After a week off while the sports hall at Onchan was resurfaced, shooting resumed with a Vegas
round. A little cruel perhaps but that is the Records Officer for you. The Vegas comprises of a three-
spot target arranged in a triangle, which must be shot in a specific order – lower left, top centre,
lower right. It plays havoc with the archers’ minds and eyes. Arrows are shot in groups of three – 60
in total.
After declaring that he wasn’t going to turn up if it was a Vegas, Barebow specialist Stan Gorry
changed his mind and was the only man in his division with the gumption to tackle it. He muttered
and grumbled his way through the morning but at least he picked up a win for his efforts. Colin
Moore chickened out and shot a Portsmouth instead.
It was the usual three-way match between Rhys and Dave Moore and Andrew Westmorland in the
Gents Compound, but for once Rhys found himself under pressure. His normal landslide victory was
not happening on Sunday, not because he was shooting badly but because Westy was shooting well.
Westy has made a number of tweaks to his bow in recent weeks, including altering the draw length.
Whatever he has done, it is working. Just 1 point down on Rhys after the first dozen, Westy put in a
perfect 60 in the second dozen to draw level. Honours were even in the third dozen but the fourth
saw Westy stray too often into the 9 ring and Rhys opened up a 3 point lead going into the final
dozen. Westy matched him point for point but couldn’t make up the difference and had to settle for
second place, with Dave Moore 11 points further back in third. Will Rhys make it to the Christmas
break with his unbeaten record intact?
The shooting line rivalry between Jonathan Gordon and Richard Hainge continued on Sunday, with
victory going to Richard by a margin of 26 points. Tight shooting by Richard brought him a well-
deserved win and a pb, but Johnathan did himself no favours with three misses as his arrows shed
their fletchings like confetti. Peter Howland had a dismal morning and finished a long way back in
third.
Marie Hainge seemed to enjoy herself putting a solid round with just a couple of misses to spoil her
scorecard in the Ladies Compound.
While there is no requirement for juniors to shoot the Vegas, Erin Hainge rose to the challenge and
shot a personal best for the round. The only senior Lady Recurve to complete the round on Sunday
was Barbara Harris. Having dipped in form over the last couple of years, Harris continued her
upwards momentum with a solid, if unspectacular, shoot. She joined Richard Hainge in breaking the
500 barrier: the only two Recurves to do so for the round.
Vegas Results: Gents Barebow- S.Gorry 44/320/2. Gents Compound- 1.R.Moore 60/573/33,
2.A.Westmorland 60/570/30, 3.D.Moore 60/559/21. Gents Recurve- 1.R.Hainge 60/521/14pb,
2.J.Gordon 57/495/15, 3.P.Howland 28/243/3. Ladies Compound- M.Hainge 58/465/4. Junior Ladies
Recurve- E.Hainge 57/462/12pb. Ladies Recurve- B.Harris 60/501/12.
Portsmouth Results: Gents Barebow- C.Moore 59/473/36. Ladies Compound- A.George 60/561/21.
Gents Recurve- 1.L.Corran 60/452/4, 2.Lucas 60/446/3. Ladies Recurve- Zoe 58/384/3. Junior Gents
Recurve- E.Corran 60/461/6. Junior Ladies Recurve- L.Brown 60/501/7.
Isle of Man Archery Club 