I Killed Darth Vader

Namoi Valley Archers finished the 2008 season on Sunday with a good field taking to the Outback range for a 3 arrow round. The last shoot of the year traditionally has a fun element and this year Wade Hudson and Ben Stubbs set a new standard with the day having a Star Wars theme. All targets for the day featured characters from the Star Wars movies with the range taking on a whole new look with the unusual targets, ewoks, storm troopers, R2D2 etc. How surreal! As the shoot groups were announced the Star Wars theme music began to play, a brilliant touch which summed up a superb day. Special mention must be made of the outstanding effort of Amy Stubbs who turned complete with Princess Leia hair style. Club members gave the day the big thumbs up with plans already underway to find a fun theme for the final shoot for 2009. Even though the day had a fun feel there was some serious competition on the range. In the Open contest, results from last weeks shoot turned around with John Clark skipping away with the win while Matthew Wittman slipped under the guard of Steve Jaeger and Stuart Dolbel to take second. Jaeger and Dolbel were paired together and had a titanic battle with Jaeger just easing past Dolbel in the concluding stages to finish third. Peter Stubbs finished the year on a high downing close friend and rival, Darrell Hudson in the Traditional division with Michael Patrick finishing third. There were no surprises at the top of the Compound ranks with Wade Hudson finishing a clear winner. The battle for the minor placings was very tight with Ken Hill doing just enough to grab second while Ann Stubbs just pipped Karen Hudson for third. James Boxsell finished the year in spectacular fashion reaching the 1100 point mark for the first time to finish on top in Junior Open with Cameron Boxsell finishing third with Sebastian Donovan third. Sam Snape proved too good in the Junior Compound division with Jarrod Stubbs second and Amy Stubbs in third. The club will be in recess during December and January resuming activities in February, 2009.

Scores
Open – John Clark 1150, Matthew Wittman 1110, Steve Jaeger 1105, Stuart Dolbel 1095, Mark Stevenson 1070, Greg Donovan 1030, Lloyd Jauja 995, Matthew Jauja 900, Denise Stevenson 805.
Compound – Wade Hudson 940, Ken Hill 595, Ann Stubbs 585, Karen Hudson 580, Ben Stubbs, 535, Taylah Snape 340.
Traditional – Peter Stubbs 715, Darrell Hudson 590, Michael Patrick 430.
Olympic – Ken Thompson 825.
Junior Open – James Boxsell 1100, Cameron Boxsell 1005, Sebastian Donovan 985.
Junior Compound – Sam Snape 740, Jarrod Stubbs 710, Amy Stubbs 550, Hayden Riordan 350, Sam Zelinski 290.
Junior Olympic – Shane Thompson 825.
Cub Open – Sophie Donovan 610, Meg Jaeger 330.
Cub Compound – Curtis Riordan 335. Christopher Patrick 235.
Cub Traditional – Emily Jaeger 270, Sammy Patrick 175.

Outback Range 3 Arrow

Namoi Valley Archers held a three arrow animal round on Sunday with competitors taking to the Outback range in excellent weather conditions. Some excellent scores were returned on the day with Jessica Sinclair setting a new club record with a top class performance in Cub Girl Open. Darrell Hudson set a cracking pace in the Traditional contest recording a comprehensive win with Peter Stubbs grabbing second place from Lloyd Jauja. Wade Hudson was in sensational form in the Compound division scoring a massive win with Karen Hudson taking second place and Ben Stubbs in third. John Clark finished on top in the Open contest with Stuart Dolbel just edging out Greg Donovan in the battle for the minor placings. James Boxsell continued his recent good form to win a keenly contested Junior Open division with Matthew Jauja in second and Cameron Boxsell in third. The next club shoot will be held on November 9th and will be followed by a club meeting.

Scores
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 715, Peter Stubbs 505, Lloyd Jauja 425.
Compound – Wade Hudson 1030, Karen Hudson 580, Ben Stubbs 530, Ann Stubbs 525, Ken Hill 485.
Open – John Clark 1150, Stuart Dolbel 1095, Greg Donovan 1080, Matthew Wittman 955, Matt Sinclair 950, Gordon White 915, Mark Stevenson 910, Steve Fleitchner 800, Denise Stevenson 785.
Mens Olympic – Ken Thompson 825.
Junior Open – James Boxsell 975, Matthew Jauja 955, Cameron Boxsell 915, Sebastian Donovan 785.
Junior Olympic – Shane Thompson 835.
Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 700, Amy Stubbs 585.
Cub Open - Jessica Sinclair 815.

Delta Round

Namoi Valley Archers held a Delta round on Sunday with a good field enjoying the excellent weather conditions. The Delta round features full colour animal targets with very realistic scoring zones which make high scoring a very difficult challenge. Matt Wittman confirmed his rating as one of the clubs best young archers with a top class performance to win the Open contest. Wittman finished just in front of Steve Jaeger with Stuart Dolbel just edging out his wife Jodi Dolbel in the battle for third place. Darrell Hudson turned in another excellent performance to claim the win in the Traditional contest with Peter Stubbs in second and Michael Patrick third. Wade Hudson turned in a phenomenal round to blitz the field in the Compound division shooting with great precision. Karen Hudson had to battle hard to hold onto second place from the determined Ann Stubbs. The battle for supremacy in Junior Open was first class with Matthew Jauja hanging to record a very narrow win from Cameron Boxsell with James Boxsell finishing a close third. The next club shoot will be the return leg of the Tamworth-Gunnedah Interclub challenge with a two round event to be held on October 26th. This event is always a great day and the Gunnedah club will be looking to retain the Interclub trophy after they recorded a narrow in the first leg held in Tamworth earlier in the year.

Scores
Open – Matthew Wittman 1030, Steve Jaeger 1020, Stuart Dolbel 995, Jodi Dolbel 970, Greg Donovan 900, Gordon White 875, Denise Stevenson 755.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 670, Peter Stubbs 605, Michael Patrick 460, Lloyd Jauja 415, Matt Sinclair 400.
Compound – Wade Hudson 975, Karen Hudson 630, Ann Stubbs 610, Keegan Patrick 440, Ben Stubbs 410.
Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 885, Cameron Boxsell 880, James Boxsell 825, Sebastian Donovan 705.
Junior Compound - Amy Stubbs 665, Jarrod Stubbs.
Cub Open – Jess Sincalir 715.
Cub Compound – Christopher Patrick 540, Jackelyn Patrick 390.
Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 265, Emily Jaeger 170.

NVA Rule At Branch 3D

Namoi Valley Archers sent a team of 16 archers to the Northern NSW Branch 3D Titles held on the Central Coast on the weekend turning in a dominant performance to return with 11 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze medals. The tournament was hosted by the Moonterra club who provided two superb but contrasting ranges with one range featuring thick rainforest complete with a creek running through the middle of the range. The second range offered a different challenge as it climbed up through more open terrain. Competitors shot in fine, hot and humid conditions on Saturday with Sunday offering a dramatically different day with heavily overcast skies and a few light showers. On Sunday competitors shooting in the rainforest sections of the range faced the unusual problem of very low light as they struggled to see some of the targets clearly.
Wade Hudson finished the weekend as the top compound archer turning in another brilliant display to win the Masters division.. Hudson forged a 20 point overnight lead over Newcastle’s Robin Huckett after the first 2 rounds then proceeded to destroy his opposition in the last round to finish the tournament 72 points clear of Huckett with Tuggerah archer, Brian Turner in third. Ben Stubbs grabbed the silver medal in Mens B grade compound while Karen Hudson was in scintillating form finishing with gold medal in Womens B grade compound after a top class final round with Ann Stubbs grabbing the bronze in compound C grade. The club’s recurve archers turned in a great display with Peter Stubbs finished the tournament as the highest scoring recurve archer. Stubbs grabbed the top spot in B grade after a titanic struggle with club mate Darrell Hudson. Hudson forged an impressive lead after the first round but Stubbs came roaring back into contention with a wonderful second round and hung on grimly over the closing stages to secure a great win with Hudson forced to settle for the silver. Michael Patrick showed his liking for the 3D format securing the gold medal in C grade with a very consistent display over the three rounds. John Clark scored a win in Freestyle Unlimited putting together his best ever performance in a 3D event finishing 18 points in front of the Central Coast’s Gary Nicholls. Gordon White competing in his first 3D tournament turned in a wonderful display to finish with the silver medal in Freestyle Unlimited – Fl 2 and will great confidence from this performance. Lloyd Jauja competing in Bowhunter Unlimited finished with the silver medal after a personal best performance. Jauja was right in the mix after the first 2 rounds just 6 points from the lead but Newcastle 3D specialist Barney Miller shut Jauja out after returning a perfect score in the final round.
The club’s junior archers dominated the tournament returning with 6 gold medals. Matthew Jauja shot brilliantly over the weekend to finish as the number one Freestyle Unlimited archer with a top class display of precision archery. Siblings, Amy and Jarrod Stubbs finished the weekend as the top competitors in their respective Junior Compound divisions with typically consistent performances. Christopher Patrick shot particularly well to take the Cub compound B grade title while Jackelyn Patrick won the Cub compound D grade gold medal. Samantha Patrick rounded out the medal haul after winning the Cub recurve event.
The focus returns to club activities this weekend with a club shoot set down for this Sunday.

Outback Range Tested

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow animal round on Sunday with competitors taking to the Outback range in perfect weather conditions. Peter Stubbs continued his recent good form to finish the day as the top Traditional archer scoring a hard fought win over Michael Patrick with Lloyd Jauja finishing third. The Mens Open contest was particularly hard fought with John Clark just doing enough to shade Stuart Dolbel with Steve Jaeger finishing third. Wade Hudson delivered another outstanding round to score a comprehensive win in the Compound division with Karen Hudson grabbing second after a close contest with the improving Ann Stubbs. The next club shoot will be held on August 31st.

Scores
Traditional – Peter Stubbs 505, Michael Patrick 485, Lloyd Jauja 345.
Open – John Clark 1130, Stuart Dolbel 1115, Steve Jaeger 1055, Gordon White 800.
Compound – Wade Hudson 1035, Karen Hudson 495, Ann Stubbs 465, Ben Stubbs 290.
Olympic – Ken Thompson 740.
Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 1005.
Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 660, Amy Stubbs 425.
Cub Compound – Christopher Patrick 520, Jackelyn Patrick 245.
Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 170.

On Target At Branch IFFA

Namoi Valley Archers was represented by a four member team at the Northern NSW IFAA Championships held in Gloucester over the weekend, with the team having a 100 percent success rate, returning with four gold medals. Competitors enjoyed reasonable weather on Saturday but things turned dramatically on Sunday with extremely cold temperatures and high winds making precision archery very difficult. The IFAA event is a very technical round with competitors required to shoot 4 arrows at 28 targets each day at marked distances ranging from 11 yards to a maximum of 80 yards.
Ann Stubbs scored a memorable victory in Womens Bowhunter Compound holding her composure to edge out Narelle Bailey and Amanda Huckstadt with a fine performance. Ann Stubbs has been making steady improvement in the last couple of months and the weekend victory is just reward for her hard work at the practice butts. Peter Stubbs proved far too good in the Bowhunter Recurve contest putting together two very consistent rounds to take the gold in am impressive performance. Matthew Jauja did just enough to secure the win in Junior Freestyle Unlimited in his first IFAA tournament and showed signs that he will quickly come to grips with this discipline in the future. Amy Stubbs finished the weekend as the top Junior Bowhunter Compound competitor with a typical hard working performance to finish well clear of her nearest opponent. Stubbs goes about her archery with a minimum of fuss and continues to rack up an enviable record in Branch tournaments.
The focus returns to club activities this Sunday with a 3 arrow animal round scheduled at the club’s Wandobah Road facility.

IFAA Animal Round

Namoi Valley Archers held an IFAA animal round on Sunday with competitors shooting in perfect winter weather conditions. Ken Thompson, Karen Hudson and Jess Sinclair all set new club records with Sinclair smashing the old Cub Girl Open mark by 100 points in a very impressive display. The IFAA animal round is a 28 target marked distance round with archers allowed up to 3 shots at each target with the first scoring arrow counted. The talking point of the day was target 10, which due to a target placement mix up had archers shooting at a very small target set at 28 yards. The archers who successfully negotiated this very tough target returned with very broad smiles indeed. The round was scheduled to provide club members attending this weekend’s Branch IFAA Championships in Gloucester with valuable match practice and was followed by a social IFAA Hunter round.
Wade Hudson was in great form returning a very solid round to lead the compound archers home with Karen Hudson shooting brilliantly to grab second place with Ann Stubbs just edging out Keen Hill for third. John Clark had a great day hitting the centre of all 28 targets to return a perfect score in the Open contest. The battle for the minor placings was extremely intense with Steve Jaeger, Stuart Dolbel and Matt Sinclair finishing the day in a triple deadheat. Amy Stubbs finished the day as the top junior compound archer with Jarrod Stubbs in second and Hayden Riordan third. In the Traditional battle Peter Stubbs showed he is right on track for a good performance at the Gloucester tournament scoring a well earned win over fierce rival Darrell Hudson. The next club shoot will be held on August 17th.

Scores
Compound – Wade Hudson 520, Karen Hudson 486, Ann Stubbs 390, Ken Hill 370.
Open – John Clark 560, Stuart Dolbel 546, Steve Jaeger 546, Matt Sinclair 546, Matt Wittman 540, Lloyd Jauja 536, Jodi Dolbel 510, Gordon White 510.
Traditional – Peter Stubbs 448, Darrell Hudson 406.
Olympic – Ken Thompson 486.
Junior Compound – Amy Stubbs 320, Jarrod Stubbs 320, Hayden Riordan 272.
Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 530, Shane Thompson 482.
Cub Open – Jessica Sinclair 454, Meg Jaeger 380.
Cub Compound – Curtis Riordan 272.

Branch Indoor Wrapup

Namoi Valley Archers sent a strong team of 17 archers to contest the Northern NSW Branch Indoor Archery Titles held in Tamworth over the weekend returning with an outstanding haul of 10 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. The 2 day tournament required competitors to shoot a total of 120 arrows at a distance of 20 yards with each day broken into 3 games of 20 arrows with 5 arrows shot at each end. The tournament attracted a quality field of 73 archers from Newcastle, the Central Coast, Taree, Gloucester, Inverell, Tamworth and Gunnedah. The field featured multiple World and Australian champions with a very high standard of archery on display over the weekend with one competitor shooting 599 out of a possible 600. With fourteen shooting lanes in use for the tournament this meant there was a large gallery watching the action and for many archers this provided a new and sometimes nerve wracking experience shooting under close scrutiny from their fellow competitors as they battled for every point. The quality of the competition was underlined in the Mens Freestyle Unlimited division with the top 3 competitors separated by just 4 points with Newcastle’s Scott Buscombe scoring a narrow win from Scott Dollin of Taree and Adam Tillbrook of Newcastle.
A team event was held as part of the competition with each club entering their top four sighted shooters and their best barebow shooter. Namoi Valley Archers team of Stuart Dolbel, David Buckingham, Matthew Wittman, John Clark and Ann Stubbs finished second behind the powerful team representing the Avon Valley Club from Gloucester.
Namoi Valley Archers showed their dominance in the Bowhunter Unlimited division with Stuart Dolbel showed plenty of tenacity to record a win in A grade with David Buckingham also finishing on top in B grade with a great performance. Peter Stubbs shot consistently to fend off the challenge from Tamworth’s Andrew Springer in Recurve to record a great win while Greg Donovan streeted the field to record the win in Bowhunter Limited. Ann Stubbs continues to improve at a rapid rate posting personal best scores on the weekend to win Womens Compound. Stubbs bettered her score posted at the club practice event only one week ago by a substantial margin outshooting her more fancied opponents. Freestyle Recurve exponent, Ken Thompson, was in superb form scoring a comprehensive win over Reade Moffat who just returned from representing Australia at the World IFAA Championships held in Nambia. Ben Stubbs added to the medal haul with a silver in Mens Bowhunter B grade while Jodi Dolbel battled back from equipment problems late in the last end on Saturday to grab third place in Womens Freestyle Unlimited.
The club’s juniors were in great form with Matthew Wittman finishing the tournament as the highest scoring junior archer after a brilliant performance in Freestyle Unlimited. Amy Stubbs grabbed the gold in Girls Junior Bowhunter division with Shane Thompson battling hard on his way to winning Freestyle Recurve. Sebastian Donovan struggled with equipment problems throughout the weekend but the tenacious Donovan still had enough class to score the win in Bowhunter Limited while Jarrod Stubbs finished third in a hot Boys Bowhunter field.
The focus returns to club activities this weekend with a 3 arrow round set down for the Boundary range on Sunday.

Indoor Outdoor

Indoor Outdoor Day

Namoi Valley Archers introduced a first for the club on Sunday staging a 20yd round at the range. Competitors were required to shoot 60 arrows from 20 yards for seniors and juniors with cubs shooting at 10 yards. The round was broken into 3 games of 20 arrows with 5 arrows shot at each end. This is the format which will be used for the Northern NSW Branch Indoor Championships which is to be held on July 12th and 13th at Tamworth and club officials scheduled the round to help club members prepare for the upcoming Indoor tournament. The new concept proved an outstanding success with 22 competitors filling the modified practice range to capacity and judging by the comments of competitors at the end of the event this round looks set to become an annual fixture on the club shoot calendar.
Stuart Dolbel recorded the highest score of the day scoring a convincing win in the sighted division. Dolbel was one point behind Greg Donovan after the first game but really hit his straps over the last two games to score a decisive win. Donovan could not match the pace set by Dolbel over the concluding stages but did just enough to edge out John Clark in the battle for the minor placings. Wade Hudson went head to head with accomplished Newcastle archer, Robin Huckett, who was visiting the club for the day in the barebow division and the two were neck and neck midway through the event but Huckett buckled under the relentless pressure applied by Hudson with his challenge fading away over the last game leaving Hudson a clear winner. Karen Hudson showed plenty of ability in this format to grab third place with an impressive performance. Competitors attending the Northern NSW Branch Indoor Championships in Tamworth this weekend are advised they must be at the venue by 8.30 am to nominate. The Tamworth club has organised a dinner and social evening on Saturday night at a popular local venue and any club member wishing to attend the dinner should contact 67423220 for further details.
Scores
Sighted – Stuart Dolbel 291, Greg Donovan 284, John Clark 283, Gordon White 263, Ken Thompson 262.
Barebow – Wade Hudson 276, Robin Huckett 247, Karen Hudson 212, Darrell Hudson 204, Peter Stubbs 203, Ann Stubbs 177, Ben Stubbs 172, Taylor Snape 63.
Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 243, Shane Thompson 239.
Junior Barebow – Jarrod Stubbs 215, Amy Stubbs 150, Sam Zelinski 98, Hayden Riordan 97, Sam Snape 94, Brody Waterford 66, Kym Mieger 34.

3 Arrow Round In Perfect Conditions

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow animal round on Sunday with competitors taking to the Outback range in the perfect winter weather conditions. Darrell Hudson was in top form scoring a good win in a typically spirited Traditional contest with Peter Stubbs shooting well to finish second over Michael Patrick in third. John Clark turned in a solid round to grab top spot in the Open contest from Stuart Dolbel who bounced back to form to edge out Steve Jaeger in a tense battle for the minor placings. Wade Hudson scored a comfortable win in the Compound division over Phillip Porter with Karen Hudson shooting particularly well to grab third from the rapidly improving Ann Stubbs who returned a personal best score. Jarrod Stubbs returned a very solid round to edge out Amy Stubbs in Junior Compound with Hayden Riordan in third. Matthew Jauja
Turned in another consistent round to finish on top in Junior Open with Sebastian Donovan finishing second and Ethan Thompson third. In a first for the club this Sunday will see a 20yd round staged at the range. Competitors will be required to shoot 60 arrows from 20 yards for seniors and juniors with cubs shooting at 10 yards. The round will be broken into 3 games of 20 arrows with 5 arrows shot each end. This is the format for the Northern NSW Branch Indoor Championships which is to be held on July 12th and 13th at Tamworth and club officials have scheduled this round to help club members prepare for the upcoming Indoor tournament.

Scores
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 685, Peter Stubbs 550, Michael Patrick 380, Lloyd Jauja 270.
Open – John Clark 1145, Stuart Dolbel 1115, Steve Jaeger 1090, Matt Sinclair 1065, Matthew Wittman 1000, Mark Stevenson 980, Rob Steele 865, Gordon White 835, Denise Stevenson 685.
Bowhunter – Greg Donovan 1020.
Compound – Wade Hudson 1010, Phillip Porter 805, Karen Hudson 605, Ann Stubbs 555, Ben Stubbs 495, Taylor Snape 300, Shelley Porter 240.
Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 1010, Sebastian Donovan 895, Ethan Thompson 520.
Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 575, Amy Stubbs 540, Hayden Riordan 485.
Junior Traditional – Sam Snape 300.
Cub Compound – Jackelyn Patrick 180.
Cub Traditional – Curtis Riordan 215.
Novice – Samantha Stevenson 130.

Inter Club Challenge, Gunnedah Retain The Trophy

Namoi Valley Archers travelled to the home of Tamworth Field Archers on Sunday with 66 archers taking to the Attunga State Forest ranges in the battle for the Interclub Shield. The Gunnedah club reigned supreme at the end of the day securing the shield with a 148 point win. The competition for the Interclub Shield began last year and has quickly captured the imagination of both clubs with Namoi Valley Archers sending a club record 40 archers to the event. Competition was held over two rounds with a 3 arrow ABA round in the morning and a 1 arrow 3D round completing the event after lunch. The Tamworth club prepared two outstanding ranges for the day with the ABA range located in very steep and rocky terrain while the 3D range offered a completely different challenge in the flatter section of the forest. The format for the event involved adding the score of the highest scoring archer from each club in 5 selected divisions to give an overall result. Tamworth carried the day in the Freestyle Unlimited division with Ben Ireland just shading John Clark with Tamworth also taking the Bowhunter Unlimited contest with Robert Jones securing the win over Matt Sinclair. Namoi Valley Archer’s Christopher Patrick stormed home in the 3D round to win the Cub Compound contest over Jaxson Sollar to edge Gunnedah in front. Darrell Hudson showed great composure to increase Gunnedah’s lead with a superb win over arch rival Bruce Sherwood setting up the victory with a brilliant ABA round. Compound archer, Wade Hudson sealed the win for Gunnedah with another impressive performance scoring the biggest win of the day over veteran Neville White. The day was held in a wonderful social atmosphere and both clubs are looking forward to the second leg of the Interclub Challenge to be held in Gunnedah in October. Full results can be viewed at www.tamworthfieldarchers.blogspot.com

The date for the Tuggerah IFAA tournament has been shifted to May 24 & 25 and as a result the club shoot set down for this Sunday will now be held on May 18th.

Gunnedah Scores

Adult Sighted – John Clark 784, Steve Jaeger 750, Matt Sinclair 740, Stuart Dolbel 734, Lloyd Jauja 716, Jodi Dolbel 710, Greg Donovan 696, Mark Stevenson 646, Gordon White 616, Denise Stevenson 514, Diana Finlay 500.

Adult Barebow – Wade Hudson 712, Phillip Porter 640, Ben Stubbs 622, Darrell Hudson 536, James Finlay 526, Karen Hudson 452, Michael Patrick 442, Peter Stubbs 430, Shelly Porter 376, Kim Jauja 336, Ann Stubbs 298, Taylor Snape 226, Keegan Patrick 158.

Junior Sighted – Matt Wittman 724, Matthew Jauja 708, Sebastian Donovan 662, Cameron Boxsell 640, James Boxsell 538, Ethan Thompson 508, Hayden Riordan 500.

Junior Barebow – Mitchell Finlay 548, Amy Stubbs 506, Jarrod Stubbs 480.

Cub Sighted – Jess Sinclair 598, Krystal Jauja 252.

Cub Barebow – Christopher Patrick 596, Samuel Juaja 388, Jackelyn Patrick 350, Sammy Patrick 310.

Northern NSW Branch ABA

Namoi Valley Archers played host to 107 competitors at an official Northern NSW Branch ABA tournament held last weekend. A quality field of archers from Newcastle, the Central Coast, Gloucester, Taree, Maitland, Kempsey and all over the North-West descended on the Wondoba State Recreation area facility to participate in the two day event. Competitors had to deal with difficult conditions on Saturday with strong winds and heavily overcast skies the order of the day Competition began on Saturday morning with the 3 arrow round followed by the high pressure 1 arrow round concluding with a 2 arrow all count round on Sunday morning. Two ranges were used for the tournament each consisting of 20 animal targets set at unknown distances in natural bush settings with distances ranging from 8 to 48 metres. Northern NSW Branch Controller, Peter Fairhall praised the local club for the quality of their ranges designed by Darrell Hudson and Peter Stubbs (Outback range)and Steve Jaeger and Stuart Dolbel (Boundary range).

The competition in the sighted divisions was a very high standard with the Mens Freestyle Unlimited division proving very intense with the top three competitors separated by just 2 points after the first two rounds with Gunnedah’s Steve Jaeger holding the overnight lead. Taree’s Scott Dollin turned in a magnificent last round missing the bullseye with just 3 of his 40 arrows to ease to a very narrow 2 point win over Jaeger with another local, John Clark a further 8 points back in third. Tamworth’s Robert Jones was another archer in top form turning in three high class rounds to claim the win in Mens Bowhunter Unlimited with Gunnedah’s, Stuart Dolbel taking second place. Matt Sinclair made an impressive debut into Branch competition shooting very well to take third leaving some highly credentialed archers in his wake. Scott Porter was an impressive winner in Bowhunter Limited while Ken Thompson continued his good form to win Recurve Freestyle. Jodi Dolbel made a welcome return to competition showing all her international experience to score a comprehensive win in Womens Freestyle Unlimited with a powerful display while Diana Finlay scored a good win in Womens Bowhunter Limited. The local club’s barebow compound archers dominated the tournament with Wade Hudson winning Masters with a superb performance which included a mesmerizing 1 arrow round of 390 out of a possible 400. Phillip Porter won the A grade division with a top class display while James Finlay clawed back a big overnight deficit to win B grade on a countback. The very consistent Karen Hudson added the Womens B grade win to her bulging trophy cabinet to underline the local clubs dominance with Shelly Porter finishing second in D grade. Recurve exponents, Darrell Hudson and Peter Stubbs had to settle for the minor placings behind Tamworth’s Bruce Sherwood in B grade while Michael Patrick picked up the win in C grade. The local club’s younger archers performed very well with Matthew Wittman and Matthew Jauja going head to head in Junior Freestyle Unlimited with Witttman powering away with the win after a brilliant final round while Shane Thompson proved too strong in Recurve Freestyle Limited. Club members Amy Stubbs, Junior Compound B grade, Mitchell Finlay, Cub Compound A grade, Christopher Patrick Cub Compound C grade, Jackelyn Patrick Cub Compound D grade and Sammy Patrick Recurve D grade all recorded good wins with Jarrod Stubbs grabbing third in Junior Compound A grade and Ethan Thompson second in Bowhunter Limited. The Cub Freestyle event was an all Gunnedah affair with Jess Sinclair coming out on top after a very solid performance with Meg Jaeger taking second and Krystal Jauja third.

The next event on the calendar is the Interclub shoot with Tamworth to be held on May 4th at the Tamworth club’s Attunga range. Further details can be obtained by ringing 67423220.

NVA Dominant At Nationals

Namoi Valley Archers 20 member team has returned from the Australian Field Archery Championships with a swag of medals after a superb performance by the whole team in the two disciplines contested over the Easter weekend. The championships were held at Hervey Bay, Queensland with archers from all states and territories competing in the biggest tournament held in the Southern hemisphere in 2008. The strong showing by the Gunnedah club is a vindication of the excellent preparation, coaching and support offered to club members who are striving to achieve their full potential as archers.
Namoi Valley Archers club members Karen Hudson, Matthew Wittman, Shane Thompson and Christopher Patrick scored double gold after winning their respective divisions in both disciplines, the ABA National Championships and the 3D Championships.
In the ABA National event Namoi Valley Archers finished with 7 gold, 7 silver and 1 bronze in a powerful performance. Karen Hudson scored a wonderful victory in Compound C grade setting up the win with a top class third round to power away from her opposition. Ann Stubbs turned in a stunning performance to take the Compound D grade title after a titanic battle. Stubbs held the overnight lead by just two points after the first two rounds but slipped 54 points behind after a tough third round. Undeterred Stubbs turned on an amazing comeback in the final round to snatch an unlikely victory by four points securing a very cherished gold medal. Ken Thompson backed up his win in the IFAA event with a top notch performance to take the Recurve Freestyle Unlimited crown shooting consistently over the four rounds. Wade Hudson took on the very best after being promoted to the elite Masters Compound division and showed why he is considered the best young barebow archer in the land after finishing with the silver medal. Hudson was locked in a three way battle with multiple Australian representatives Ed Hayes and Rhys Aizlewood. Despite a slow start Hudson showed all his mental toughness to match it with his older and more experienced rivals and come away with the silver medal and his reputation greatly enhanced. The club’s recurve exponents, Darrell Hudson - A grade, Peter Stubbs – B grade and Michael Patrick – C grade all scored silver medals with Stubbs shooting superbly just missing top spot in B grade by a heartbreaking 4 points. Cassie Ireland also secured silver with a last round surge in a quality performance over the four rounds. The club’s younger archers shot particularly well with Matthew Wittman shooting brilliantly to take the Freestyle Unlimited title. Wittman has improved dramatically over the last 12 months and thoroughly deserved the gold medal. Shane Thompson turned in an ultra consistent performance to take gold in Recurve Freestyle Limited while Jodi Buckingham also took gold in Bowhunter Limited. Christopher Patrick turned in a very solid performance to take the Cub Compound C grade gold shooting very well in the final two rounds. Amy Stubbs finished with the silver in Junior Compound B grade while Sammy Patrick also took silver in Cub Recurve D grade. Jackelyn Patrick rounded out the medals with a bronze in Cub Compound D grade.
The Australian 3D Championship event was also contested over four rounds with Namoi Valley Archers securing 8 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals to underline the overall strength of the local club. Karen Hudson had to fight all the way to secure her second gold medal taking the Compound C grade gold by just four points after a blistering last round. Peter Stubbs was the toast of the recurve group after a superb performance across the four rounds secured him the B grade title with a score which would have won A grade. Michael Patrick also showed his liking for the 3D targets securing the gold in Recurve C grade while Darrell Hudson finished with the silver in Recurve A grade. Ben Ireland shot superbly to finish with the silver in the ultra competitive Freestyle Unlimited division finishing just 4 points from top spot. Ken Thompson has his colours lowered at the 2008 Nationals for the first time taking the silver after a top class contest with Reade Moffatt. The pair were locked together after 3 rounds but Moffatt did just enough over the final round to secure a very close win. Wade Hudson showed he equally at home in the 3D event scoring his second silver medal with another brilliant performance edging out Ed Hayes over the final stages in another enthralling contest with Cassie Ireland grabbing bronze in the Womens Freestyle Unlimited contest. Matthew Wittman and Shane Thompson continued their golden run at the Nationals winning their respective divisions in fine style. Amy Stubbs turned in a sensational performance to take the Compound B grade gold medal shooting brilliantly over the four rounds. Christopher Patrick added a second gold with a good performance in Compound C grade while Jackelyn Patrick scored a hard earned gold medal in Cub Compound D grade. Sammy Patrick finished with her second silver medal of the championships in Cub Recurve D grade after a typically determined performance.

3 Arrow All Count Leading Up To Two Day Shoot

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow animal round on Sunday with a big field taking to the Boundary range in perfect weather conditions. Wade Hudson was is top form in the Compound division setting a new club record on his way to a good win with Phillip Porter also shooting well to take second place with Ben Stubbs grabbing third. John Clark finished on top in the Open Division after a consistent round with Steve Jaeger finishing second. Stuart Dolbel had to work hard to hold off the rapidly improving Matt Sinclair for third. Amy Stubbs scored a hard fought win in the Junior compound contest from Shane Thompson with Hayden Riordan in third. Matt Jauja is starting to show the benefits of hard work at the practice butts returning a top class score in Junior Open. Cameron Boxsell finished second after a personal best score with Sebastian Donovan in third. The club will be back in action this Sunday with competitors taking the chance to prepare for the Northern NSW Branch Invitational ABA tournament to be held in Gunnedah on April 19 and 20.


Open – John Clark 1135, Steve Jaeger 1100, Stuart Dolbel 1080, Matt Sinclair 1065, Josh Dolbel 920, Matthew Whitman 905, Gordon White 800, Rob Steele 765, Mark Stevenson 690, Denise Stevenson 605,Lloyd Jauja 365.
Compound – Wade Hudson 1045, Phillip Porter 920, Ben Stubbs 575, Karen Hudson 520, James Finlay 505, Shelly Porter 330, Ann Stubbs 310, Keegan Patrick 305.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 710, Peter Stubbs 590.
Bowhunter – Greg Donovan 1030, James Higham 865, Diana Finlay 430.
Olympic – Ken Thompson 795.
Junior Compound – Amy Stubbs 485, Shane Thompson 465, Hayden Riordan 330.
Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 1015, Cameron Boxsell 895, Sebastian Donovan 790, James Boxsell 580.
Cub compound – Mitchell Finlay 765, Christopher Patrick 660, Jackelyn Patrick 230.
Cub Open – Bill Higham 715, Jack Higham 630, Jessica Sinclair 565, Sophie Donovan 430, Meg Jaeger 355, Krystal Jauja 290.
Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 305, Curtis Riordan 305, Samuel Jauja 175, Emily Jaeger 80.

New 3D Targets & Range Layout

Namoi Valley Archers held the first 3D event of the season on Sunday with the biggest field of the year on hand to compete in perfect weather conditions. Sunday’s two round event was the first opportunity for club members to try the club’s recently upgraded selection of 3D targets and range designers Lloyd Jauja and Greg Donovan added to the challenge with a completely redesigned 3D range. The new range proved a big hit providing challenging shots while still giving archers the security of safe backdrops for any overshot arrows.
The new range proved no barrier to good scoring with six club records set on the day with Ken Thompson, Amy Stubbs, Shane Thompson, Jackelyn Patrick, Katie Taylor and Jessica Sinclair all setting new records in their respective divisions.
Steve Jaeger showed all his international experience with a brilliant first round to set up the win in the Open Division with John Clark taking second and Stuart Dolbel grabbing third after holding off a determined challenge from Lloyd Jauja and Matt Sinclair. Ben Stubbs scored a narrow win in the Compound division just edging out Ken Hill with Karen Hudson in third. Greg Donovan was in top form in the Bowhunter contest with Scott Porter shooting well to take second with Cameron Hill third. The Traditional contest was a typically hard fought affair with Michael Patrick coming out on top after first round leader Darrell Hudson struggled through the second round with Peter Stubbs third. Amy Stubbs showed her liking for 3D scoring a big win in Junior Compound in a superb performance with Jarrod Stubbs and Hayden Riordan filling the minor placings. The Junior Open contest was very keenly contested with Sebastian Donovan grabbing the win from Matthew Jauja with Cameron Boxsell turning a top class second round to finish third.
The next club shoot will be held this Sunday with a two round ABA event scheduled. This will be the last opportunity for club members to gain valuable practice before the Australian Championships to be held in Hervey Bay, Queensland over the Easter weekend.


Open – Steve Jaeger 782, John Clark 772, Stuart Dolbel 752, Lloyd Jauja 750, Matt Sinclair 746, Kim Solars 718, Matthew Wittman 712, Josh Dolbel 668, Mark Stevenson 680, Phillip Porter 672, Denise Stevenson 456.
Compound – Ben Stubbs 544, Ken Hill 538, Karen Hudson 466, Ann Stubbs 430, Steve Taylor 386.
Bowhunter – Greg Donovan 748, Scott Porter 688, Cameron Hill 558.
Traditional – Michael Patrick 506, Darrell Hudson 488, Peter Stubbs 432.
Olympic – Ken Thompson 648.
Junior Compound – Amy Stubbs 660, Jarrod Stubbs 566, Hayden Riordan 492, Keegan Patrick 458.
Junior Open – Sebastian Donovan 724, Matthew Jauja 706, Cameron Boxsell 694, James Boxsell 684, Matt Gibson 680, Ethan Thompson 488.
Junior Olympic – Shane Thompson 686.
Cub Compound – Christopher Patrick 658, Dylan Solars 626, Jackelyn Patrick 438.
Cub Open – Jessica Sinclair 682, Sophie Donovan 640.
Cub Traditional – Katie Taylor 446, Sammy Patrick 400, Curtis Riordan 214.

Tamworth Invitational Shoot A Huge Success

Namoi Valley Archers turned in a powerful performance at the Tamworth Invitational ABA tournament returning with 11 gold, 9 silver and 4 bronze medals. The tournament drew 115 competitors from as far afield as the Central Coast, Newcastle, Taree and Gloucester. The competition was held in perfect weather conditions with the program featuring a two round ABA event on the Saturday concluding with a two arrow round on Sunday.
Wade Hudson was in a class of his own winning the Masters compound division and leading the local charge in the barebow ranks returning the highest barebow score of the weekend. Phillip Porter powered home to take the A grade compound division with a brilliant final round. Karen Hudson was the leading female compound competitor at the tournament after scoring a very hard fought win in C grade with Shelley Porter taking the silver in D grade. Ken Hill and Ann Stubbs adding to the medal haul with bronze medals in their respective divisions. Darrell Hudson was in unstoppable form in A grade Recurve turning in a superb final round to score a decisive win. Peter Stubbs celebrated his promotion to B grade finishing with the silver medal after a tense battle with Tamworth’s Bruce Sherwood.
The club’s sighted shooters also dominated the competition with Ben Ireland, John Clark and Steve Jaeger taking a clean sweep in Freestyle Unlimited. Greg Donovan shook off an indifferent first round to power away for a big win in Mens Bowhunter Limited (flight 1) with Scott Porter taking the Mens Bowhunter Limited (flight 2) division after making a miraculous recovery from a major bow failure during the second round. Porter turned in a sensational final round with a borrowed bow to score a most remarkable win with Jillian Porter finishing with gold in Women’s Bowhunter Limited. Tamworth’s Robert Jones was in untouchable form in Mens Bowhuner Unlimited with Gunnedah’s Stuart Dolbel and Lloyd Jauja going toe to toe in a tense battle for the minor placings with Dolbel calling on all his experience to finish ahead of the rapidly improving Jauja. Cassie Ireland finished with silver medal in the Women’s Bowhunter Unlimited contest.
The club’s junior archers were also well represented in the medal count with Matthew Wittman scoring an impressive win in his first ever tournament in Junior Freestyle Unlimited with Matthew Jauja taking second place with an encouraging performance in the Junior ranks. Siblings, Amy (B grade) and Jarrod Stubbs (A grade) finished with the silver medals in their respective Junior Compound divisions to add to the medal haul. Sebastian Donovan turned in another high class performance to score a runaway win in Cub Boys Freestyle Limited with Meg Jaeger and Sophie Donovan scoring a 1-2 win Cub Girls Freestyle Limited to round off a great performance by the club’s younger archers.
The next club shoot will be a 3D event to be held on March 9th with registration closing at 8.40 for a 9.00 start on the range.

Boundry Range 3 Arrow

Namoi Valley Archers held a three arrow animal round on Sunday with a good field competing in blustery conditions. Competitors used this event to fine tune their form for the Tamworth Invitational ABA Tournament which is scheduled for this weekend with a big contingent from the club planning to compete (pre nom to scorennswaba@hotmail.com).

Wade Hudson scored an excellent win in the Compound event in his first outing with his new bow. Phillip Porter also shot particularly well to take second place with Karen Hudson proving too strong in the concluding stages to edge out Ken Hill for third place.

John Clark held off a very strong challenge from Stuart Dolbel to record a very narrow win in the Open Division with the improving Lloyd Jauja shooting well to take third place. Dolbel’s round was most impressive as early equipment problems meant he had to switch to a back up bow at very short notice.

The ultra consistent Greg Donovan continues to set a cracking pace in the Bowhunter division with another top class round. Scott Porter made a welcome return to the range to take second place with Cameron Hill third.

Darrell Hudson showed he will be hard to beat at Tamworth next weekend putting together a great round to score a convincing win in the Traditional contest with Peter Stubbs also shooting well to take second place with Michael Patrick in third.

The next club shoot will be held on March 9th and will be a two round 3D event. The club has recently upgraded their range of 3D targets and this will be the first opportunity for club members to try them out.

Open – John Clark 1130, Stuart Dolbel 1125, Lloyd Jauja 1065, Josh Dolbel 980, Matthew Whitman 930.

Compound – Wade Hudson 965, Phillip Porter 920, Karen Hudson 605, Ken Hill 585, Ben Stubbs 385, Ann Stubbs 305, Steve Taylor 290, Shelly Porter 285.

Bowhunter – Greg Donovan 1045, Scott Porter 650, Cameron Hill 580.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 620, Peter Stubbs 505, Michael Patrick 345.

Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 915, Cameron Boxsell 655, James Boxsell 600.

Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 605, Amy Stubbs 540.

Cub Open – Sebastian Donovan 1005.

Cub Compound – Christopher Patrick 485, Jackelyn Patrick 260.

Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 205, Hayden Baker 185, Katie Taylor 140.

Novice – Denise Stevenson 500, Ethan Thompson 305, Mark Stevenson 270, Chris Chapman 245.

Weekend Results 3rd Feb 08

Namoi Valley Archers kicked off the season in fine style on Sunday with a big field taking to the completely rebuilt Outback range under overcast skies. Range designers, Darrell Hudson and Peter Stubbs, brought a fresh new look to the range which proved a real test for all competitors. Ken Thompson, who has worked hard on his form in the off season set a new club record on the day with a very impressive round. The battle for honours in the Open division went right down to the wire with Ben Ireland finishing the day on top just failing to match his own club record in a brilliant display of archery. John Clark pushed Ireland all the way but had to settle for second place with Steve Jaeger grabbing third. Wade Hudson scored a comfortable win in the Compound division with Phillip Porter taking second place with Karen Hudson shooting well to take third. Darrell Hudson won a hotly contested Traditional division with Michael Patrick shooting well to take second place with Peter Stubbs third. Matthew Jauja turned in a superb performance to score a big win in Junior Open and looks set for a big year. Cameron Boxsell shot well to take second place with James Boxsell in third. Amy Stubbs started the year in great form finishing the day as the top archer in Junior Compound with Keegan Patrick just easing past Jarrod Stubbs to take second place in a very even Junior Compound division. Sebastian Donovan was another archer in very good form setting a cracking pace in Cub Open with Jess Sinclair holding off Meg Jaeger in the battle for the minor placings. The next club shoot will be held on February 17th and this will be the final shoot before the Tamworth ABA tournament to be held on February 23rd and 24th.

Scores
Open – Ben Ireland 1160, John Clark 1155, Steve Jaeger 1135, Stuart Dolbel 1085, Lloyd Jauja 1070, Matt Sinclair 1030, Josh Dolbel 955, Matthew Whitman 935, Cassie Ireland 865.
Compound – Wade Hudson 925, Phillip Porter 795, Karen Hudson 620, Ann Stubbs 275.
Bowhunter – Greg Donovan 985, Ben Stubbs 510.
Olympic – Ken Thompson 830.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 595, Michael Patrick 510, Peter Stubbs 485.
Junior Compound – Amy Stubbs 535, Keegan Patrick 530, Jarrod Stubbs 510, Brodie Waterford 350, Hayden Riordan 330.
Junior Open – Matthew Jauja 1060, Cameron Boxsell 675, James Boxsell 445, Beau Gardner 390.
Cub Compound – Mitchell Finlay 715, Jackelyn Patrick 255.
Cub Open – Sebastian Donovan 1030, Jess Sinclair 565, Meg Jaeger 490.
Cub Traditional – Christopher Patrick 315, Sammy Patrick 205.

Shoot Callender 2008

February 3 – Club Shoot - 3 arrow (OUTBACK)
February 17 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (BOUNDARY)
February 23 & 24 – Tamworth ABA

March 9 – Club Shoot – 3D
March 16 – Club Shoot – ABA (OUTBACK)
March 16 to 19 – National IFAA
March 21 to 24 – National ABA & 3D
March 30 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (BOUNDARY)

April 13 – Club Shoot – ABA (OUTBACK)
April 19 & 20 – Namoi Valley ABA

May 4 – Interclub Shoot – Tamworth Field Archers
May 11 – Club Shoot - IFAA
May 17 & 18 – Tuggerah State IFAA
May 25 – Club Shoot – ABA (BOUNDARY)

June 7 & 8 – Manning Valley ABA
June 15 – Club Shoot - 3D
June 29 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (OUTBACK)

July 6 – Club Shoot – Indoor shoot at Gunnedah PCYC (to be confirmed)
July 12 & 13 – Tamworth Indoor
July 20 – Club Shoot – Delta (BOUNDARY)

August 3 – Club Shoot - 3D
August 9 & 10 – Moonterra 3D
August 17 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (OUTBACK)
August 31 – Club Shoot – Aussie Field Round (BOUNDARY)

September 7 – Club Shoot - IFAA
September 13 & 14 – Avon Valley Branch IFAA
September 21 – Club Shoot – ABA (OUTBACK)

October 4 to 6 – Southern Branch State ABA
October 12 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (BOUNDARY)
October 26 – Interclub Shoot - Namoi Valley Archers ABA & 3D (OUTBACK)

November 9 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (BOUNDARY)
November 15 & 16 – Macleay Valley ABA
November 23 – Club Shoot - Delta (OUTBACK)
November 30 – Club Shoot – 3 arrow (BOUNDARY) Christmas Party and Presentation

December 6 & 7 – Hunter Bowmen ABA