Fantasy Field Shoot
WELLINGTON BOWMEN – SUMMER SOLSTICE, FANTASY FIELD ARCHERY SHOOT
On Sunday 20th June 2021, 14 hardy archers from Wellington Bowmen braved the horrible drizzly-mizzly mid-Summer weather to shoot in the Club’s very first novelty “Fantasy Field Archery Shoot”. Normal straw bosses and target roundels were eschewed in favour of a dozen 3-Dimensional targets, randomly sized, and at unmarked distances from the shooting line. The targets were hand-made from recycle-able materials (mostly cardboard and papier mache) by the Club’s self-appointed Officer of Fun, Paul Walters, with a few others contributed by other members and their children.
Targets included cartoon characters such as Dave the Minion, Spongebob Squarepants and his friend Patrick Starfish, as well as a Star Wars Stormtrooper, Rubik’s Cube, a Zombie from the computer game Minecraft, and a life-size Knight in Armour, replete with shield and sword. Others were a dice, caricatures of animals, and the occasional 2D target on a backing to make it 3D.
About half of the Club’s members attended, along with our juniors, and some who have only just completed their beginners course. The weather was absolutely awful with persistent drizzle for most of the afternoon. Score cards and some of the targets were fairly soggy at the end of the day, but nothing dampened the spirit of the archers!
Shooting only 3 arrows apiece, and spotting for each other (so that any misses could be quickly located), pairs of archers worked their way along the shooting line from target to target until everyone had had a shot at each. The plan had been to shoot two rounds, but time and foul weather meant that the second round was abandoned by agreement. Scores were collated and the following awards were made:
- Junior Girls – Eowyn Phillips
- Junior Boys – Max Vincent
- Best Beginner – Scott Vincent
- Best Longbow – John French
- Best Barebow – Jeremy Hidderley
- Best Sighted Recurve – Alan Davidson
- 1066 Award – Anne Beckly
- Wooden Spoon (Arrow) – Quentin Nichols
Surprisingly, most of the targets survived the punishing weather and arrow-strikes so they’re available to use again in the future, should anyone fancy another similar tournament 😊.
There were many smiles and laughs had throughout the day, and Eo-Mum Louise brought some hot tea and coffee for a well-deserved intermission half way through.
