It was the Senior’s turn to go for glory at the Indoor Championships on Sunday. The round was a WA 18, with Compound/experienced archers shooting the smaller triple face target and Bare/Trad and inexperienced archers on the larger single face. There was a good turnout with some archers opting to compete twice in different disciplines Sixty arrows decided who would be this year’s Indoor Champions.
Target positions had been drawn randomly by the Records Officer which meant that no-one was in the favourite position in the hall. This seemed to affect some more than others, with Pete Mumford being particularly vocal about being ‘stuck in a dark corner’. He seemed to be particularly aggrieved to be ‘stuck in a dark corner’ with Ralf Mitchell who, like his cakes at the Coaching Weekend, is an acquired taste. Pete certainly struggled to find the centre of the target, the number of 10’s he scored remained in single figures and he eventually finished third. Last minute entrant into the Gents Compound Cliff Graves also found the change from his accustomed shooting position difficult to handle and he found himself in fourth. The real fight for the title came between reigning Champion Rhys Moore and his father Dave. Rhys had coasted through the season recording win after win in the weekly League but on Sunday he was pushed hard by Dave all the way. Even using his Indoor set-up (fat Indoor Aluminium arrows nicknamed line-cutters) Rhys struggled find the centre of the target. Many of his 9’s were just millimetres outside the 10 and his frustration began to get the better of him, the low point being the middle dozen in which he hit only one 10. Meanwhile dad Dave was shooting solidly using, he was quick to point out, his thin outdoor carbon arrows. At the halfway stage Dave was only four points adrift. Unfortunately for him he suddenly lost the centre, notching up a string of 9’s and lobbing an 8 into the mix for good measure. At the same time Rhys suddenly remembered how to shoot and his lead jumped to nine points. A slightly erratic final dozen allowed Dave to take a point off him, but Rhys retained his title.
Joy Gough actually had some competition this year in the shape of Theresa Graves. Joy, like everyone else found it hard to find the middle but her scoring was consistent if a little below her best. It was not until the final dozen, when Joy adjusted her hand position slightly, that she produced the kind of results she was used to. A lack of practice took its toll on Theresa and Joy cruised to victory.
Junior archer Nathan Kinrade joined Alex Allen-Snell, Peter Howland, Bod Boland and Ralf Mitchell on the shooting line in the Gents Recurve. Nathan had regularly outscored most of the Seniors during the season, but it just wasn’t happening for him on Sunday. A raft of misses after the interval put paid to his chances and he had to settle for third behind Ralf Mitchell. Peter Howland had a dreadful time of it to finish fourth, Bod was fifth, and it was left to Alex, out of practice due to fatherhood, work and a dose of Covid, to show them how to do it, finishing a whopping 75 points clear of his nearest rival to retain the trophy.
Barbara Harris also had some competition this year with Kristan Joughin and Sarah Kennedy joining her in the Ladies Recurve. Kristan sadly allowed nerves to get the better of her and she finished in the third place. Sarah, shooting in her first Club Championships, was in the lead after the first dozen, she at least having no trouble in finding the centre of the target. Barbara, still trying to come to terms with the sound and feel of her new bow, hit just one 10 in the first two dozen arrows but she was more consistent. At the end of the second dozen Barbara had taken the lead and by the end was 60 points clear and still the Ladies Champion.
Stan Gorry entered himself into both the Gents Barebow and the Gents Tradbow but he never really got into his stride, finishing third in the Barebow behind champion Chris Crompton and second placed Pete Mumford. Dave Moore came in fourth. In the two-horse race of the Tradbow he lost out to Colin Moore who outscored him by 111 points to take the title.
Laura Forrest turned up unannounced but was permitted to shoot and thus became the Ladies Barebow Champion.
Results Senior Club Championships: Gents Compound- 1.R.Moore 60/559/21, 2.D.Moore 60/551/19, 3.P.Mumford 60/542/9, 4.C.Graves 59/523/6. Ladies Compound- 1.J.Gough 60/537/13, 2.T.Graves 59/489/4. Gents Recurve- 1.A.Allen-Snell 59/517/17, 2.R.Mitchell 55/442/12, 3.N.Kinrade 52/410/6, 4.P.Howland 51/405/5, 5.B.Boland 58/342/2. Ladies Recurve- 1.B.Harris 60/513/10, 2.S.Kennedy 60/453/9, 3.K.Joughin 59/362/3. Gents Barebow- 1.C.Crompton 60/475/6, 2.P.Mumford 59/408/5, 3.S.Gorry 60/382/2, 4.D.Moore 56/339/9. Ladies Barebow- L.Forrest 60/410/5. Gents Tradbow- 1.C.Moore 59/396/5, 2.S.Gorry 50/285/1.
Isle of Man Archery Club 