorative badge.

Taking long service to a new level

Northampton Archery Club opened 70 years ago; and for 65 of those years, Peter Bond has been a member.

It all started when the club moved from Northampton Saints rugby ground to Delapré Abbey. Peter lived across the road and was fascinated by the longbows and Accles and Pollock steel bows. He sat outside the gates so often that, eventually, he was invited in.

Since then he has shot with the county target team and represented England at home internationals. He has held several club offices, coached and, after an arson attack in the 1970s, helped it find a new home and grow to more than 70 members. They have included wife Sheila, his son Paul, who just missed out on qualifying for the Olympics, and grandson George.

Recently he was made a life member but ended up in hospital and missed the celebrations.He is now in much better health and has been presented with a silver salver.

Martin's memorial

The Valley Bowmen of Huddersfield paid tribute to member Martin McKenzie at its Longbow Memorial Shoot. Martin's family provided a buffet lunch and donated a special bench. And there was a special Agincourt volley, with the nearest arrow to the gold winning a new trophy, the Martin McKenzie Dish.

Where two worlds collide

Archery and chess both demand focus, tactics and skill. But usually not together. In Kent, things are a little different.

Three years ago Bayeux Bowmen and the Hastings Chess Congress teamed up for an archery chess tournament and it's been going strong ever since.

Opposing chess players each have a team of archers: recurve, compound, longbow and horsebow. The chess player says which piece they want to move and it is up to the archer to hit that piece on a special segmented target face. If the archer misses the face, the next has a go. If the wrong piece is hit, the chess player must then move that piece. You can find more details on the Hastings Chess website: www.hastingschess.com.

Onwards and upwards

It might be new, but Lonsdale Archers is going from strength to strength. It has just celebrated its second anniversary by getting five local grants worth more than £3,000 to develop the club and its junior section and £800 from its new kit sponsors.

The club, which has grown from six to 25 members, runs taster sessions and beginners' courses and has just achieved ontarget Young People specialism status. Its next targets

are the Community and Performance specialisms and it is progressing its Clubmark application through Sport England.

It also runs junior and senior club championships, encourages members to enter regional events and has even held a taster session for Albanian refugee families.

Club Secretary and coach Mark Christie said: "We are absolutely committed to providing the best experience we can."

Photography masterclass: Dean’s back

Get ready to sign up for photography; and writing; masterclasses.

Dean Alberga produces some of our sport's most stunning images. Perhaps best known for his work with World Archery, in 2015 he ran a photography masterclass for our members. The demand for places was overwhelming. The results have been showcased in Archery UK ever since. And we are about to do it again.

Dean has agreed to repeat the masterclass; and we will be running a writing masterclass at the same time. Why? Because we're changing Archery UK next spring. There's going to be a new look and the emphasis is going to be firmly on you: your photographs, your stories, your experiences and how we can help you get the very best out of our sport.

That means we have to make sure you have all the skills you need. There is nobody better equipped than Dean to give you tips and ideas about how to make the most of your archery photographs, as well as some advice on gear.

The news writing masterclasses will focus on structure, style, angles, how to get the best from your stories and how to get them published.

The masterclasses will be free and will take place at Lilleshall next March. Spaces will be strictly limited and it will be first come, first served.

The date has yet to be agreed so keep an eye on Archery GB's Twitter, Facebook and website for details of when the masterclasses will be held and how to book your place.

Have-a-go sessions

Make the most of your have-a-go

Burscough Archers' Rod Flanagan has some practical tips about making your have-a-go a success.

Have-a-go sessions are central to membership development, helping fill beginners' courses which, of course, then feed in the new members. Here are some of the steps Burscough Archers follow to ensure success; plus some of the lessons we have learned.

1. Risk assessment

As a starting point, carry out a broad-brush risk assessment for both the event and the venue. As the planning and implementation phases develop, you will almost certainly need to update this.

2. Choose the day carefully

We almost chose the day of the Grand National for our last event. Check out the local What's On? sites and make sure there's no major event clash.

3. Think about staying under cover

Everyone thinks of have-a-go sessions as outdoor events. They are great fun but they take a lot of planning and the great British weather is nothing if not unpredictable. The alternative is to stay under cover. Your indoor range is already all set up with screens and safety procedures in place and it is easier to control.

We advertised our last have-a-go as an indoor event, 'so you don't have to worry about April showers.' The flow of people was easier to control than on our field and the parking was more convenient.

4. Use multi-channel marketing to promote the event

We used a combination of:

Carefully timed press releases to all the local print media. Take care with the dates of the monthly magazines, don't miss the local free sheets and leave the daily papers until no more than the week before the event.

Adverts in the local shops, pubs, fitness clubs, swimming pools and libraries.

Social media, as much exposure as you can achieve throughout your catchment area.

Local radio which carries a local 'What's on' item.

Exploiting the membership to gain exposure to the larger employers in the area and any clubs that they belong to. For example, one member belongs to a martial arts club and he very successfully publicised the event there. Two others work in hospitals in the area and successfully promoted the event within both hospitals.

Ensuring we had a dedicated web page with the answers to all of the questions possible guests could have on their minds, all on one page of the site so they don't need to wander around looking for the information. And we made it one-click-easy to get from the home page to the info page.

5. Signpost the event locally

Satellite navigation can get visitors close, but do not rely on it putting them in your car park. In our case, our postcode results in a misdirection for most sat navs so we put bright prominent signs up for both directions of approach.

6. Carefully organise your teams on the day to make the experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible for your visitors.

Many clubs are on sites shared with other sports. Think about posting a gatekeeper to open and close the outer boundary gate and direct visitors to the next contact.

Put somebody in a high-visibility jacket at the entrance to the car park to direct visitors and tell them where they should go after parking their car.

Make sure the reception/registration point is clearly visible on entry to the venue.

Place a member at the head of the queue to control access to the range and of course nominate one of the coaches as range master.

If you have got the promotion right, you will have a lot of visitors, so make sure you have a good number of coaches, chosen as much for their archery knowledge as their warm personality. We had seven for most of our session and even then had quite a queue build up at certain times. The fact that most of our visitors went around the loop two or three times is an indication of how well we chose our coaches.

7. Close the feedback loop

Be sure to find out which of your promotional channels worked best for you by asking your visitors how they heard about the event. The ones who follow through and sign up for beginners' courses are the ones you really want to know this about. After all, they are the primary target group.

One surprise we had was that the most expensive strand in terms of time and print costs were advertisements in the shops. Yet they were the least effective. Social media and the local press were the big successes for us. However, you need to test this out for your area, your club and your media mix.

Maximise the opportunity presented by the have-a-go visitors. If they have not signed up for a beginners' course, try not to let them leave without asking for an e-mail address. If they consent, keep them informed of when the next vacancies are available on the courses and wrap this information in a persuasive point or two as to why they should sign up. A careful balance has to be made between a gentle reminder and too heavy 'selling'.

After the event, review all of the various stages and check for lessons to apply to the next session.

All the advice you need

You can find all the advice you need to run a have-a-go, from how to set things up to safety guidelines, Safeguarding and Rules of Shooting, on the Archery GB website. Just go to the Big Weekend page.

Have-a-go regulation changes

We have modified our Code of Practice for have a go and demonstration events, merging two separate codes into one. And, after talking to clubs, added a new, introductory section on taster sessions.

This is to make things easier for clubs who have been asked to hold longer taster sessions for members of the public who want to experience more than a have-a-go before deciding to sign up for a beginners' course.

Archery demonstrations and have-a-go events are typically held at club venues, fetes, gymkhanas or charity events.

Taster sessions are different. Participants can shoot multiple arrows and be coached on maintaining good form. The targets would be at normal height and at a maximum of 20 yards. This is double the distance of the current have-a-go guidelines. The time for each experience may be up to an hour, although this would not be necessarily continual shooting. One crucial difference is that taster sessions can only be held at a club venue, where the range has been registered with Archery GB.

If you are planning an archery event make sure you have an up-to-date risk assessment. If you are unsure in any way about the venue, contact Archery GB for clarification.

Summary of changes

Demonstration

Changes and updates: None.

Venues: Club venues, fetes, gymkhanas or charity events.

Have-a-go

Changes and updates:

o Where a backstop net is used a reduced overshoot of 20 yards must be present. No access to the sides or behind the targets.

o Usually three or six arrows per person (charging allowed).

o Targets 10 yards on the ground.

Venues:

o As above.

o There is no requirement to register the range through the members' portal, unless the same venue is used several times a year.

Taster sessions

Changes and updates:

o New sessions to introduce archery during a longer period of time.

o Can be up to an hour long.

o Targets at normal height.

Venues: Club venues only; where the range has been registered with Archery GB.

Registering of events

From 1 April 2019, all have-a-goes, demonstrations, taster sessions and beginners ' courses will have to be registered with Archery GB. This can be done through the Members Portal and will remove the need for clubs to record these events in their committee minutes.

Why are we doing this? At the moment Archery GB does not know the number of people that take part in these events, and would like understand the reach of the sport in the community.

We want to ensure conformity with the rules and procedures involved and, in addition, recognise the efforts by clubs and coaches in delivering the events by fully understanding the numbers involved.

Club name.

Event type. Event postcode. Expected numbers involved. Date and time of event. Name and email of person organising.

Further information will be sent to club secretaries in February 2019. The Code of Practice can be downloaded from the club resources section on the website.

Robin Hood's merry hens

Kath Killen is fascinated by King Arthur and Robin Hood. The media student has written a screenplay about Robin and, when asked to organise her cousin's hen party the answer was obvious: an archery experience.

The bride and her hens turned up at Burscough Archers, along with the bridegroom, who had been roped in as chauffeur. And if they lacked experience, they more than made up for it with enthusiasm and a definite competitive edge.

The end result was smiles all round, and enquiries about joining a beginners' course.

More than just a sport: Invictus Games celebrate best of human spirit

Photo: The UK Team. Top line, from left: Jennifer Collins, Paul Guest, Debbie Godfrey, Danny Shanahan, Poppy Pawsey. Bottom line: Scott McNeice, Daniel Phillips, (Invictus logo), David Watts, Phillip Gillespie.

Nine serving and former Armed Services personnel fought again for Britain at the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney. And one, Jennifer Collins, headed home with two medals: individual gold and team bronze.

The Games, which were founded by the Duke of Sussex and started in 2014, celebrate wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans and the UK team was brought together by a partnership between Help for Heroes, the MOD and the Royal British Legion.

But the Games are about more than just sport. They are about a sense of belonging, acceptance and a chance to heal, to regain confidence, break down barriers and achieving new goals.

Jennifer, a 37-year-old former Flight Lieutenant from Hook was medically discharged from the RAF last year. Before the Games she said: "When I am feeling low and struggling to function I have the goal of Invictus to work towards, something bright on the horizon rather than a constant grey fog.

"Training for the Games is all about the sport, not being ill or being medically discharged. It's about connecting with and supporting everyone in the process, drawing on our collective strengths to get everyone through our day-to-day lives. Invictus is giving my family and me the positive strong Jenny back that looks forward, smiles and laughs."

She carried that attitude through to the Games, topping the open recurve women's rankings, beating Hannah Marguerite Stolberg of the USA in the semis and edging past Australia's Jocelyn McKinley to take gold.

That came on the heels of the bronze medal she won with Poppy Pawsey and Scott McNeice. They beat Poland before being edged out of a shot at gold by Romania. That left them facing the Netherlands and they took the medal in style, winning 6 to 2.

Royal Marines musician Poppy, was denied a place in the individual open quarter finals by Stolberg. Former Army healthcare assistant Scott, the only Briton to reach the men's eliminations, was edged out by France's Fabian Frily. Royal Marines Colour Sergeant David Watts was seeded 19th and just failed to make the cut.

Novice Debbie Godfrey, a 49-year-old former Master-At-Arms Wren, earned a bye into the quarter finals but was edged out by Canadian Nikki Murillo in a real nailbiter. Army veterans Danny Shanahan and Phillip Gillespie each fought hard but found their progress blocked.

Two other Britons just failed to make the cut. Daniel Phillips, a 36-year-old former Army Corporal from East Sussex qualified in 18th place and Paul Guest, who made headlines around the world, was 22nd. Paul, who was injured while serving as a Royal Navy mine warfare specialist in 1986, was competing in a wheelchair tennis match when a helicopter flying overhead triggered his PTSD.

Dutch teammate Edwin Vermetten immediately realised what had happened and comforted him. In a gesture that showed exactly what the Invictus Games are about, Edwin held on to Paul, encouraging him to sing Let it Go from the film Frozen, until he felt that he could carry on.

The gesture earned praise from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and earned him the Games' Above and Beyond Award.

The Duke later said: "These Games have shone a spotlight on the unconquerable character of servicemen and women, their families and the Invictus spirit. These Games have been about seeing guys sprinting for the finish line and then turning round to clap the last man in. They have been about teammates choosing to cross the line together, not wanting to come

second, but not wanting the other guys to either. These Games have shown the very best of the human spirit."

Disabilities

Teamwork: What it takes to train an assistance dog

We all need a little help and, for para-archers, that might come in the form of an assistance dog. We highlighted their work in the last issue. This time we are taking a closer look at what goes into the making of an assistance dog.

"On average it takes two years to train an ADUK assistance dog," said Laura Diep of Assistance Dogs UK, a coalition of eight charities which helps more than 7,000 disabled people in the UK.

"The cost of training varies by organisation. Most say it is around £21,000 but I believe Guide Dogs has a higher figure. This figure is for the training and ongoing support of the assistance dog partnership or team for the working life of the dog."

Once trained, accredited and given an identification book. Handlers can be requested to show this to tournament organisers at competitions.

Accredited assistance dogs will:

Have been trained to behave well in public. Have safe and reliable temperaments. Be healthy and not constitute a hygiene risk observed over a considerable period of

time. Be fully toilet-trained. Be regularly checked by experienced veterinarians. Be accompanied by a disabled handler who has been trained how to work alongside

their assistance dog. Be recognisable by the harness, organisation specific coat, ID tag on their collar or

lead slip they wear.

One such is Fred the Dog. He belongs to Ken Hargreaves who won both the recurve title and Fletchers Cup at this year's Archery GB Disability Championships. He shot as a novice last year. This year he finished 22nd in the National Rankings and was the second-highest para-archer.

Photo: A fun-packed time-out for Fred.

"Fred the Dog is invaluable, the best dog in the world. I am so fortunate to have him," said Ken. "The reason he is called Fred is because he is a friendly, reliable, exuberant dog and everyone loves him. He is fully trained, accredited and totally focused on his job. We are a team, he helps me with everything, and I couldn't do it without him."

Formally classified athletes need to be aware that World Archery has its own rule on assistance or support dogs. Rule 21.12.10 states that for all international tournaments and/or those tournaments registered with it, no assistant or support dogs will be permitted on the field of play.

Archery GB is currently looking at the situation. It will be getting in touch with club, county and regional secretaries asking them to ensure all club members, and in particular tournament organisers are made aware of the position regarding evidence of disability and of assistance dogs.

Just try it: Patients find themselves bitten by archery bug

It does not take long for the archery bug to bite. And if you need proof, just ask patients at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen, near Oswestry.

Croesoswallt Archers is based just behind the hospital and, after Chairman Andy Duggin received a call, 12 patients and their nurses turned up to try the sport.

It took a little time but, once they got going, there was no stopping them. Enthusiasm quickly took on a competitive edge as patients and nurses went head to head to see who could bag the most golds.

In fact, they became so involved that two of the patients asked if the targets, placed at 10 yards, could be moved further back to see how they got on. And one wanted to know how to find a club near his home so that he could take up the sport.

Forging a new entente cordiale

The best lessons often come from shared knowledge and experience. That's why British coaches were invited to a workshop run by Vincent Hybois, Sport Director of the French Handisport Federation.

Vincent has a long track record of introducing new people to archery as well as coaching the French national para team. His aim at Lilleshall was to share knowledge, identify priorities and help us shape our disability plans.

Among the topics at the free workshop, which included ontarget club coaches and representatives, were:

Equipment adaptations to get new archers shooting within 60 minutes. How to adapt archery for disabled people. How to develop an essential club kit bag.

Coaching Systems Manager Hannah Bussey said: "It was a great chance to explore how simple and cost effective equipment adaptations can get people with different disabilities shooting in minimal time. We think there is a big opportunity and hope to hold more events specifically to help members learn in a very practical way, how to adapt equipment."

Archers' Stories

How Rachel Gornall fell in love (with archery)

We tried archery for the first time last year. I had no idea of how it would fill our lives to the brim. My husband Mark had been looking for a shared hobby, something where I wouldn't be at a disadvantage and we could compete together. One day he said we were going to check out our local rifle club, and although I wasn't over enthusiastic, I went along with an open mind. The folks at Ashford and District Rifle Club were welcoming but suggested we should try all the disciplines on offer. Their archery club met on Sunday. We each picked up a bow and that was it.

"Where's your anchor point? Come down." David Greaves was a firm tutor but fair and volunteered his time to give us a good grounding. We'll be forever grateful. Eventually he pronounced us ready to move to shooting at 20 yards with the others. We were off.

One day Mark picked me up from work. He wouldn't say where we were going, only that it was a surprise. It was to get my first bow and Mark got his soon after. Then we began to want more.

We wanted to experience the thrill of archery competitions. So, we needed Archery GB membership; and a beginners' course. It was November, few were running but again we were fortunate. The owner of the bow shop arranged for Bob Beany to come and assess us. We were invited to join Bob's club, Ashford Archers.

The problem was that we couldn't make it to the club shoot days. We were still making use of the shop range, still attending the rifle club's Sunday shoot but it wasn't enough. We wanted somewhere we could shoot whenever the mood took us.

1066 Archery Club is a glorious little hideaway, a piece of countryside heaven where we can turn up and shoot whatever the weather. And we do. I've taken over as records officer and we've started submitting qualifying club scores to county. Mark is arranging beginners courses. We've even been asked if we'll take a coaching course. Of course we've agreed.

I refer to Mark as my bow maintenance man, he's become an expert to help me. Along the way he has enrolled us into every competition we can get to. We both gained our bowman classification at the same competition, how romantic is that? We also gained our second 252 at our furthest distances on the same day. We compete with each other, driving each other on. At the Kent County Championships this year I earned women's title, placing first in the women's recurve category. Mark came fourth, an achievement in itself in the fiercely competitive men’s recurve category.

So, we practice. And practice. And we love it. In our first outdoor season we have achieved so much together. Bring on the indoor rounds.

Share your story

We love hearing archery stories. If you want to share yours, it’s simple. Just send it, along with hi-res pictures, to magazine@archerygb.org.

Juniors

Top tip: Try all the different kinds of archery

Hannah Mason fell in love with archery at 13. It has brought her friendship, confidence, new skills and new directions. She is now 16 and this is her story:

"Since 2015 I feel I have achieved so many things in archery, setting several county records and being part of the squad representing my county, Durham and Northumberland, at the inter-county championships.

"The biggest change, though, was feeling my motivation fading even though I love the sport. I found that by the end of 2016 target archery and tournaments were losing their appeal, or was it just me? Then I found a fabulous thing called 3D field shooting. Wow.

"Words can't express how I felt, and still feel, about 3D. It was so different to target, which I still shoot every week. But being in a wooded area, in the middle of the countryside, shooting on an upward elevation, on a downward elevation, at different distances. The biggest thing is the lack of pressure and the supportive people. As my dad keeps telling me, 'you always have to try something once' and oh boy, I recommend that you all do.

"Some special friends got me into flight archery. At my first competition, I set out to just experience it and understand what it was all about. I wasn't particularly sure what you had to do and how it worked: draw, aim at a cloud and watch your arrows soar like a bird before losing sight of them. It just sounded fun and that's what motivates me.

"It's so different to what I’ve experienced so far, mainly because I wasn't actually shooting into a static object. It is more about the technique and equipment than the end result of scoring points.

"I've shot flight for two seasons now and, with the support, knowledge and expertise of people who are so passionate about flight archery, broke a world record in my first year and, in a variety of bow categories, four in my second.

"All in all, it's been busy with some life-changing shooting and friendships. Archery just seems to keep on giving lots of smiles. And I've tried wand and clout archery too.

"One last top tip: Only practice flight archery in a suitably large area. Most clubs don't have the luxury of the required distance so, in that case, use a type of arrow called a flu-flu. Using them means you can practice technique, assume the correct posture and draw all the way back at the required elevation. Because they create so much drag the flu-flus won't go that far."

Have a go Hannah

When 12-year-old Hannah Wells tried to enter Barnstaple Archery Club's open double 720 tournament there was a problem. She wanted to shoot at 50 metres. The problem was, she was shooting longbow in a senior competition.

Tournament organiser Julie Adnams Hatch said, "I had to email her dad saying that distance was for compounds only and all other bowstyles were shooting 70 metres. Later I received another email. I expected it to say 'we'll leave it'. But no, not at all. The message was 'Hannah says she's never shot 70 metres but she'll have a go'."

On the day of the competition the rain was torrential and then the wind picked up, but Hannah, a member of Lacetown Archers, kept smiling and shooting. Julie said: "All morning she shot. Not a single score. All afternoon she shot and still no hits. The last three dozen

produced two hits and a score. I saw her shoot her final arrow. Still composed, still determined and still holding the same form as first thing in the morning. Awesome."

In the end her efforts paid off and were rewarded with a silver medal. Julie said: "Hannah should be so proud of herself and we were all in awe of her desire to compete. Maybe we seniors could learn a little from this young lady."

Rhiannon takes on gamers, and a soccer ace

Photo: Rhiannon takes on West Ham's Rob Snodgrass.

Rhiannon Easton, one of our national Talent Development Programme athletes, has been showing young people how similar competitive gaming and physical activity can be and encouraging them to get into sport.

It was part of pilot scheme aimed at 14 to 19-year-olds run by Archery GB, the British Esports Association, West Ham United Foundation and GAME. There were 10 sessions during half term which included archery, football and Rocket League, a video football game with cars and a giant ball.

Rhiannon, who shot against West Ham ace Rob Snodgrass, said: "I got to talk to a lot of people and share my experiences and listen to others through the worlds of gaming, football and archery."

Neil Armitage, Archery GB's Chief Executive, said: "We're delighted to be working with the British Esports Association on this pilot. Archery is found within several games, with a number of popular characters using bows and arrows. This initiative provides a great opportunity to show how esports and physical activity can be brought together and brings archery to life for more young people."

Field

So close: 3D glory out of reach

Eighteen British archers headed for the 2018 European 3D Championships in Gothenberg and some came within a hair's breadth of making it to the final stages.

In the barebow competition Adele McPeake and Amelia Thomas went head to head and Amelia almost found herself facing another Briton, Joanne Walker. As it was both fell victim to France's Christine Gauthe: Joanne in the pool stages and Adele in the shoot-off for semi-

finals places. The same thing happened to Jason Meehan. He made it to the pool decider but was edged out by Swede Martin Ottosson.

In the compound competitions Hope Greenwood and Gary Cole made it to the eliminations. They won their early matches but did not escape the pool stages.

Instinctive archers Michaela Lake, Lesley Sleight and Jed Cullen also reached the eliminations, as did longbow archer Emily Williams, but they too were edged out.

70 tackle NI championship course

Records fell, Arrowheads and personal bests were achieved and medals won as 70 archers lined up for the world record status Archery NI Field and Open Championships.

It was hosted by Lough Cuan Bowmen, and welcomed entrants from France, Britain and Ireland as well as home-grown talent to try out its freshly designed course.

All bowstyles were represented, although barebow was the biggest contingent, and it was shot against a backdrop of blue skies and stunning woodland at the Clandeboye Estate, Bangor.

Lough Cuan member Bill Latrimer said: "From all accounts, the archers enjoyed the championships and the range of targets, though possibly if you speak to a few, target one will not be in their top 10 favourite targets list.

"The majority of the course being in the woods provided a range of challenges for the archers particularly shooting from light to shade and vice versa as well as the direct sunlight coming between branches at some targets and some very effective 'tunnelling' shots."

Sport: Pathway

Stepping up: Meet our new Conversion Academy athletes and their coaches

Archery GB's Conversion Academy has one purpose: to take our most talented young athletes and convert them into successful senior international competitors. And it has just taken in six new athletes, five from the National Age Group Academy and one from Northern Ireland.

Kieran Slater, Jakob Barrett-Rees and Hannah Rowley

Former Pathway athlete Kieran Slater was part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2016 European Championships. He coached Hannah and Jakob at the National Age Group Academy and is moving with them as they step up to the next level. Hannah, of Nuneaton Archers, used to be coached by Tony Ferguson. She made her international debut this year. She said: "I am extremely proud to have made Conversion Academy and I look forward to working with Kieran to improve and reach my goals."

Jakob, of Blandy Jenkins Archers and coached by Roger Davies, has risen quickly through the Pathway programmes and the potential shown the European Youth Cup earned him a Conversion Academy place. He said: "The archers in the Conversion Academy were the ones I used to look up to and think, one day that could me, one step closer to reaching my goal. Now I'm one of them, how great is that?"

Gaynor Hutchison and Ruby Paul

Gaynor Hutchison's mission is to "help people develop, grow and enjoy their sport". She works throughout the whole Talent Pathway, from grassroots to the National Talent Development Programme and Performance Academies. She credits this experience with helping athletes to transition smoothly and successfully.

Gaynor was also the assistant team manager at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and was with Ruby when she won individual bronze medal at the European Youth Championships this year.

Gaynor has known Ruby, of Wellingborough Open Archery Club, for five years and says she has many talents but is completely committed to her archery. "Ruby sets herself very high standards but she's also very kind, encouraging youngsters within her club and county."

Damien Lennon, Megan Bryer and Alberto Zagami

Northern Ireland has form in producing talented archers and Megan Bryer, from City of Belfast AC, is the first NI archer to be selected for the Conversion Academy.

Megan started her journey at the Northern Ireland Performance Academy where she was coached by Damien Lennon. She quickly became known for her determination and dedication. Pathway Programme Manager Andrew Partridge said: "Megan is an example of what Northern Ireland athletes can achieve and the start of what we hope is a very successful Pathway." She is now working with Youth Olympics coach Alberto Zagami.

Roy Nash, Heather Hughes and Thomas Susca

Roy Nash started coaching on the Talent Pathway in 2016. Since then, he's helped a number of athletes to progress to the Conversion Academy. He believes the most important things for a great coach-athlete partnership are mutual belief, respect and excellent communication.

Heather, of Nethermoss Archers, was coached by Norman Suchorzewski at the Lancashire Archery Training Centre, talent spotted and made her international debut at the European World Cup, taking fourth place in both the cadet women's individual and team competitions. Thomas, from Bowmen of Bruntwood, was the youngest member of the GB youth teams in 2018 and won cadet team bronze at the European Youth Championships. Thomas was coached by Jane Henderson-Hirst and worked with Roy at the National Age Group. Thomas describes his invitation to the Conversion Academy as an honour.

Sport: Participation

Have your say: Get involved in our Strategic Advisory Group

Everyone wants a voice, but if you want to have your voice heard, you need to get involved, says Bethany Dexter. "And more young archers need to get involved with events like the Strategic Advisory Group if we want to have our say in the future of our sport."

The 29-year-old BUCS Archery event management group administrator was among the delegates at the second meeting of the new Strategic Advisory Group and thought it was really valuable. "We got lots of really useful information and it made a real difference to hear it first-hand rather than it being passed on by someone else or via Facebook," she said.

"The workshop groups were a great way of having a conversation with a person rather than an email address. It made it more human. It was good to interact with staff members and feel that we were actually being listened to as we all try to move our sport forward."

But she did think that more young people, and women, need to get involved. It was a thought echoed Marc Tamlyn, the 29-year-old President of Wallingford Castle Archers. He said there was a strong argument that club committees and the SAG should represent the sport’s whole demographic.

"It's good for people of all ages to get involved," he said, "especially if they are willing to promote things changing. It's about being representative. If nobody is there to ask the questions, things are never going to happen."

The idea behind the SAG meetings, held at Becketts Farm, Birmingham, is simple: to use the years of expertise built up within the membership to inform, check and challenge the work of the Sport Team so that we can create the best possible experience for everyone at every level of the sport. The group includes former Operations Committee chairmen and women, but is open to everyone and needs to represent all segments of our sport.

Steph Gill, head coach at Deer Park Archers, said: "The sessions have been informative, engaging and have clearly demonstrated Archery GB's intention to listen to its members, understand the climate we are operating in and identify some exciting developments across a range of activities. This is time well spent. We can all benefit from this investment of time and I would encourage others to consider getting involved."

The youngest delegate was BUCS tournament organiser 21-year-old Benjamin Horner. He would have liked more time to discuss things in depth but thought the themes picked up on areas he is concerned with. "The new special interest groups are definitely a good plan," he said, "and having used the survey to identify those areas of low uptake or large decreases in participation shows a good desire of Archery GB to develop and progress.

"I think the 16-25 age group is a very important group to assist. Those involved in the sport at that age often have a very limited awareness of what is on offer. I think the young ambassadors scheme may well be of benefit and will potentially help signpost easy ways of getting involved in the wider archer community at a younger age. Another significant element of young people being involved is maintaining their involvement into university and then in the very early stages of their careers."

If you are interested in getting involved in the Strategic Advisory Group please contact kate.dunnighan@archerygb.org.

The search is on: We're looking for ambassadors and mentors

Do you want to help people develop within our sport? Do you want to make the whole experience better? Or to encourage lapsed members back into archery? Then we need your help.

Archery is powered by volunteers and we are looking for a wide variety to become Club Ambassadors, Mentors and Young Ambassadors, who are aged between 11 and 24. These are just some of the ways you could help:

Club development: Understand the needs of all club members through surveys/feedback and organise appropriate activities for different types of members.

Support: Ensure new and existing members have access to everything they need by being a point of contact or attending club activities.

Campaigning: Raise awareness of archery within your community through school/club links, Big Weekend, have-a-go sessions and links with other local clubs. And share your stories through Archery GB outlets.

Archery GB courses, competitions and events: Help Archery GB promote, organise and deliver courses, workshops, competitions and events.

Volunteer support: Help clubs recruit, retain, support, recognise and reward volunteers.

We will make sure you receive all the training, mentored support and resources you need. We are also looking for experienced volunteers to become mentors, helping to develop and support the Young and Club Ambassadors. They need to be:

Approachable, willing to help others and listen, building rapport and trust.

Able to communicate, support, engage, inspire and motivate Ambassadors.

Respectful and open to collaboration and connecting differing ideas and actions.

A champion of Archery GB and its programmes and initiatives.

Be a good observer able to question and provide feedback in a positive and constructive way.

An active listener who can support goal setting, achievement and reflective practice.

Organised and a good time manager able to fulfil agreed commitments.

You can find more information on the website or get in touch with gayle.pink@archerygb.org. Expression of Interest forms need to be returned to us by 31 January 2019.

Or join our special interest groups

We are setting up four special interest groups and are looking for volunteers with the expertise to shape action plans, change perceptions and make the whole experience of archery better.

The groups are: 55-plus, women and girls, children and young people and disabilities. Can you help us check and challenge activities ensuring they are fit for purpose, support pilot programmes, review their impact and tell us about success stories?

We need a mix of experience, backgrounds and length of involvement in archery in each group. If you would like to get involved, or find out more, e-mail gayle.pink@archerygb.org.

Tackling the challenges together

Words: Sophie Meering

Dame Katherine Grainger is Britain's most decorated female Olympian, the chair of Sport UK and, it seems, she has the makings of an accomplished archer.

During a visit to Archery GB she jumped at the chance to test her skills with fellow Olympian Naomi Folkard and GB para-archer Hazel Chaisty, under the watchful eye of National Coach Richard Priestman.

As with any Olympic champion, her competitive spirit quickly came to the fore as she declared: "I'm not leaving until I get it in the middle", showing her true Olympic fighting spirit.

But there was a serious side to her visit. A meeting with Chief Executive Neil Armitage and Director of Sport David Tillotson to discuss UK Sport's post-Tokyo funding and its mental health strategy.

He updated her about Archery GB's restructuring, uniting participation, pathway and performance under his lead and how operations were now led by the Head of Business and Finance. The result has been a more connected way of working, consulting and engaging with staff and members.

They also talked about coaching changes, the complexities of physical and mental requirements in high performance archery and the internationally competitive progress being made with our Para world class performance programme and Olympic Medal Support Plan. Other areas explored included the development of personal leadership, the technician role, the Korean National Sports University's visit to Lilleshall and international exposure to quality opposition.

Feel the benefit

Are size limitations making it difficult for your club to grow and develop? If your club struggles to take advantage of benefits bigger organisations can access we think we might have the answer: a pilot programme, ontarget Hubs, where clubs work together.

Hubs open up economies of scale and raise your profile in the community, as well as offering a wider social, practice and competitive environment and access to financial resources.

We have run a pilot scheme. Now we are looking to set up more. Is your club is ambitious to develop and improve in a connected, sustainable and responsible way? Do you want set up an ontarget Hub?

You need three or more clubs ready to work together on ways and activities to retain members and take an honest look at strengths and weaknesses. Providing a better experience for archers, coaches and judges is key, as is setting up a joint working group, embracing new ideas, agreeing targets and creating an action plan.

We will provide support, training and resources and funding can be accessed. You will sign up to an agreement to commit resources to support the initiative. Type HUBS into the website search engine to find out more or contact arran.coggan@archerygb.org.

Simpler and less wasteful

Fed up with having to complete reports and fill in booklets at record status competitions? We are about to make things much easier and less wasteful.

We have been trialling the use of electronic forms over the summer.

Why? Because the tournament booklet is used by all disciplines which means lots of wasted pages, postage and paperwork for both Tournament Organisers and Archery GB.

So next year we are switching from the booklet to e-forms which can be edited and completed on a device or printed and filled out by hand. Tournament Organisers can return them via email with results and score cards for archers making claims, or they can still be posted. Forms for judges will be separate for each discipline.

You can find everything you need on the website via Coaches Judges Volunteers Tournament Organisers. 

Sport: Performance

Lessons learned: Youth Olympics 'amazing experience'

Dan Thompson and Alyssia Tromans-Ansell earned the chance to be part of Team GB at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. It was an experience they will never forget.

"The atmosphere was amazing," said 16-year-old Dan. "I learned so many things. The biggest lesson was how to be a strong team member."

Alyssia agreed and said: "I learned how to maintain my composure in times of stress." That new confidence served her well during the Games. She finished 10th in qualification and saw off Nicole Marie Tagle of the Philippines in the first round. The only person standing between her and the quarter finals was Valentina Vazquez. It came down to a single point but the Mexican went through.

A Mexican ended 29th seed Dan's hopes too. He was beaten by fourth seed Carlos Vaca.

They also competed in a mixed nations team event which saw them partnered with an athlete from another country. Alyssia and her Iranian partner Reza Shabani came close to reaching the quarter finals but were denied by Tagle and Hendrik Oun of Estonia. Dan shot with Son Yeryeong of Korea but lost to the Dutch-Russian pairing of Laura van der Winkel and Stanislav Cheremiskin.

Magical; and inspirational

What's Korea's secret? Our recurve athletes seized the chance to learn more and train with student archers from the Korean National Sports University during a week-long camp at Lilleshall.

Richard Priestman, head Olympic coach said, "The camp and long term collaboration with KNSU is pivotal to our development and future international competitiveness. Korea is by far the leading nation in the world of archery, they have so many best practices that we can discover and use to build on our competitiveness. It is a really exciting partnership and the interactions have been quite magical and inspirational. It will improve us in all aspects of technical, physical and tactics and, most importantly, mind-set."

Director of Sport David Tillotson said, "We had three objectives for the week. Firstly, to get some insight into their archery technique and approach to performance. Secondly, to develop friendships and partnerships that make the Koreans 'normal' in the eyes of the GBR team. And thirdly, to develop a partnership that might offer a base in Seoul in the lead up to Tokyo. Through the week we saw the efficiency and rhythmic manner of their shooting. The squad mixed well and socialised throughout the week.

"We have managed to build a relationship between us and them and look forward to develop this into next year at the World Cup events, Tokyo and beyond."

The camp was supported by K&K Archery and Clickers Archery.

Tournaments

If in doubt, meet our new national clout champions

A great day. Amazing weather. Fabulous crazy folk. It's fair to say that the feedback from the 2018 National Clout Championships added up to one thing; a roaring success.

Even judge Martin Middleton joined in the fun, saying: "I have been to several clouts this year; still not managed to get a score yet."

But there was a serious side to the championships, hosted by Bronte Archers. And it led to spectacular performances.

Five champions retained their titles, and the remaining three went to previous holders. This year's champions are:

Recurve: Shelley Hurst and Chris Baigent. Compound: Michelle Loxley and Malcolm North. Longbow: Catriona Charters and Dicky Summers. Barebow: Carol Fairbrother and Alan Holder.

Hannah Fox won the junior girls' recurve trophy while Jasmine Simpson retained the junior girls' barebow trophy. Junior men's barebow honours went to Aidan Harris while Dylan Higgs won the longbow title.

In the team championships, Goldcrest Archers retained the recurve title and won the barebow salver while Hingham Bowmen held on to compound honours. The new longbow champions are Assheton Bowmen and the Julia Breese Commemorative Salver for best clout of the meeting went to Gary Sandles of St Georges.

If you want to be part of the fun next year, particularly if you are a junior, it's time to get practising. The 2019 championships will be held on 19 October.

Still going strong: EMAS inter-counties celebrates 60 years

In 1958 a senior east midlands inter-county tournament was held in the grounds of Thoresby Hall Nottinghamshire, at the request of Countess Mavers. It's still going strong.

This year the competition between Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire was hosted by Burton Bridge Archers. It resulted in Master and Grand Master Bowman scores, six-gold end and Rose awards and a UK para record claim for Victoria Rumary.

It was also a great day for Derbyshire which took all of the team and six of the eight individual awards.

The individual champions were:

Recurve: Pip Taylor and Shaharam Montasser. Compound: Sarah Moon and Simon Scott. Longbow: Julie Cousins and Andy McClennon. Barebow: Imogen Bannister and Derek Beth.

2019 diary dates

Get out your diaries, Archery GB has announced its main tournament dates for 2019 – and most of the entry dates.The following competitions will be hosted at Lilleshall. Enter via the members’ portal:

UK Masters. 1 and 2 June. Entries open at 7pm on 7 February.

Grand National Archery Meeting. 26, 27, 28 June. Entries open at 7pm on 7 March.

National County Team Championships. 29 and 30 June. Entries open at 7pm on 7 March.

Junior Outdoor Championships. 6 and 7 July. Entries open at 7pm on 21 March.

Youth Festival. 28 July to 2 August. Entries open at 7pm on 17 January.

British Target Championships. 10 and 11 August. Entries open at 7pm on 4 April.

Disability Championships. 14 and 15 September. Entries open at 7pm on 23 May.

In other locations:

All British Field Championships. 25 and 26 May. Hosted by Lough Cuan Bowmen. Entries open on 31 January.

National Flight Championships. 18 August TBC. At Leeds Airport TBC.

National Clout Championships. 19 October. At Rawdon Meadows, Bradford. Entries to open in April.

Be part of the next Archery GB National Tour

Want to be part of one of British archery’s premier events?

The schedule for next year's National Tour has been announced, along with the all-important entry dates. Next year's final will be held on 28 and 29 September and the stages leading up to it are:

Stage 1: Bucks or Bounty, 4 May. Lilleshall main field. Entries open on 10 January.

Stages 2 and 3: Surrey Archery Weekend, 13 and 14 July. Tolworth Sports Ground. Entries open on 28 February.

Stage 4: Bowmen of Glen, 20 July compounds, 21 July recurves. Newham Lane. Entries open on 21 March.

Stage 5: Barnsley Archery Club, 17 August compounds, 18 August recurves. Barnsley RUFC grounds. Entries open on 18 April.

Stage 6: City of Belfast, 24 August. Malone Rugby Club. Entries open on 25 April.

Stage 7: Old Basing Archers Siege Shoot, 7 September. Recreation Ground. Entries open on 9 May.

A job well done: Longbow and barebow rankings are a hit

A fantastic job. The guys have gone over and above. That's the verdict of Archery GB'’s Competition and Events Manager Jon Nott on the 2018 longbow and barebow rankings which were compiled in collaboration with Barry Du-Crow, Paul Gregory and Nick Hayball.

"Archery GB will be adopting this system going forward as the national longbow and barebow rankings," said Jon. And it has been quite a project for Barry, Paul and Nick.

They said: "As more results came in there were many interesting battles throughout the year and it was great to see the participation increasing in both bowstyles. Using the archery data that was being stored, a few statistics for longbow and barebow archers were developed, including average scores, rounds shot and detailed ranking score progress."

Early this year a new website was set up and emails were sent out to more than 200 clubs to promote the rankings, sponsored by the Longbow Shop. In total, there were 2,726 results submitted by 571 entrants who, between them, scored more than a million points. And our new champions?

Longbow: Barry Du-Crow and Sheila Hudson. Barebow: Mark Robertson and Carol-Anne Seez.

Barry, Paul and Nick said: "Looking to the future we plan to continue with the ranking site and hope to encourage more archers to a pick up their bows and have a try at a ranking tournament and increase the participation in this great sport."

You can find the rankings on the UK Longbow and Barebow rankings website: https://sites.google.com/view/uk-longbow-ranking/home.

In good company: Fun and great shooting at barebow indoor champs

More than 240 archers. Seven centres spread across the UK. What could go wrong? Well nothing, if the feedback about this year's British Barebow Indoor Championships is anything to go by.

This year's venues were: Somerset, hosted by Ballands Bowmen; South Wales, hosted by Pentref Bowmen; Northern Ireland, hosted by Ballyvally Archers Banbridge; Scotland, hosted by Bannockburn Bowmen; Tyne and Wear, hosted by Bowmen of Walker, West Yorkshire, hosted by Pennine Archers and Essex, hosted by Bowmen of Malgrave.

The shooting was spectacular, you can find the results on the website's Barebow Indoor Championships page, but it was more than that. There was a definite theme running throughout.

One archer said: "Enjoyed the barebow champs. Happy with my score, did better than I have at club. But the best bit was meeting folk and chatting, making new friends and generally just a great atmosphere."

Another said "Bowmen of Walker. Great shoot as always. It's just brilliant to be able to take part in a National in the North East."

A third, at the event hosted by Pennine Archers, said: "It was great to see the event growing year on year, all three sessions were full this year. It was also good to see some students competing, it would be good to see even more in the future."

But it was best summed up by Tracey Leverett: "Best part of the day for me; the camaraderie. The shooting is only one part of the competition and so much better when you are in good company."

Topping the 2019 rankings

After a tough year, and some keen competition, Archery GB now has its compound, recurve and junior national rankings for 2018 in place.

Sarah Prieels has maintained her winning ways in the women's compound rankings, with Layla Annison moving into second spot and Jacquie Holmes third. James Mason tops the men's rankings, with Adam Ravenscroft second for the third year in a row and Neil Bridgewater taking the number three spot.

Bryony Pitman held on to her place at the top of the women's recurve rankings, with Alyssia Tromans-Ansell moving into second and Kate Dunnighan third. Tom Hall was the top recurve male, beating last year's leader Patrick Huston into second spot. Michael Judd was third.

In the junior rankings, the top female recurvers were Louisa Piper, Imogen Newby and Penny Healey while Jacob Reid, Riley Spencer Nice and Marco Costanza took the honours in the boy's category.

Jenny Bryan, Sophie Meyrick and Grace Chappell toped the junior girls' compound rankings. The top ranked boys were Lewis Haslam, Nathan Thomas and Ajay Scott.

The top three junior girl longbow archers were Jennifer Cuthbertson, Rosie Elliott and Molly Joyce while the top boys were William Thomas and Ted Williams.

Dominic Fenton and James Walker Matthews tied at the top of the boys' barebow rankings, pushing Tom Wiggin into third place. Becky Chilcott heads the girls' rankings with Emily Summers second and Imogen Colenutt third.

More than 1,500 senior archers and 172 juniors submitted ranking scores. You can find them all on the website under shoot and compete.

Experts: Welcome to Archery UK's Advice Zone

If you have any questions, this is the place to be.

In every issue our experts are on hand to give recurve, compound, barebow and longbow advice. So if you want to know something, email your question to magazine@archerygb.org and we will pass it on to our experts.

All in the mind: How to prepare your mind for competition

We have two states of mind: fight or flight and rest and digest. These are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Both of these are involuntary responses to the environment and our senses. So, if you can't help them, why do you need to know about them?

The sympathetic nervous system is our fight or flight response. It is the caveman in all of us. It is key to keeping us alive. It triggers hormones, makes our heart beat faster and diverts blood to the body parts we need to produce a response. For example running really fast for a train moves blood away from other organs such as our digestive system, which is why eating too much during activity can be difficult. The sympathetic nervous system is fantastic at preparing us for 'battle' but, if we spend too long in this phase, too much adrenaline and stress can leave you exhausted, unsettled, with cognitive decline, poor sleep, a lower immune system, and a body that cannot repair itself.

It's the same with archery. There is an 'inverted U theory' of stress (see above graph): too little adrenaline and you are bored and your muscles are not ready for physical excursion. Too much and your body becomes stressed and you can under-perform.

How can archers control this?

The parasympathetic nervous system is our rest and digest mechanism. More accurately it is our rest and recovery system. This can be activated by a good night of deep sleep, massage and a reduction of stress by, for example, meditating.

It helps, if you do feel stressed at a competition, to do some deep breathing, massage your temples or even have a little nap. All of these measures can help reduce your stress.

Or you could take some other steps to get your body into the correct mental nervous system, with the perfect amount of adrenaline.

Setting up your bow. Use this as a meditation to take your time check you have everything and wake up the brain.

Reactivity training. Catching a tennis ball to and from friends gets your brain active and alerts the sympathetic nervous system.

Your 10 to 20 minute full body warm up. This will get your body prepped and, more importantly, get your brain in the right frame of mind to shoot well. Your eyes will dilate, your blood will be sent to the muscles and your fight or flight response will be activated.

Clinic band dry fires. This gives your mind and body the chance to really focus on the shooting process and helps keep you calm.

Visualise hitting the 10. This is so your body and mind don't freak out and drop into the stress part of the inverted U theory.

Positive Self Talking. To increase confidence and avoid the stress part of the inverted U theory.

Try a mixture of all of these exercises and work on the ones you find the hardest. Make sure that your brain warm up has exercises from all sections in it, to help prepare your brain and body for a full day of shooting.

'The sudden surge of adrenaline, an important chemical in the body that helps prepare us for something in life that requires our uttermost performance.' Carl Valle.

For more help check out @LOSPersonalTrainer on Instagram or LOSPTJersey on Facebook.

When to eat: Timing is everything for Nutrition expert Jackie Wilkinson

When is the best time to eat? If you are locked in a room without windows or clock, you will go to bed at 9pm and get up at 6 to 7am. This is circadian rhythm. Usually your body gears up to sleep when it's dark and wake when it's light, shifting with the seasons. But that's not all. Every part of it has control clocks, including processes related to food.

During the day, the levels of our digestive enzymes are higher and our liver and gut are ready to digest food and absorb nutrients. In the evening, saliva production slows down but there's more acid produced in the stomach. That's thought to be for protection against dangerous parasites and bacteria. Your intestines slow down at night for repairs but cannot do that if food is still passing through, it would be like trying to resurface a road with the traffic flowing. It's better to stop eating two or three hours before bed.

All this is evidence that we should be eating only during the day. What do we mean by day? Our ancestors would have prepared and eaten food during daylight, not after the evening. With artificial light, we can eat from pre-dawn until midnight. Unfortunately, this disrupts our circadian rhythm and is bad for our health.

Time restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting and has been promoted by leaders in health and nutrition for decades. Professor Satchin Panda is doing research on an 8 to 10 hour window. This has been found in the lab to increase endurance and to protect against (and to improve existing) obesity, heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver disease, cholesterol and high blood sugar. People on a 16 week trial lost 4 to 5 per cent of their body weight, gained energy and slept better. They kept up the habit long after the study had finished and all the researchers and their families took it up too.

I'm in favour of working with your body, so this research struck a chord. I experimented with having breakfast at 9:30am and not eating after 7:30pm. Initially, it was weird starting work as soon as I got up and eating breakfast later but I feel great. Originally, I intended doing it for a couple of weeks, but months later I’m still at it.

Professor Panda recognises that we don't have a choice when we get up, we have jobs to go to and children to take to school. Alarm clocks wake our brains while our levels of sleep hormones are still high and our digestive organs are resting so it helps to wait an hour before having breakfast.

You could give time restricted eating a try and find out how you feel when you work with your body's natural rhythms. You can even take part in a global study by the Salk Institute using the app at my circadian clock: mycircadianclock.org. Most studies are done with people all within a 20 mile radius so this worldwide study is exceptional.

Start by noticing what you do now (a seven-day table might help.) For a week, note the time you first eat in the morning and the time of your last mouthful in the evening. Work out your usual eating window. Then experiment with stopping eating earlier in the evening and

delaying your breakfast; however, if you’re hypoglycaemic, diabetic, pregnant, or taking medication affected by food, speak to your doctor or give this idea a miss.

Top Tip:

Give time restricted eating a try.

Further reading

Find more advice from Jackie Wilson's Nutrition Coaching website: www.learntoeatwell.co.uk.

Ask the experts: Questions and Answers

Compound

Compound expert Duncan Busby is here to help with queries on form, equipment and technique.

What's best for indoors?

Question: This is my first indoor season with a compound bow and, since changing distances, I've found that the target face looks huge through my scope, which makes it impossible to hold steady. I'm currently using a 1.0 dioptre lens. Is this correct? If not what magnification lens should I be using?

Answer: Lenses come in many different powers or dioptres. Basically the more powerful the lens, the bigger the target will look in your scope. The exact magnification you will get with any given lens will depend on how far that lens is from your eye. For example someone using a 1.0 dioptre lens with a draw length of 24 inches and the sight set close to the bow will achieve a lower magnification than someone using a 0.75 dioptre with a 32-inch draw length and the sight set all the way out from the bow. There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to selecting magnification, just what works for your specific set up and allows you to comfortably and accurately aim at the target.

If the target looks too big you will find it very difficult to hold steadily on the middle as any movement you make will be magnified. Most archers find a happy balance between magnification and hold, choosing either a 0.5 or a 0.75 dioptre lens for both indoor and outdoor shooting. Try out a 0.75 lens. This will give a little less magnification while still giving you a good view of the target.

All in vane

Question: What vanes should I use on my aluminium arrows this indoor season? I've noticed some archers using very large feathers. Is this necessary?

Answer: The vanes on your arrows are designed to stabilise its flight to the target. The bigger the vane, the faster this will happen. We typically only shoot 20 yards or 18 metres indoors, the arrow spends less time in the air, so needs to be stabilised as quickly as possible. Unlike shooting outdoors, there is no need to take weather conditions into account. Large vanes will not be affected in the same way indoors and are, in fact, the preferred choice.

The exact size and type of vane you choose is largely down to personal preference but there are a few things to consider first. Large high profile (tall) vanes can cause some difficulty with clearance through the bow. Vane contact is the main cause of tuning issues and arrow flight problems, so watch out for this, though feathers have the advantage over solid vanes here as they will simply fold down upon contact.

Feathers are, however, usually less consistent than plastic vanes and variances between individual feathers are common. They can also be tricky to attach to aluminium arrows which can make fletching difficult, whereas plastic vanes are much more consistent and many come pre-prepared to ensure a quick, solid bond to almost any surface.

You don't have to go mad with vane size in order to get good results. Try a 3-4-inch plastic vane with a medium profile to ensure maximum clearance while providing a good amount of stability and consistency.

Further reading

You can find more advice at Duncan Busby Archery: www.duncanbusbyarchery.com.

Mail bag

Submissions

Write to: Mailbag, Archery UK magazine, Archery GB, Lilleshall National Sports & Conferencing Centre, Newport, Shropshire TF10 9AT

Email: magazine@archerygb.org

Please note we cannot print letters sent to us without a name and address or an email address (although we can withhold the address if you wish). Letters may be edited for publication. Please try to keep them to 250 words if possible. Letters containing personal attacks will not be published. By submitting a letter to Mailbag you understand that, should your letter be selected as the Star Letter, your address will be passed on to Opticron so that the prize can be delivered.

Star Letter

Prize

An IS 60 R 15-45x60 scope by Opticron. Look out for some special offers on the Opticron IS R scope range. For more details go to the Opticron website: http://www.opticron.co.uk/.

Our prize is worth over £270

What do you get for your subs?

I was pleased to see Mark Davies outline the benefits of being a member of Archery GB. As someone who has recently helped to start an archery club two years ago I am passionate about ensuring we do things by the book. Not just because it feels the right thing to do but because of the tangibles and, as Mark pointed out, the intangibles, of being part of a larger community of archers, with Archery GB clearly the pivotal link in that community.

We should all be striving to provide the very best experience for all our archers and being part of Archery GB makes us aware of our responsibilities in delivering high standards, as well as the mechanisms and processes to help us achieve these.

For example, qualified coaches, and where to find the next available course through the AGB network, compliance with range safety to ensure we provide a safe environment at all times, quality assurance and assistance in the form of ontarget, marketing and promotion opportunities such as the Big Weekend, award schemes and, of course, having clear development pathways and competitive opportunities.

Mark of course also highlighted the insurance, safeguarding and volunteer development support AGB offers that are so important for a club to operate successfully and effectively. We found the advice and support from Clubs and Facilities Manager Arran Coggan really useful.

Finally, in respect of the intangibles, just knowing you are part of a bigger family, that there are others working towards the same goals, that you have networks you can access (we have had great support locally from other clubs) that's invaluable. Lonsdale Archers is a small cog in a big wheel but we already have a sustainable financial future with a development plan to continue to grow, safe in the knowledge we have that big network and organisation that AGB represents behind us.

Mark Christie, Lonsdale Archers

Other letters

Use your sight right

I was interested to see the article 'Get Your Sight Right' in the autumn issue. In 1980 I put together a sight adjustment procedure for the national training squads and thought I might add a little more information such as the full mathematical analysis to show how the right correction procedures maintain the group to score most points ie as small as possible and centred on the pinhole. Also, what happens when you use too much adjustment.

We need to remember that, while the linear approximations look good for higher weight arrow velocities, for lower velocities as the trajectory gets more and more 'up and over' the

approximation gets worse and worse. I prefer simple direct measurements. You also need to remember that there are always two corrections (up/down and left/right) to be made.How, when and what correction should you make? Remember that every arrow you shoot (not just the best ones) is a valid sample of your shooting accuracy. Here is an excerpt from my 1980 paper to illustrate a sight correction procedure which uses all the information available from previous shots to keep the group small and centralised on the pinhole.

Group of three

Shoot three arrows without any sight corrections between them. Estimate the centre of the three shots.

Make a sight correction to shift the centre of the three shots to the pin hole. Shoot another three. Estimate the centre of these three shots and make an additional correction of one

half of the amount necessary to bring this centre on to the pin hole.

After the next three arrows, make an adjustment of one third of the correction necessary to centralise the third group.

After the fourth group of three, adjust one quarter of the amount necessary to centralise the fourth group.

And so on.

If you would like to see more, contact me on invermay54@btinternet.com and I can send copies of both papers.

David Lane

Level the playing field

I feel that I should raise the question of the scores needed to obtain classifications from the perspective of older archers. There is little doubt that after the age of 60, the majority of us experience a decline of muscle tone, stamina and, possibly, eyesight. This is not being ageist. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life.

It seems fundamentally unreasonable to expect someone of my age, 66, to have to obtain the same scores to achieve a first class classification as someone in their 20s. I know archers who have given up trying for a higher classification because they are not physically capable of hitting some of the scores required.

In view of the fact that there are already separate classification requirements for women and juniors, surely the time has come for the introduction of separate classification requirements for older archers, particularly in this era of age equality?

Roy Carlo

Why ban blue jeans?

I am sure that this must have been asked before but why is there a ban on blue jeans in competition? We can wear green jeans, black jeans, pink jeans or any other colour in which they are made. We can wear blue satin, blue flannel or any other blue material. I can

understand the ban on camouflage both for safety and aesthetic reasons but blue jeans, which are worn by all strata of society, does not seem to make sense. Is it an outdated rule that should be repealed?

Ray Grant, Forest of Bere Bowmen

Classification: Come on, catch up

Why does Archery GB keep insisting recurve, barebow and longbow are all the same? We are about to start our indoor season and Archery GB still only has classifications for compound and recurve. Various clubs around the country have introduced their own classification systems for longbow and barebow, but still nothing from Archery GB. Come on guys, it's time you caught up with the membership.

Steve Sheffield, Sutton Bowmen

Competition and Events Manager Jon Nott writes:

Classifications for recurve, barebow and longbow has been identified as one of the outcomes from the recent competitions review. Our plan is to set up a working group, involving volunteers with expertise in the various classifications, to conduct a detailed review and make appropriate recommendations for both indoor and outdoor competitions. We aim to identify appropriate classifications for both longbow and barebow within the next 12 months.

Your Pictures

Submissions

If you want to see your handiwork displayed in Archery UK, it couldn't be easier. Simply send your photograph; it must be in jpg format, high resolution and at least 1MB; with details of where you took it to magazine@archerygb.org.

Introduction

Unusual friends, unusual headgear and unusual angles have been your main focus over the past few weeks. And there has been some great news too.

Lucy O'Sullivan

Derek Sizeland is a valued contributor to Archery UK. His pictures of Archery GB events and tournaments have featured regularly over the last few years and, we are very proud to say, his work has now received the recognition it deserves. He submitted a selection of pictures, including this one of Lucy O'Sullivan at a National Series final, to the Royal Photographic Society in Bath and was made a licenciate of the organisation. He can now add the initials LRPS after his name.

Practice night

Mark Christie of Lonsdale Archers sent this unusual angle taken by a sponsor's drone at a practice night.

Come rain or shine we're ready

Meanwhile, up at Balbardie Archers in Scotland, Robyn Geddes could not resist capturing the moment when some of the members tried to find a solution to keeping dry at rainy competitions.

Foxes

Matt Latimer spotted a couple of extra guests during a training night with Lough Cuan Bowmen. As well as reminding us that we all share this space with others, these three photographs shows just how stubborn they can be and that the most unusual things can be mistaken for tasty treats.

Share and share alike

Well I'm not moving

I wonder what it tastes like?

Christmas gift guide

It's that time of year and we all face that age-old question: what can we get that they will actually appreciate? If you are looking for the perfect present for you archer, we have a few ideas:

KG Leather bracers

Available in three different colours and many different designs. Can be personalised with your own image or text. Ideal gift for any archer.

Available from: K G Archery: kgarchery.com.Prices start from: £20

Tru-Ball Reo Wilde Signature Series GOAT

Thumb trigger or back tension release aid that can be set for trigger or hinge activation in 30 seconds. Includes articulated finger pieces which allow you to change between three and four and get the perfect fit.

Available from: T.R.U.ball Archery: www.truball.com .Costs: $344.99.

Egertec fun faces bulk packs

Get ready for Christmas. Ten faces per pack. Laminated, 70cm x 50cm, heavy duty, tear-resistant paper. 50 free Egertec pins. Comes in carry tube.

Available from: Egertec targets www.egertectargets.co.uk.Cost: £19.95.

Last Chance HS2

Newly upgraded. Reads and locks on peak weight, and holding weight, all while drawing your bow. Equipped with LED digital display, comfortable handle and short attachment hook.

Available from: Last Chance Archery www.lastchancearchery.com.

Cost: $55 (around £41).

The Archer

The Beverley Archer, a great little piece of medieval English craftsmanship. The fine detail of the original has been captured in an excellent cast resin reproduction designed to be hung on display.

Available from Shire Archery: www.shirearchery.co.uk.Costs: £12.50.

Target bobble hat

Hand-made target design knitted bobble hat. Perfect for all outdoor archers. One size fits all.

Available from Aardvark archery: www.aardvarkarchery.co.uk.Costs £9.99.

Nitro Strings

Used by beginners and British, European and World record holders, Hand-crafted in the UK to the highest standards of performance. Available in single colour, two-tone or rainbow (by special order).

Available from Custom Built Archery: www.custombuiltarchery.com.Costs: up to £25.

Mybo Edge

Made in the UK, the Mybo Edge draws on a depth of knowledge and first-hand experience from world class archers, combined with decades of compound bow manufacturing expertise. Packed with features, including ergonomic grip, straight and level knocking point travel, 7075 alloy riser, optimised modular cam system and limb tuner block.

Available from Merlin Archery: www.merlinarchery.co.uk.Costs: £1,195.

Complete Tower Jig Kit

Great for clubs and families. Fletch all three vanes/feathers simultaneously with perfect spacing and maximum adhesion.  Includes clamps for straight, 1-degree offset, 3-degrees helical, 2-degrees right-wing and left-wing feathers and spin-wings.

Available from Bohning: www.bohning.com.Costs: £100.

Eger takedown field bow

Features the Kaiser screw fitting limb, providing customised fit between the riser and limbs for an elegant and unified look. The Bubinga and Amazaque wood riser is attractive, durable and warp resistant.

Available from The Archery Shop: thearcheryshop.co.uk.Costs: £429.99.

Tophat mesh snapback cap

The perfect accessory for all the bow junkies out there to make them look good on and off the range.

Available from TopHat ® Archery: www.tophatarchery.com.Costs: around £17.60.

DS-Archery Ultra HD adjustable binocular strap

Hand-made, heavy duty, super adjustable and with extra wide straps making them robust and comfortable to use.

Available from The Archery Company: www.thearcherycompany.com.Costs: £39.95.

UltraView bow grips

Compatible with modlar gripped Hoyt target line products, including Podium, Hyper Edge, Prevail and Pro Force. The higher grip angle relaxes forearm muscles by positioning knuckles in front of the wrist joint translating to a softer more controlled aim.

Available from Wales Archery: walesarchery.com.Costs: £34 for target grips and £59 for parallel bow grips.

Win & Win cat arrow puller

The perfect Christmas gift for cat lovers and archers with smaller hands. Comes with a clip so it can be attached to your quiver.

Available from In-Range Archery: inrangearchery.co.uk.Costs: £5.95.

LimbSaver arrow puller

Moulds around and tightly grips any size arrow shaft when squeezed. Slip-proof comfortable handle design, Included lanyard.

Available from Quicks Archery: www.quicksarchery.co.uk.Costs: £8.46.

Bowrap Arrow Stickers/Decals

Personalised arrow decals available in many colours. Each set has two sets numbered 1-12 and 10 unnumbered spares.

Available from Bowrap Archery Customisation: www.bowrap.com.Costs: £9.95.

Bitzenburger fletching jig

Used by major manufacturers around the world. Quality simplicity, design for when precision is needed.

Available from main archery retailers and Bitzenburger: www.bitzenburger.com .Costs: around £97.

Opticron MM3 60 spotting scope

The latest evolution of the travelscope concept delivers bright, sharp images in a lightweight, compact package supplied with 16-48x zoom eyepiece.

Available from Opticron: http://www.opticron.co.uk/.Costs: from £329.

Archery for Beginners Guidebook

Beautifully illustrated, easy to follow and packed with basic information on technique, equipment, scoring and competition. Perfect for any archer taking their first steps in the sport.

Available from Clickers Archery Ltd: www.clickersarchery.co.uk.Costs: £7.99.

CentreShot target and stand

Avalon's light foam target and portable stand. Usually sold separately. Would make a great Christmas gift. 10 per cent off until 31 December.

Available from Centre Shot: www.centreshot.co.uk.Costs: £48.24.

Bohning Zen Vane

New, for indoor target. Solves clearance issues on large diameter arrows. Height: 0.37" (9.4mm). Length: 4" (101.6mm). Weight: 12.5 grains. Maximum shaft: 27.

Available from Bohning: www.bohning.com.Costs: A 36-pk retails for approximately $13.99.

Strela custom arrows

Custom arrows to complement your new bow or next tournament-winning set. Truly tailored for a unique identity.

Available from Adrian Hayes Longbows: www.adrianhayeslongbows.com.Costs: £100 inc VAT.

Coach Kim seminar

Korean Olympic Coach Kim Hyung Tak will be giving a two-day seminar at Warwick University on 30-31 March 2019. Visit the Aim 4 Sport website (www.aim4sport.com) for information and prices.

Danage Domino Powerstop

A great way to prolong the life of your target, on a Danage Target it can increase the cube life by up to 30%, the Powerstop also gives extra stopping power in the wet. Whilst the picture shows the Power Stop in use on a Danage Target, it will also work on any square foam target using a 4 Leg Target Stand. It can be used either direct on to the Target Stand, or with the Danage Powerstop Hangers shown in use in the picture which are available as an extra at a cost of £7.95.

Available from Clickers Archery Ltd: www.clickersarchery.co.uk.Costs: £110.00 plus carriage.

Import Duty and VAT:

Please be aware that if you order goods online from an overseas supplier, which have to be imported into the UK, you are likely to find yourselves liable for both Import Duty and VAT on top of the original retail cost.

Competition: HM Archery targets

Known for their quality and endurance, Brighton-based HM Archery's targets are lightweight, easy to move with special webbing straps, damp and waterproof and, more importantly, do not damage arrows.

The replaceable cores can withstand up to 10,000 arrows and do not mark because the elastic construction expands back to its original form and muffles arrow sound.

But are the targets, available from H M Archery (hmarchery.co.uk) any good? We asked Pennine Archers to put the Round I-5 model to the test. They used all bow types, compound, recurve, barebow and longbow, and this is what they said:

Stops 60-pound compound arrows. Easy to pull from the foam and the soft memory foam spots.

Stops arrows well (shooting 59-pound compound and axis FMJ.) The yellow foam seems to be self-healing and works well.

Easy to move and set up.

Interesting target, found arrows easier to pull out of the yellow, quieter all round, easier to move. Great.

Great to shoot at and if the arrows are in the yellow much easier to remove. Altogether a nice target.

So now, the big question is: Do any of you want to win a HM Archery 12 spot indoor target?

It measures 27cm x 80cm x 102cm, has 12 replaceable cores, costs £334 to buy and has a lifespan of up to five years. All you have to do is answer one simple question:

Where is HM Archery based?

Send your answers, along with your name, address, club and membership number, to magazine@archerygb.org by 14 December 2018. Please mark your entries HM Archery competition and keep your fingers crossed.

Rules

Please be aware: By entering this competition you understand that, should you win, your contact details will be shared with HM Archery. Employees of Archery GB or HM Archery Professional Archery Targets and their immediate families are not eligible to enter this competition. Only one entry per archer will be counted. Closing date: 14 December 2018. The prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer; terms and conditions apply and it is not transferable. A cash alternative is not available. The winner must be willing to take part in post-competition publicity. Entrants aged under 18 must have their parents' or guardians' permission to take part. The judge’s decision is final.

News Extra

£600 for a worthy cause

Banbridge Archery Club might not have been able to hold its annual festive charity shoot, but that has not stopped members raising cash for a worthy cause.

Every year the names of favourite charities go into a hat and three are drawn out. Members then vote and this year CRY, Cardiac Risk in the Young, was successful.

Raffles were held at the Castle Arrowhead Shoot, the Ulster 3D Championships and the Challenge Arrowhead Shoot and raised a total of £600 which Treasurer Rachael McComb handed over to CRY representative Ian McCall.

Still going strong

Sixty years ago, archery sessions at an adult education centre in Kent led to the formation of Lamorby Park Archers. The club is still going strong and has been celebrating its diamond jubilee with cake, presentation mugs, club badges and a special anniversary shoot.

The club, which began life at the Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, specialises in recurve and longbow. It runs four beginners' courses every year, as well a variety of tournaments. Among its most popular are the annual open Crecy clout tournament and the open medieval-themed Knights Challenge novelty shoot, which comes complete with life-size 3D targets.

A sound investment

When Mandy Woolley decided she wanted to compete in the British Transplant Games, Bitton Archers were happy to sponsor her with a place on a beginner's course. It proved a solid investment; she came home with a gold medal in the beginners section for archery as well as a bronze for shotput.

Archery GB

From the Chief Executive

Keeping people within our sport for longer is, perhaps, Archery GB's top priority. We spend much of our time supporting and developing clubs, competition and coaching opportunities to improve the quality of your archery experience.

Archery in the UK is powered by volunteers within our network of clubs and it is these people that make the archery experience so great for all those involved. This is your sport. You hold the expertise. That is why we are asking members to consider becoming Club Ambassadors, Mentors or, if you are aged between 11 and 24, Young Ambassadors. If you are passionate about archery and want to help others enjoy its benefits, we will make sure you have the skills and all the resources you need.

We are also setting up special interest groups for archers aged 55-plus, women and girls, children and young people and disabilities. We are looking for pro-active volunteers with a mixture of experiences, backgrounds and different lengths of involvement in archery to make sure our activities are fit for purpose and, where necessary, change perceptions and behaviours.

Why are we doing this? One reason is feedback we received from the youngest delegate at our most recent Strategic Advisory Group meeting. He said that 16 to 25-year-olds often have a very limited awareness of what AGB offers and support, a view confirmed by our research. That has to change. We're working very hard on that and believe we have made a good start with the Young Ambassadors scheme. That is why these roles are so important.

We want to give you the best possible experience and, for that, we need you to help us to achieve this goal.

One of the high points of the past few weeks has been the success of the online membership renewal process. I would like to thank members, club secretaries and all staff involved for making it such a smooth process. We have also recently played host to, and developed a good relationship with, student archers from the Korean National Sports University, as well as holding talks at Lilleshall with the Chairman of UK Sport, Dame Katherine Grainger.

As we enter the festive season, we are proud to announce that World Archery photographer Dean Alberga is to repeat his highly successful workshop here in March. Be sure to get your name down for that.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Neil Armitage

Chief Executive

Join our Case Management team

Do you want to play a vital role supporting our sport's case management? If the answer is yes, we are inviting you to apply to join our Case Management Team.

The positions available are on our Case Management Panel and as part of those who sit on our Disciplinary and Appeal Panels.

We need to maintain a balance of skills, knowledge and experience among Case Management Team members. Archery GB's diversity policy complies with the Government's Code for Sports Governance and we welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

Successful candidates will get training. There are more details about the application process as well as the skills, knowledge and experience we are looking for under Safeguarding on the website. Select case management opportunities from the drop-down menu. For an informal chat give Freddie Collier, Archery GB's Head of Ethics and Integrity, a call on 01952 677888.

Records and achievements

Records

World records: Flight

English Longbow, Junior Women

Hannah Mason, Unlimited, 225.88 Hannah Mason, 50 lbs, 234.14

American Longbow, Junior Women

Hannah Mason, Unlimited, 272.46 Hannah Mason, 50 lbs, 260.70

English Longbow, Men

Antony Bakes, 35 lbs, 237.83

UK Para records: Target Outdoor

Compound, Women W1

Victoria Rumary, WA 1440, 1256 Victoria Rumary, Hereford, 1170

Recurve, Women Open

Hazel Chaisty, Hereford, 1126

Recurve, Men Open

Ken Hargreaves, WA 1440, 1112 Paul Browne, WA 70m, 631

Compound, VI 1

Roger Rees-Evans, WA 1440, 448

UK records: Target Outdoor Metric

Recurve, Junior Ladies

Harriet Crook, Double Metric V, 2581 Hannah Evans, Short Metric II, 638 Abigail Creese, Metric 80-30, 471

Recurve, Junior Gentlemen

Brogan Burke, Short Metric IV, 610

Compound Unlimited, Junior Ladies

Caitlin Raffan, Long Metric IV, 692 Sophie Meyrick, Short Metric III, 704 Isabella Bruguier, Short Metric V, 688

Compound Unlimited, Junior Gentlemen

Oliver Minter, Short Metric II, 601 Ioan Rees, Short Metric IV, 701

Barebow, Junior Ladies

Phoebe Rose, Metric III, 1162 Phoebe Rose, Long Metric III, 570 Freya Healy, Short Metric II, 367 Freya Healy, Short Metric I, 295 Phoebe Rose, 50m distance (122cm face), 282

Barebow, Junior Gentlemen

Ryan Murray, Long Metric I, 309 Loyd Kinniburgh, Long Metric III, 354 David Lavender, Short Metric II, 404 Ifan Wheeler, Short Metric III, 478

Longbow, Junior Ladies

Niamh Chalmers, Gents WA 1440, 160 Niamh Chalmers, WA 70m, 194 Rosie Elliott, WA 70m, 142 Niamh Chalmers, Long Metric (Gents), 81 Jennifer Cuthbertson, Long Metric II, 298 Molly Joyce, Long Metric V, 466 Amethyst Chopping, Short Metric IV, 377 Jennifer Cuthbertson, 60m distance (122cm face), 141 Molly Joyce, 20m distance (122cm face), 270 Kerry Stringer, Metric 80-30, 216

Longbow, Ladies

Sheila Hudson, Ladies WA 1440/Metric I, 854 Sheila Hudson, 70m distance (122cm face), 296 Sheila Hudson, Short Metric, 477

UK records: Target Outdoor Imperial

Recurve, Junior Ladies

Georgia Green, Windsor, 908

Barebow, Junior Ladies

Emily Summers, Short Junior Western, 744 Becky Chilcott, National, 416 Jennifer Cuthbertson, Bristol II, 696 Jennifer Cuthbertson, Bristol II, 616

Barebow, Junior Gentlemen

Zeyd Ajraou, Junior National, 506

Barebow, Ladies

Sheila Hudson, Double York, 813 Sheila Hudson, York, 463 Sheila Hudson, St George, 402 Sheila Hudson, Long National, 330

UK records: Flight

Recurve Target Bow, Junior Ladies

Caitlin Leverett, Class A Unlimited, 303 Caitlin Leverett, Class A 50 lbs, 307

Recurve Target Bow, Gentlemen

Michael Willrich, Class A Unlimited, 622 Tony Osborn, Class A 35 lbs, 482 Tony Osborn, Class A 35 lbs, 464

Longbow, Junior Ladies

Hannah Mason, Class D Unlimited, 247 Hannah Mason, Class D Unlimited, 240 Hannah Mason, Class D 50 lbs, 256 Hannah Mason, Class D 50 lbs, 232

Longbow, Gentlemen

Antony Bakes, Class D 35 lbs, 260

Crossbow, Junior Ladies

Katy Skinner, Class E Unlimited, 332

Crossbow, Gentlemen

Brian Todd, Class E Unlimited, 711 Brian Todd, Class E Unlimited, 673

Compound Flight Bow, Gentlemen

Tony Osborn, Class F 60 lbs, 1109

American Flatbow, Junior Ladies

Hannah Mason, Class G Unlimited, 297 Hannah Mason, Class G Unlimited, 277 Hannah Mason, Class G 50 lbs, 285

American Flatbow, Gentlemen

Brian Todd, Class G 50 lbs, 370 Brian Todd, Class G 50 lbs, 350 Ian Norwood, Class G 35 lbs, 303

UK records: Clout

Barebow, Junior Ladies

Katherine Comina, Double Metric Clout 125m, 294 Katherine Comina, Single Metric Clout 125m, 154

Longbow, Ladies

Roz Summers, Double Metric Clout 165m, 179 Roz Summers, Single Metric Clout 165m, 97 Katrina Horton, Single Metric Clout 125m, 151

Longbow, Gentlemen

Richard Summers, Double Metric Clout 165m, 280

UK records: Field

Recurve, Junior Gentlemen

Joe Fairburn, WA Unmarked Red, 349

Compound Unlimited, Junior Gentlemen

Theo Milligan, WA Combined White, 678 Theo Milligan, WA Unmarked White, 336 Theo Milligan, WA Marked White, 342

Achievements: Target Archery

Grand Master Bowman

Recurve

Louisa Piper, Woking Ryan Pinder, Radnor Kate Dunnighan, Cleadon Kayleigh Ivanov, Balbardie David Timmins, Oxford Sally Gilder, Evesham Antony Wood, C M O

Compound

Adam Shaw, Cleve Mike Aubrey, Pendle and Samlesbury Elizabeth Foster, Durham Uni Mike Parvess, Rivernook Liam Goodes, Burnham Susan Corless, Northampton Matthew Tuck, Woking Richard Kerr, Chippenham Michael Kells, Swan Carl Richards, Meriden Sarah Prieels, Edinburgh Uni Alistair Whittingham, Edinburgh Uni Oskars Lock, York

Barebow

Sarah Hubbard, Wymondham Karen Atkins, Bowflights

Longbow

Julie Cousins, Pastures Cliff Gadd, Archery GB Melanie Fretwell, Aequus Terry Ives, Canford Magna Lynn Young, Riverside Martin Jordan, Chantry

Master Bowman

Recurve

David Hunter, Assheton David Nicholas, Junction Rebecca Stephenson, Rochdale Saira Chaudhry, Exeter Eleanor Brug, Cambridge Uni Hannah Burnage, Uni of Warwick Susi Atkinson, Ascham Petra Ginman, Ditchling Gillian Imrie, Penicuik Helen Faulkner, Lincoln Emily Bryant, Derwent Gilbert Jamieson, Balbardie Samuel Hallard, Rugby Ben Trudgill, Uni of Exeter Anne Smith, The Foxes

Jonathan Dyke, Llantarnam Wendie King, Mayflower Jackie Fisher, Balbardie Lisa Gray, Guernsey Sherman Ip, Uni of Warwick Mark Smith, Archery GB Kayleigh Baylis, Llantarnam

Compound

Carol Smith, Fosse Eric Mallet, Abbey (Essex) Joshua James Moore, Hingham Becc Keith, Aycliffe Nathan Warr, Southampton Andrew Scott, Redruth Jenny Bryan, Sherwood Lewis Haslam, Anchor Sophie Meyrick, Andover Rhys Harper, Lancaster Uni Steven James, Cleadon Paul Wark, Chippenham Carlos Bolou, Allington Aaron Bainton, St Mary's Oliver Clayton-Smith, Fosse Steven Gill, LAOFAC Mark Speight, Cleadon Mark Humphries, Cleve Tipaporn Walker, Atkins Marek Pawlik, The Fort David Bramley, Derwent Lee Grace, Wight Alan Blogg, Heugh Zoe Gray, Guernsey Paul Pinder, Radnor Alex Taylor, Sittingbourne Bernie Dicks, Bramcote

Barebow

Karen Lott, Farnham Danny Hickman, Swan Rachel Hemmings, Wellington Mary Louca, St Neots Cathy Wang, Royal Richmond Imogen Bannister, Derwent Sheila Ovenell, Sutton Angus Wilson, Woking Karen Atkins, Bowflights

Longbow

Sandie Graham, Balbardie

Steve Watts, Stalybridge Martin Jordan, Chantry Hamish Freeman, Assheton Chris Ellis, High Weald Harriet Rutledge, Atkins Chris Chopping, Exmouth Louise Thomas, Hingham Mary Watson, Peacock Seth Neill, Redruth Jude Lane, Eccles Trevor West, Chantry

Junior Master Bowman U18

Recurve

Hannah Evans, Burleigh Anna Perkins, Cleve Louisa Piper, Woking Eleanor Cole, Royal Richmond Rebecca Randall, Fosse Molly Peters, Deer Park Louisa Piper, Woking James Woodgate, Woking

Compound

Liana Perry, Oxford Ellie Outram, Archery GB Laura Wright, Wisbech Grammar

Barebow

Becky Chilcott, Audco Sarah Idziaszczyk, Castle

Longbow

Jennifer Cuthbertson, Killingworth

Junior Master Bowman U16

Recurve

Eleanor Rochelle, Wilford

Heather Donlon, Wigan and Orrell Stephen O'Connor, Trackside Florence Levitt, Peacock Kathryn Taylor, Meriden Harry Tapp, ArcheryGB Morgan Taylor, Guernsey Rhiannon Easton, Noak Hill Louisa Piper, Woking Mollie Perrett, Jersey Zara Ahmad, Southfields Marco Costanza, Cleve Leah Ferriday, Bowbrook Jessica Hammond, Laleham

Compound

Aidan Elves, Kirton in Lindsey Aimee Davis, West Essex Jenny Bryan, Sherwood Holly Hunter, High Weald Lewis Haslam, Anchor Hannah Stocks, Danum

Barebow

Imogen Colenutt, Deer Park

Longbow

William Thomas, Hingham

Junior Master Bowman U14

Recurve

Robbie Gillman, Audco Luke English, Phoenix William Liversidge, Green Dragon Alexandra Cornfield, Ivanhoe John Smart, Thirsk Emelia Belshaw, Burleigh Hannah Devlin, Warfield Alysia Ashton, Isle of Man Ella Clampin, West Essex Harriet Crook, South Wansdyke Alice Simpson, Chessington Hayden White, Southfields Finlay Heydon, Goldcrest Lidia Stamp, Llandaff City

Isabelle Haslam, Anchor Jodie Buckner, Overton Eleanor Ware, Clophill Holly Seaton, Rutland Laura Eyres, Beeston Rylands Ben Weston, Llantarnam

Compund

Chloe A'Bear, Deer Park Dru Ridding, Millom Alex Parker, Deer Park Tony Tatum, Walker

Barebow

Emily Summers, Deer Park

Junior Master Bowman U12

Recurve

Sophie Roberts, Peacock Samuel Gulvin, Noak Hill Jonathan Ralston, Largs Anna Blythe, Wilford

Compound

Jessica Pollitt, Cheshire Chloe Scott, Redruth Alfie Ridding, Millom

WA Star

Recurve

Red (1300)

Kate Dunnighan, Cleadon, 1302

Blue (1200)

Rebecca Stephenson, Rochdale, 1225 Rachel Moon, Archery GB, 1224 Enrik Nako, Uni of Warwick, 1216

Saira Chaudhry, Exeter, 1210 Ben Trudgill, Uni of Exeter, 1204 Jackie Fisher, Balbardie, 1202 David Nicholas, Junction, 1201 James Jeffs, Uni of Warwick, 1200

Black (1100)

Adam Dawkins, Derbyshire, 1196 Darran Lowe, Sherwood, 1158 Ken Hargreaves, Killingworth, 1158 Jodie Green, Ditchling, 1148 Gary Lahiffe, Lichfield, 1148 Luke Frearson, Uni of Nottingham, 1139 Debbie Geddes, Lethen, 1137 Lauren Rawlings, Bowbrook, 1124 Elizabeth Eyres, Beeston Rylands, 1106 Rhian Costall, Archery GB, 1101 Antonios Katris, Bannockburn, 1101 Georgia Green, Six Towns, 1100

White (1000)

Darren Ratcliffe, Six Towns, 1079 Ellen Jones, Oxford Uni, 1064 Michael Burdett, Selby, 1063 Andrew Massey, Stalybridge, 1058 Michael Ramsden, Burton Joyce, 1052 Allan Horne, Noak Hill, 1038 Aron Maher, Oakfield, 1030 Alice Cooper, Bourne 55, 1028 Stephen Wilkinson, Pennine, 1025 Steve Kelley, Goldcrest, 1024 Sathish Kumar Kannan, South Bucks, 1024 Richard Jones, Chelmsford, 1023 Diana Woodwards, Wallingford, 1016 Claire Hart, Redruth, 1012

Compound

Gold (1350)

Jenny Bryan, Sherwood, 1360 Jessica Nilsson, Edinburgh Uni Alumni, 1357 Andrew Brooks, Six Towns, 1355 James Beckett, Bowbrook, 1354 Oskars Lock, York, 1353 Stewart Stanger, Orkney, 1350 Anne Rutland, Wyre Forest, 1350

Red (1300)

Jessica Nilsson, Edinburgh Uni Alumni, 1344

Chris Groom, Supermarine, 1328 Gerald Farrell, Mere, 1327 Emma Winning, Phoenix (Essex), 1319 Paul Honour, Great Rissington, 1317 Tony Sisson, Selby, 1315 Joshua Mitchell, Lethen, 1308 Timothy Jackson, Uni of Warwick, 1303

Blue (1200)

Matthew Neve, Perriswood, 1289 Karen Ratcliffe, Six Towns, 1261 Michael Burrows, Guernsey, 1258 Victoria Rumary, Lincoln, 1256 Aimee Davis, West Essex, 1240 Michael Hare, Fox, 1237 Peter Sanderson, Belvoir, 1234 Christopher Hole, Burnham, 1233 John Ellis, Southampton, 1227 Darren Poyser, Burton Joyce, 1219 Teresa Ramsden, Burton Joyce, 1204 Tony Cooper, Norton, 1200

White (1000)

David Cable, Southend and District, 1056 Norman McColl, Blackburn, 1051

WA Silver Star

Recurve

Blue (1200)

Hannah Devlin, Warfield, 1264 Riley Spencer-Nice, Deer Park, 1233 Molly Peters, Deer Park, 1217

Black (1100)

Georgia Green, ArcheryGB, 1175 Lauren Rawlings, Bowbrook, 1158 Abigail Creese, Andover, 1154

White (1000)

Jordan James, Soar Valley, 1088 Kay Howard, St Helens, 1078 Rebecca Randall, Fosse, 1045 Joshua Inglis, Silver Spoon, 1043

Compound

Gold (1350)

Ellie Outram, Archery GB, 1358

Red (1300)

Paige Jones, Belvoir, 1318 Dillon Crow, Cleadon, 1318

Blue (1200)

James Frankum, West Wight, 1276

Black (1100)

Ian Le Page, Guernsey, 1180

White (1000)

David Inglis, Guernsey, 1098 Oliver Easton, Grimsby, 1068

WA Target

Recurve

Blue

Hannah Burnage, Uni of Warwick, 622 Ken Hargreaves, Killingworth, 622 Lucy Nicholas, Junction, 610 David Nicholas, Junction, 609 Alec Hodgkinson, Llantarnam, 607 Helen Faulkner, Lincoln, 604 Jacob Boden, ArcheryGB, 601

Black

Ken Hargreaves, Killingworth, 598 Michal Twarowski, London, 576 Robert Caldeira-Hankey, Cody, 565 Michael Lewis, Bebington, 565 Susi Atkinson, Ascham, 561 Matthew David, Bradford, 559 Michael Burdett, Selby, 558 Kin Cheung, Darwen, 554 Andrew Collins, The Foxes, 550

White

David Berrill, Chippenham, 547 Richard Ingram, Heugh, 540 Dmytro Petryshche, Lancaster, 537 Adam Banks, Uni of Exeter,530 John Fryearson, Bebington, 527 Michael Lewis, Bebington, 527 Shelagh Cusack, Junction, 526 Jay Broughton-Cripps, Belvoir, 517 Helen McCormick, Lisburn City, 511 Stephen Nash, Kirby Muxloe, 501 Simon Sykes, Durham City, 500

Compound

Gold

Richard Mill, Hingham, 684 Andrew Scott, Redruth, 680 Chris Groom, Supermarine, 678

Red

Sophie Meyrick, Andover, 669 Gerald Farrell, Mere, 658 Timothy Jackson, Uni of Warwick, 658 Michael Platkiw, Burton Joyce, 656

Blue

Sinead Byrne, Ballyvally, 649 Jonathan Howard, St Helens, 625 Hallie Boulton, Pendle and Samlesbury, 625 Katrina McIntosh, Swan, 624 Shaun Bettles, Sleaford, 622 Peter Watkins, Lincoln, 616 John Ellis, Southampton, 610 Hannah Powe, LAOFAC, 610 Jay Saunderson, City Of Belfast, 600 Darren Poyser, Burton Joyce, 600

Black

Jay Saunderson, City Of Belfast, 596 Stephen Ramdeen, Royal Richmond, 593 Peter Dawson, Lytchett, 581 Ken Hargreaves, Killingworth, 580 Anthony Peacock, Heugh, 580 Samantha Mansell, Redhill, 578 Christopher Hole, Burnham, 576

White

Robert Ede Cooper, Burton Joyce, 599 Amanda Berrill, Chippenham, 546 Amanda Davidson, Lincoln, 529 Alfie Ridding, Millom, 511 Steph Probert, Morecambe Bay, 503

Barebow

Blue

Thomas McComb, Banbridge, 602

Black

Thomas McComb, Banbridge, 577

WA Silver Target

Blue

Marco Costanza, Cleve, 623

Black

Megan Bryer, City Of Belfast, 595 Charlie Medhurst, Redhill, 572 Lauren Rawlings, Bowbrook, 561

White

Kay Howard, St Helens, 521 Mollie Perrett, Jersey, 505 Asha Orme, Supermarine, 500

Rose Awards

Recurve

Red

Kayleigh Ivanov, Balbardie, 1156 Collette Webster, Aber, 1130 Ian Davie, Farnham, 1124 Finlay Heydon, Goldcrest, 1114

Blue

Stephen Lamb, Sherwood, 1058 Adam Dawkins, Derbyshire, 1052 Izabela Booth, Long Mynd, 1051 Henry Yuen, Southfields, 1047 Ken Hargreaves, Killingworth, 1036 James Jackson, Uni of Sussex, 1031 Stephane Lericolais, Huddersfield, 1025 Luke Frearson, Uni of Nottingham, 1022 Debbie Geddes, Lethen, 1022 Sean McKeag, St Georges, 1012 Amy Nairn, Beeston Rylands, 1009 Garry Partington, Rochdale, 1006 Anke Hannemann, City of Cambridge, 1005 Darran Lowe, Sherwood, 1003 Shirley Beddoes, Crystal Palace, 1000 William Croydon, Loughborough, 1000

Black

Allan Horne, Noak Hill, 998 Andrea Clarke, Furness, 991 Errol Barnett, Leaves Green, 986 Stephen List, Fort Purbrook, 984 Karen Relton, Heugh, 973 Lyall Storey, New Century, 970 Harriet Kelsey, Warfield, 969 Nick Baines, Black Prince, 968 Jonathan Dent, Morecambe Bay, 965 Alexandria English, Phoenix, 964 Ian Hursham, West Essex, 964 Serena Lamb, Sherwood, 960 Kirsty Falcus, Uni of Nottingham, 960 Ollie Hurdle, Nottingham Trent Uni, 957 Sharon Kennedy, Pendle and Samlesbury, 956 June Houghton, Keswick, 929 Steve Huff, Welbeck, 922 Luke Frearson, Archery GB, 921 Elizabeth Ferguson, Aire Valley, 916 Elizabeth Kellingley, Uni of Brighton, 908

White

Sarah Warner, Birstall, 898 James Clark, Crieff, 887 Michael Lewis, Bebington, 885 Lizzie Elmer, Uni of Nottingham, 883 Paul Nicholson, Norton, 882 Clare Stimson, Hingham, 881 Jodie Green, Ditchling, 878 Claire Smith, High Weald, 870

Ella Caldeira-Hankey, Cody, 867 Sophie Goodwin, Uni of Nottingham, 859 Debra Ashworth, New Century, 854 David Inglis, Silver Spoon, 850 Daniel McArthur, Sellafield, 849 David Matthews, Bruntwood, 837 Michael Ramsden, Burton Joyce, 837 Danielle Seery, Goldcrest, 835 Simon Heydecker, Solihull, 818 Kin Cheung, Darwen, 818 James Drew, Norton, 816 Daniel Coe, Ely, 814 Jennifer Sanderson, Furness, 813 Jonathon Mylchreest, Goldcrest, 810 Jane Hodgson, Nonsuch, 809

Compound

Purple

James Beckett, Bowbrook, 1256 Michal Trojek, Eagle, 1250 Ruth Watson, Andover, 1250

Red

Robyn Geddes, Lethen, 1226 Liana Perry, Oxford, 1176 Katrina McIntosh, Swan, 1176 Megan Lisle, Green Lane, 1172 Victoria Rumary, Lincoln, 1170 Stephen Colledge, Ivanhoe, 1147 Jay Kevany, Archery GB, 1144 David Harding, R J D, 1141 Aimee Davis, West Essex, 1140 Jack Atkinson, Cambridge Uni, 1132 Tracy Reece, Llandaff City, 1130 Justin Hazelden, Dover Castle, 1124 Matthew Neve, Perriswood, 1120 Andrew Jones, Grimsby, 1118 Rikki Teml, Tockington, 1114 Andrew Woodger, Laleham AC, 1110 Susan Thompson, Corus Deeside, 1108 Teresa Ramsden, Burton Joyce, 1106 Alex Dearden, Rochdale,1106 Scott Jamieson, Strathclyde Uni, 1104

Blue

Richard Archer, Long Buckby, 1096 Charles Johnson, Jolly of H and W, 1095 Lorraine Alcock, Hingham, 1092 Matthew Fury,New Century, 1038

Michael Hall, Ponteland 1012 John Charwin, Rayleigh Town, 1002 Steph Probert, Morecambe Bay, 1000 Judith Stolzenburg, Pentref, 1000

Black

Richard Archer, Long Buckby, 995 Robert Ede Cooper, Burton Joyce, 988 Rebecca Ashworth, New Century, 986 Steph Probert, Morecambe Bay, 978 Thomas Hogg, Ramsey Ravens, 974 Helen Sharpe, Wellingborough, 972 David Cable, Southend and District, 964 Darren Poyser, Burton Joyce, 941 Christine Marshall, Wellingborough, 912 Michelle Reeves, Parkfield, 910

White

Martin Fitzsimons, Heugh, 894

Barebow

Black

Carol-Anne Seez, Penicuik, 923 Monika Renata Feterlich, Southfields, 904

Longbow

Black

Mary Watson, Peacock, 357 Stephen Williams, The Longbow, 342 Ada Newell, Kendal, 321

Junior Rose Awards

Recurve

Gold

Jodie Buckner, Overton, 1236 Hannah Fox, Burton Constable, 1226 Katie Tonkinson, The Audco, 1212 Anna Blythe, Wilford ,1202 Eleanor Stott, Huddersfield, 1202 Heather Hughes, Nethermoss, 1201

Red

Benjamin Moir, Braintree, 1185 Yusuf Ali, Leicester, 1181 Eleanor Ware, Clophill, 1176 Jonathan Ralston, Irvine, 1170 Charlie Medhurst, Redhill, 1169 Esme Ryan, Kirby Muxloe, 1157 Lucie Matthews, Corby, 1136 Arwen Lynette Blacklock, Llantarnam, 1135 Jack Middleton, Redhill, 1115 Michaela Fairey, Aequus, 1114 Lily Jane Priestnal, Isle of Man, 1110 Bethan Loh, Darwen, 1104 Ella Perring, Wallingford, 1104

Blue

Rhys Morrillo, Winnington, 1098 Georgia Green, Archery GB, 1091 Nimue Steytler, Supermarine, 1087 Matthew Eyre, Burton Bridge, 1086 Mirran Yule, Balbardie, 1077 Alexandra Currums, Bebington, 1070 Sophie Roberts, Peacock 1065 Damian Needs, Green Lane, 1057 Sarah Khaled, Southfields, 1042 Ella Perring, Wallingford, 1034 Carys Webster, The Castle, 1030 Luke English, Phoenix,1029 Lucy Goman, Six Villages, 1028 Abigail Edwards, Royal Richmond, 1023 Isabella D'Abbraccio, Eastbourne, 1018 Arwen Lynette Blacklock, Llantarnam, 1002

Black

Samuel Moir, Braintree, 996 Cheyanne Ferreday, Invictus, 987 Damian Needs, Green Lane, 981 Toby Wiggin, Audco, 970 Toby Young Isle of Man, 966 Jasper Watts, Peacock, 946 Sofia Hursham, West Essex, 944 Abi Mara, Rayleigh Town, 943 Patrick Newell, Kendal, 943 Joseph Watson, Duston, 936 Katy Westwood, A C Delco, 915 Adam English, Phoenix, 907

White

Nathan Bach, Ivanhoe, 891

Eryn Jack, Monklands, 888 Jack Keen, Redhill, 887 Freija Guntripp, Evesham, 887 Allan Speirs, Monklands, 881 Eleni Spanou, Redhill, 881 Lucy Coutts, Largs, 863 Paige Grieveson, Cleadon, 847 Juliet Malbon, Archery GB, 844 Amber Knowles, Meriden, 822 Giovana Raupp, Darwen, 818 Katy Westwood, AC Delco, 817

Compound

Purple

Caitlin Raffan, Milnes High, 1264 James Tocher, Monklands, 1264 Jessica Pollitt, Cheshire County, 1262 Isabella Bruguier, Crystal Palace, 1258

Gold

Laura Wright, Wisbech Grammar, 1246 Euan Pride, Milnes High, 1240 Dillon Crow, Cleadon, 1210 Jessica Pollitt, Cheshire County, 1209

Blue

Ethan Steytler, Supermarine, 1087 Abbie-Leigh Taylor, Killingworth, 1067

Black

Archie Bromley, Raunds, 975

White

Maisie Hailes, Wellingborough, 847 Sarah Grace Richardson, Beacon (Cumbria), 842 Davina Forward, Eastbourne, 835

Barebow

Blue

Anna Baylis, Riverside, 1072 Emily Summers, Deer Park, 1000

Black

Eleanor Macdonald, Borderghost, 931

White

Tom Wiggin, Audco, 876 Loyd Kinniburgh, Milnes High, 848 Becky Chilcott, Audco, 845 Mia Mcguane, Sittingbourne, 835 Tammy Stanton, Sittingbourne, 800

Longbow

Purple

Alexandra Lockett, Elswood, 856

Blue

Hannah Wells, Lace Town, 422

6 Gold End: Senior

Recurve

Rob Plenderleith, Meriden Monique Pascall, Wolverhampton Callum Platt, Meriden Archery Stuart MacFarquhar, Southampton Uni Luke Frearson, Uni of Nottingham Georgia Georgiou, Royal Leamington Spa Ben Trudgill Uni of Exeter Rachel Gornall, 1066 Archery Alexander Thomas, Cleve Eleonore Cossade, Oxford Debbie Geddes, Lethen Tim Twidale, Trackside Jonathan Borrill, Paradox Ollie Hurdle, Nottingham Trent Uni David Hopcraft, Meriden Asha Orme, Supermarine Colin Ketley, Llantwit Major Ian Colley, Archery GB Alex Hill, Osprey David Ellis, Rivernook Colin Taylor, Forest of Bere

Compound

Michelle Reeves, Parkfield David Oates, Glen Jack Atkinson, Cambridge Uni Peter Watkins, Lincoln Darren Poyser, Burton Joyce Clare Langham-Phillips, Old Basing

Eoin Westman, Whitehill Megan Lisle, Green Lane Jay Kevany, Archery GB Peter Sanderson, Belvoir Carl Howarth, Silver Spoon Andrew Whitby, Ivanhoe Richard Harris, Lizard Peninsula Charles Johnson, Jolly of H and W Ray Crich, Long Mynd James Beckett, Bowbrook David Harding, R J D Helen Sharpe, Wellingborough

Barebow

James Annall, Bath

6 Gold End Junior

Recurve

Yusuf Ali, Leicester Chloe Webb, Rochdale Jonathan Ralston, Irvine Finlay Heydon, Goldcrest Rhys Morrillo, Winnington Park Abigail Edwards, Royal Richmond Amy Roadknight,Redhill Georgia Green, Archery GB Ella Perring, Wallingford Star Austin, Stortford Jack Lucas, Glen Isabella D'Abbraccio, Eastbourne Katy Reece, Deer Park Zara Ahmad, Southfields Benjamin Moir, Braintree Sophie Roberts, Peacock Arwen Lynette Blacklock, Llantarnam Nimue Steytler, Supermarine Alia Fallouh, Archery GB Beulah Hurst, Malvern Aurelia Barnes, Panda

Compound

Connor Sunderland, White Rose Elliott McGovern, Whitburn Thomas Garside, Lichfield Oliver Easton, Grimsby Jessica Pollitt, Cheshire Lily Curtis, Eastbourne Molly Allison, Cramlington

3 Gold End

Longbow

Gloria Capeling, Cleadon Jean Kneller, Sutton

Arrow award

Recurve

Red

Heather Donlon, Wigan and Orrell Kathryn Taylor, Meriden Mollie Perrett, Jersey

Blue

Luke English, Phoenix John Smart, Thirsk Abigail Edwards, Royal Richmond Holly Seaton, Rutland Eleanor Ware, Clophill

Black

Adam English, Phoenix

Achievements: Field Archery

Grand Master Bowman

Barebow

James Annall, Bath

Master Bowmen

Recurve

Kayleigh Baylis, Llantarnam

WA Arrowhead

Recurve

Gold

Tom Hall, Uni of Warwick, 360

White

Eleanor Piper, Woking, 310

Black

Louisa Piper, Woking, 299

Green

Peter Probert, Holbrook, 239

Compound

Black

Kevin Duncanson, Heugh, 370

Grey

Anthony Tate, Walker, 335

Brown

Rachael McComb, Banbridge, 301

Green

Tony Tatum, Walker, 302 Nahum Thompson, Banbridge, 299

Barebow

White

Lynn Patton, River Oak, 284

Grey

Allison Kelly, Newburn, 246 Kathryn Morton, Ballyvally, 232

Brown

Glenn Pringle, Cleadon, 247

Daniel Tibbles, Riverside, 238

Achievements: Clout Archery

Six Clout

Barebow

Christopher Haynes, Southampton

Three Clout

Longbow

Michael Wollaston, Noak Hill Roger Spellane, Aquarius

Achievements: Flight Archery

Master Flight

Compound

Sarah Chalmers, Archery GB Jamie Johnston, Eagle Alison Sarah Hunter, Beacon (Cumbria)

1st Class Flight

Recurve

Niamh Chalmers, Durham City Chris Battersby, Eagle

And finally

This year we have been working with our key volunteers and members on a wide range of topics including initiatives to develop our sport and to improve the quality experience for our members. One of the themes on which we have received feedback is the concept of moving towards a one member one vote system which will allow members to have a direct say in what we do.

Ideally, the Board would have liked to go out to our volunteers, club secretaries, regional chairs, and strategic advisory groups ahead polling all of our members, but time constraints mean that we have gone direct to the latter and I wanted to explain why.

The Board felt that it would strengthen our governance if every member could place their own vote on issues at the AGM. Currently, electors (who are often club secretaries) can place as many votes as they have club members, without an obligation to consult. Although many do, we felt that it was a more modern and more democratic solution to put the vote in the hands of the members, and let them appoint a proxy of their choice if they wish, rather than the other way around.

We have been working on giving members this power since the last AGM but the need for legal advice, and the fact that Board meetings are scheduled every eight weeks, meant that it was not until the most recent Board that the logistics were agreed. That runs us up against a tight timetable to put this to a vote at the 2019 AGM for implementation in 2020.

Because we want to get members' views before we proceed, and because delaying into the New Year to ask specific groups first would mean we could not put the issue to the AGM before 2020 for implementation in 2021, we have decided to poll everyone directly now to give all members an immediate voice.

You can access the vote online at Archery GB, one member one vote: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/OMOV.

Please let us know your views.

Mark Davies

Chairman

Sponsors

We would like to thank the following sponsors and partners.

Long term support of our core programmes

Lottery Funded Sport England

Excellence in Sports Coaching

Lottery funded UK sport

Helping us raise standards

The Equality Standard: A Framework for Sport

National tour sponsors

Archery GB: National tour logo

Shibuya

Doinker Stabilisers

WIAWIS

Mybo

Hoyt

Trading name

Archery GB is the trading name of the Grand National Archery Society, a company limited by guarantee number 1342150 Registered in England.