Weekend Roundup.

Namoi Valley Archers dominated the Northern NSW Branch 3D Championships held at Taree recently winning 8 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals. The club scored double gold in the Bowhunter Unlimited division with Lloyd Jauja turning in his best performance of the year to win the elite Flight 1 putting together 3 quality rounds with Warwick Shepherd taking the bornze. Greg Scott also shot a personal best to win Flight 2 in the same division. Greg Donovan received the good news that he had achieved promotion to Freestyle Unlimited Flight 1 at the start of the shoot and justified the promotion with a fine display of archery to earn the bronze medal in a crack field. Wade Hudson had to work hard for the win in Mens Masters but eventually pulled away from his competition to score the win. Nathan Murrell was another archer to really hit from when it mattered scoring the silver medal in a very competitive A grade Compound contest. Karen Hudson was in a class of her own scoring the win in Womens Masters with club mates, Wendi Murrell and Ann Stubbs taking the silver and bronze medals in A grade compound. Darrell Hudson dominated the A grade Recurve event showing his class to score an all the way win with Peter Stubbs taking the B grade title after a tense contest with Taree local Karl Peck. Stubbs celebrated the win by being promoted to A grade for future events. The club’s Junior archers performed extremely well with Sebastian Donovan scoring the silver in Freestyle Unlimited Flight 1. The club swept the board in Freestyle Unlimited Flight 2 with Zac Hayne holding off a strong challenge from Lachlan Scott to secure the win with Jack Shepherd grabbing third. Jarrod Stubbs finished second in a top class A grade compound event with Stacey Scoot also shooting well to finish second in Cub B grade compound. Kaytlyn and Emylie Murrell rounded out the medal haul with a 1-2 finish in Cub Compound D grade.

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow animal round on Sunday with a good field taking to the Boundary range in perfect conditions. Karen Hudson proved too strong in the Compound contest scoring the win from the improving Wendi Murrell with Nathan Murrell grabbing third. Darrell Hudson was in superb form in the Traditional division scoring a comprehensive win with Peter Stubbs finishing second with Greg Scoot in third. John Clark turned in a steady round to win the Sighted contest with Chris Paull shooting well to finish second with Greg Donovan in third. Zac Hayne has really improved over the last few events and he continued his recent great form to secure the win in Junior Sighted with Sebastian Donovan in second and Shane Thompson in third.

Shane Thompson Boy Junior Compound 1010 Jarrod Stubbs Boy Junior Compound 690 Zac Hayne Boy Junior Open 1090 Sebastian Donovan Boy Junior Open 1050 Leif Simeon Boy Little Archer 495 Callum Urquhart Cub Boy Open 565 Lachlan Boyd Cub Boy Open 515 Hayley Murrell Cub Girl Compound 505 Kaytlyn Murrell Cub Girl Compound 280 Emylie Murrell Cub Girl Compound 160 Sophie Donovan Cub Girl Open 1030 Stacey Scott Girl Junior Compound 485 Nathan Murrell Mens Compound 520 Ken Thompson Mens Olympic 850 John Clark Mens Open 1120 Chris Paul Mens Open 1095 Greg Donovan Mens Open 1060 Bernie Hayne Mens Open 910 Andrew Springall Mens Open 880 Garry Urquhart Mens Open 795 Gordon White Mens Open 760 Chris Usher Mens Open 670 Greg Scott Mens Open 415 Darrell Hudson Mens Traditional 725 Peter Stubbs Mens Traditional 575 Gordon MacAulay Ungraded 705 Sharon Boyd Ungraded 220 Karen Hudson Womens Compound 715 Wendi Murrell Womens Compound 635 Ann Stubbs Womens Compound 490 Denise Stevenson Womens Open 510 Chris Simeon Womens Traditional 270

3D Round Attracts 60 Shooters

Namoi Valley Archers held a 2 round 3D event on Sunday with the biggest field in club history in attendance. Organizers were swamped with entries with archers from Tamworth, Moonbi, Manilla and Murrundi boosting numbers to over 60 for the day. Course designers, Greg Donovan and Lloyd Jauja delivered a top class layout for the day with archers tested by targets cleverly placed in the natural terrain. Tamworth archers dominated the Sighted contest with Ben Mc Culloch showing his 3D prowess scoring a very narrow win over renowned hunter, Brad Smith with Robbie Austin grabbing third in a hotly contested division. Karen Hudson turned in another brilliant performance to win the Compound event putting together 2 top class rounds with veteran Tamworth archer, Neville White taking second from Ann Stubbs who finished third. Darrell Hudson was another archer in fine form scoring a decisive win in the Traditional division with Peter Stubbs returning to form to take second place with Sharon Boyd finishing third. Zac Hayne scored a great win in the Junior Sighted beating home a crack field after scoring well in both rounds just edging out Lachlan Scott in a very tight contest with Sebastian Donovan in third. The Cub Sighted division was won by Sophie Donovan with Callum Urquhart taking second with Lachlan Boyd just doing enough to finish third. The next club shoot will be held on November 21^st.

Scores

Sighted – Ben McCulloch 774, Brad Smith 770, Robbie Austin 768, Andrew Stubbs 758, Greg Donovan 750, Matt Wittman 748, Lloyd Jauja 732, James Bush 730, Stuart Dolbel 728, Matt Sinclair 724, Chris Paull 720, Greg Scott 714, Peter Bush 702, Brandon Thrift 696, Josh Whitbread 690, Bernie Hayne 668, Michael Rulen 666, Brian Whittaker 642, Andrew Morris 626, Gary Urquhart 624,Gordon Malaulay 620, Corey Squires 614, Simon Taylor 598, Tom Welsh 596, Jack Sheppard 586, Kim Jauja 524, Warwick Shepherd 498, Leslee Mordue 408, Kane Morris 264.

Compound - Karen Hudson 628, Neville White 604, Ann Stubbs 554, Wendi Murrell 536, Nathan Murrell 478, Stewart Mordue 262.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 608, Peter Stubbs 498, Sharon Boyd 116.

Junior Sighted – Zac Hayne 750, Lachlan Scott 744, Sebastian Donovan 702, Rannon Fuller 620, Patrick Cameron 548, Kaytlyn Fuller 388, Hayden Riordan 344, Jack Jordon 192.

Junior Compound – Kye Morris 340, Stacey Scott 242, Jarrod Stubbs 170.

Cub Sighted – Sophie Donovan 652, Callum Urquhart 558, Lachlan Boyd 394, Krystal Jauja 384, Jake Whittaker 288, Curtis Riordan 242.

Cub Compound – Haylee Murrell 258, Emylie Murrell 186, Kaytlyn Murrell 146, Haylee Mordue 146.

Mark and Denise Stevenson have just returned from the Pan Pacific Masters games held on the Gold Coast. Over 11,000 athletes converged on the Gold Coast for the games with over 30 sports represented. Mark Stevenson finished with the Gold medal in the Longbow division for archers 50-60 years while Denise Stevenson also won Gold in the Freestyle Limited division for archers 50-60 years. Competition was held over 5 rounds with a mixture of ABA and 3D rounds.

Big Field For The Tough Delta Round

Namoi Valley Archers held a 20 target Delta round on Sunday with the biggest field of the year taking to the Outback range. Some excellent scores were returned on the day with Darrell Hudson, Kaytlyn Fuller, John Clark, Karen Hudson, Haylee Murrell and Sophie Donovan all setting club records in their respective divisions. Karen Hudson led the field home in the Compound division setting a new club record on her way to victory. Wendi Murrell continued her recent good form posting an impressive score to finish second with Ken Hill grabbing third with an encouraging performance. John Clark finished the day on top in the Sighted contest with Greg Donovan taking second place while Gordon White just edged past a big pursuing pack to grab third. Darrell Hudson was in a class of his own posting a big win in the Traditional division with Mark Stevenson shooting very well to finish second with Peter Stubbs in third. Sebastian Donovan turned in the top score in the Junior Sighted divison with Kaytlyn Fuller and Rannon Fuller filling the minor placings. The club will be back in action this Sunday with the very popular 3D targets making their final appearance for the year.

Scores

Compound – Karen Hudson 740, Wendi Murrell 685, Ken Hill 640, Ann Stubbs 505, Nathan Murrell 455.

Sighted – John Clark 1095, Greg Donovan 1005, Gordon White 975, Stuart Dolbel 960, Matt Sinclair 960, Warwick Shepherd 910, Bernie Hayne 885, Greg Scott 860, Gary Urquhart 840, Jodi Dolbel 835, Peter Bush 835, James Bush 805, Andrew Morris 795, Jack Shepherd 740, Denise Stevenson 735, Chris Usher 715, Kim Jauja 535, Andrew Stubbs 354, Kim Stubbs 326, Josh Whitbread324, Lloyd Jauja 310.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 720, Mark Stevenson 440, Peter Stubbs 415, Andrew Springall 340.

Junior Sighted – Sebatsian Donovan 925, Kaytlyn Fuller 865, Rannon Fuller 825, Jessica Sinclair 555, Jack Jordan 550, Patrick Cameron 340.

Junior Barebow – Stacey Scott 490, Kye Morris 445.

Cub Sighted – Sophie Donovan 860, Liam Donaldson 705, Callum Urquhart 545.

Cub Barebow – Haylee Murrell 440, Emylee Murrell 210.

ABA: Half Round Results

A rain cut short the days archery at the Wondobah range but a small field enjoyed the Outback range with a few tweaks to make it interesting. NVA had a number of shooters attending the state ABA titles at Orange.

Local Scores.

Scores For ABA Round 19th Sept 2010

World IFAA & Weekend Shoot Wrap Up

Namoi Valley Archers have been performing extremely well on the international and regional scene over the last few weeks posting some outstanding results. Gunnedah’s 3 representatives at the World IFAA Championships held in Dahn, Germany faced some of the toughest ranges ever used for a World event. The ranges featured extreme uphill shots through dense forest which really challenged archers technique. On some ranges competitors were required to use rope ladders to aid them climb to the shooting points with some archers forced to pull out due to the extreme physical requirements of the course. A big talking point was the shots from high in castle ruins which are a feature of the Dahn area. Competitors were treated wonderfully well by the local population with an opening parade of competitors assembled in National groups a real highlight. Each day of competition saw the 700 plus competitors assemble in the town centre before moving out onto the ranges. Due to the large number of competitors and the distance between targets competitors were required to walk many kilometres per day with rounds taking over 8 hours each day to complete. The 2010 World Championships were a watershed for Australian archery with the selected 7 member Australian team winning the prestigious Team of Nations crown for the first time with host nations, Germany in second and England taking third.

Matt Wittman put together a superb performance over the 5 rounds to finish a very creditable 28^th out of a field of 83 in the premier division in field archery, Freestyle Unlimited. This was a top class result for Wittman who at just 18 gave away years of experience to most of the field and underlines his ranking as one of the country’s best young archers. Ken Thompson finished 27^th in a field of 43 in the Recurve Freestyle Limited divison shooting very well in extremely difficult conditions. This style of archery in extremely popular in Europe and Thompson acquitted himself well against a high calibre field. Shane Thompson finished a very creditable 4^thin Junior Recurve Freestyle Limited. Thompson shot right up to his ability but could not quite bridge the difference to his fellow competitors with the gold going to a German archer, the silver to an English archer and the bronze to a competitor from Portugal.

Namoi Valley Archers had 6 representatives at the Northern NSW Branch ABA Invitation tournament held in Taree recently with the Hudson family scoring triple gold. Wade Hudson was in top form winning the Masters division after another fine display. Karen Hudson turned in her best ever score winning A grade Compound, becoming the first female barebow archer from Namoi Valley Archers to break the magical 700 point barrier in official competition. Darrell Hudson celebrated his promotion to Recurve A grade scoring a dominant win returning 3 top class rounds. David Buckingham scored the silver in Bowhunter Unlimited with Denise Stevenson also finishing second in Bowhunter Limited.

5 archers made the long trip to Wagga Wagga on the weekend to compete in the NSW 3D championships returning with an impressive 4 gold and 1 bronze medals. Ann Stubbs scored gold in Compound B grade shooting with great consistency over the 2 day tournament. Denise Stevenson added to her recent good performances by winning Bowhunter Limited with Mark Stevenson also winning gold in Freestyle Unlimited to make it a family double. Peter Stubbs shot well over the weekend to finish 3^rd in B grade Recurve while outstanding junior, Jarrod Stubbs rounded out the medal haul with a superb gold medal in A grade compound.

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow club shoot on Sunday with a good field taking to the ranges. Greg Donovan was in top form on the day winning the Sighted division after turning in a fine round. Bernie Hayne also shot well to take second with Peter Bush in third. Karen Hudson continued her recent hot streak scoring a superb win in the Compound divison with Neville White finishing second. Nathan Murrell did just enough to grab third place and family bragging rights, from a fast finishing Wendi Murrell. Haylee Murrell finished the day as the top Cub compound archer with Stacey Scott in second with Kaytlyn Murrell in third. The next club shoot will be a change from the normal shoot day with the event to be held on Saturday 4^th September with a 1pm start to avoid clashing with Fathers day.

Scores

Greg Donovan 1110, Bernie Hayne 990, Peter Bush 960, Josh Purcell 890, Brian Whittaker 765, Andrew Springall 600, Andrew Stubbs 374, Patrick Cameron 360, Michael Urquhart 344, Kim Stubbs 298, Brook Gaynor 264.

Compound – Karen Hudson 875, Neville White 745, Nathan Murrell 730, Wendi Murrell 730.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 845, Greg Scott 630.

Bowhunter - Matt Wittman 1125.

Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 1075, Lachlan Scott 990.

Junior Compound – Rannon Fuller 525.

Cub Sighted – Lachlan Boyd 630, Josh Riley 415.

Cub Compound – Haylee Murrell 520, Stacey Scott 410, Kaytlyn Murrell 295, Emylie Murrell 290.

3 Arrow Results

Husband and wife team Darryl and Karen Hudson tore up the range and shredded it on Sunday busting their respective division club records that had been standing since 2006, oddly enough set by themselves on almost the same shoot date as this record smashing performance, well done team Hudson.

3D Round Challenges Local Archers

Namoi Valley Archers held a 2 round 3D event on Sunday with a big field competing in perfect winter weather conditions. Course designers Lloyd Jauja and Greg Donovan set a very challenging course with the main talking point the very realistic crocodile target which was set right on the edge of the waterline in a dam.

Any archer going low on this target saw their arrow end in the water. Ann Stubbs turned in a superb performance to finish the day as the top compound archer with a very impressive score. Wendi Murrell was another archer reveling in the conditions shooting a personal best to finish second with Ken Hill grabbing third place. John Clark proved too steady in the sighted contest putting together 2 tidy rounds to score the win from Stuart Dolbel who just held off fast finishingTamworth visitor, Andrew Springall, in a close battle for the minor placings.

Darrell Hudson was in fine form in the traditional contest scoring a big win with Greg Scott grabbing second place after a very tense battle with Peter Stubbs.

Lachlan Scott was another archer in fine form scoring a great win in a very competitive junior sighted division. Jack Shepherd pipped Sebastian Donovan by just 2 points in a great contest for the minor placings. The next club shoot is set down for August 22^nd with a 9.00am start.

Scores

Compound – Ann Stubbs 618, Wendi Murrell 574, Ken Hill 560, Nathan Murrell 526, Karen Hudson 506.

Sighted – John Clark 770, Stuart Dolbel 746, Andrew Springall 742, Warwick Shepherd 738, Greg Donovan 734, Gordon White 732, Lloyd Jauja 726, Matt Sinclair 708, Andrew Stubbs 704, mark Stevenson 672, Michael Urquhart 668, Brian Whittaker 626, Bernie Hayne 600, Denise Stevenson 526.

Traditional - Darrell Hudson 608, Greg Scott 454, Peter Stubbs 436.

Junior Sighted – Lachlan Scott 744, Jack Shepherd 728, Sebastian Donovan 726, Zac Hayne 698, Jess Sinclair 338.

Junior Compound – Katelyn Fuller 610, Rannon Fuller 440.

Cub Compound – Stacey Scott 468, Lachlan Boyd 462, Haylee Murrell 384, Kaytlyn Murrell 344, Jake Whittaker 344, Ben Wilkinson 292, Josh Riley 278.

Little Archers – Emilee Murrell 590.

Gunnedah’s 3 representatives at the World Field Archery Championships in Germany are performing well after 2 days of competition. Matt Wittman competing in Freestyle Unlimited is a very respectable 29th in a field of 94. Matt had a slow start in the first round but had a much improved second round. It was a similar story for Ken Thompson who is competing in Freestyle Recurve, a much improved second round has him lying 27^th in a field of 43. Shane Thompson, competing in Junior Freestyle Recurve is currently 4^th but will have to shoot exceptionally well to overtake the third placed archer.

Pan Pacific Masters, Nov 2010

Field Archery at the Pan Pacific Masters Games

Field Archery will be one of the major sports on the program at the 7^th Pan Pacific Masters Games to be held on the Gold Coast in Australia from 6 to 14 November, 2010.

There will be 34 sports on the program, with more than 10,000 people from all over the world expected to converge on the Gold Coast to participate.

The Pan Pacific Masters Games is a celebration of master’s sport with both fierce and friendly competition and a jam-packed entertainment program at the Games Village at the end of each day.

The minimum age requirement for Field Archery is 30 years. The event divisions include: Barebow Recurve, Barebow Compound, Longbow, Bowhunter Recurve, Bowhunter Compound (Finger Release), Bowhunter Compound (Release Aid), Freestyle Recurve, Freestyle Compound (Finger Release) and Freestyle Compound (Release Aid).

The competition will be held at Pacific Bowmen in Reedy Creek.

All sports are located in close proximity to the Games Village at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach. The Games Village will feature the registration centre, merchandise, live nightly entertainment, fully catered hospitality and an exclusive venue for competitors to meet up and enjoy the spirit the event is known for.

Being held on the Gold Coast also means that participants can enjoy the golden sands of the surf beaches, choose from a huge range of accommodation for all budgets, visit the exciting theme parks and relax at some great restaurants, bars and cafes.

Entries for the Pan Pacific Masters Games are open online at www.mastersgames.com.au

IFAA Nationals

Namoi Valley Archers was represented by a ten member team at the 2010 IFAA Australian Championships held in Orange over the long weekend. The tournament was conducted over four days with competitors shooting 2 Field, and 2 Hunter rounds. Each round required competitors to shoot 4 arrows at each of the 28 targets with marked distances ranging from 10 to 80 yards. The tournament was held in extremely difficult weather conditions with Friday providing frigid temperatures with a maximum of just 6 degrees. Karen Hudson scored an emphatic win in Bowhunter B grade putting together a very consistent performance to score a memorable win. The club scored gold in both the B grade and C grade Recurve Freestyle Limited events with Ken Thompson shooting well to take the B grade while Mark Stevenson showed his recent hard work has paid off grabbing the gold in C grade. Bernie Hayne enjoyed a great tournament scoring his first national IFAA gold after scoring a wonderful win in Freestyle Unlimited C grade. Hayne jumped to the lead on round 1 and outscored his opposition in every round. Greg Donovan turned in a fine display in a very competitive Freestyle Unlimited B grade event shooting really well to finish third. Matt Wittman turned in a very admirable performance among the country’s elite archers finishing a very creditable 7^th in A grade stringing together some very impressive scores. Darrell Hudson had a titanic battle in Recurve Bowhunter B grade over the four day tournament, eventually finishing second to South Australian Alan Murray in a memorable contest. Sebastian Donovan turned in a brilliant performance to win Junior Freestyle Unlimited A grade underlining his growing reputation as one of the country’s best young archers. Zac Hayne is another youngster on the rise and his win in Freestyle Unlimited B grade is further evidence of his improvement over the last year. Shane Thompson rounded out the medal haul with a silver medal in Junior Freestyle Limited Recurve with a typically determined performance.

The club held a Delta round on Sunday for those archers not competing at Orange with archers competing in perfect winter conditions. John Clark finished the day on top in the sighted division after a very spirited battle with Stuart Dolbel with Warwick Shepherd in third. Tamworth veteran, Neville White, finished the day as the top barebow exponent with Ann Stubbs also shooting well to finish second with Greg Scott in third.

Scores

Sighted – John Clark 1060, Stuart Dolbel 1040, Warwick Shepherd 975, Andrew Springall 860, Denise Stevenson 670, Andrew Stubbs 340, Kim Stubbs 292, Michael Rulen 240.

Barebow – Neville White 810, Ann Stubbs 630, Greg Scott 440.

Junior – Jarrod Stubbs 690, Aaron Keech 330, Stacey Scott 375, Patrick Cameron 370.

3D Shoot

Namoi Valley Archers held a 2 round 3D event on Sunday with the biggest field of the year on hand to compete in perfect weather conditions. The field included visitors from Tamworth, Murrurundi, Cessnock and Taree which gave the day an added dimension. Course designers, Greg Donovan and Lloyd Jauja set a very tough course with targets cleverly placed amongst the bush and fallen timber maximizing the challenge. Wade Hudson set a cracking pace in the Compound division to score an excellent win from Tamworth archer, Neville White in second place with Karen Hudson grabbing third after a close battle with Ann Stubbs. Darrell Hudson fought hard to record a win in the Traditional contest with peter Stubbs in second and Mark Stevenson in third. John Clark compiled a tidy round to finish on top in the Sighted division with Greg Donovan also shooting well to take second with Brandon Thrift just holding off a big pack for third, Sebastian Donovan proved too good in the Junior Sighted contest with Lachlan Scott shooting well to take second place with Shane Thompson in third. The next club shoot will be an IFAA round set down for May 16. This will give competitors a chane to prepared for the IFAA tournament to be held in Gloucester on the 22^nd and 23^rd of May.

Scores

Compound – Wade Hudson 724, Neville White 642, Karen Hudson 516, Ann Stubbs 492, Nathan Murrell 418, Wendi Murrell 330, Ben Stubbs 292.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 546, Peter Stubbs 500, Mark Stevenson 254.

Sighted – John Clark 772, Greg Donovan 752, Brandon Thrift 718, Tim Mellon 712, Michael Rulen 710, Greg Scott 706, Gordon White 702, Peter Bush 696, Andrew Stubbs 694, Mark Fotheringham 684, Ken Thompson 664, Bernie Hayne 658, Barry Stubbs 638, Andrew Springer 632, Denise Stevenson 550, Lloyd Jauja 352, David Hope 312, Andy Jones 286.

Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 744, Lachlan Scott 712, Shane Thompson 610, James Fotheringham 598, Zac Hayne 564, Hayden Riordan 290.

Cub – Stacey Scott 466, Haylee Murrell 402, Curtis Riordan 296, Emilee Murrell 286, Samuel Jauja 264, Krystal Jauja 256, Kaytlyn Murrell 168.

Novice – Kim Jauja 450.

IFFA Warm Up

Namoi Valley Archers held a 14 target IFAA round on Sunday with competitors taking the opportunity to gain valuable match practice for this weekend’s NSW State IFAA championships to be held in Gloucester. The IFAA round is a highly technical test of archery ability with competitors required to shoot 4 arrows per target at marked distances with the longest target set at 80 yards. Matt Wittman set the highest score of the day to score a comfortable win in the sighted division. Wittman got off to a slow start but stormed home scoring a perfect score on each of the last 5 targets. John Clark returned a solid round to finish second with Greg Donovan finishing third. Ken Hill finished the day as the top compound archer after compiling an excellent round with Karen Hudson grabbing second place with Nathan Murrell finishing in third. Juniors, Sebastian Donovan and Zac Hayne turned on a first class contest with Donovan just doing enough to record the win with both archers showing outstanding form. Club members are asked to finalize their club shirt orders at the next club event to be held on May 30^th, further details can be obtained by ringing 67423527.

Scores

Sighted – Matt Wittman 265, John Clark 251, Greg Donovan 234, Ken Thompson 207, Bernie Hayne 193, Mark Stevenson 158, Bernie Hayne 193, Denise Stevenson 102.

Compound – Ken Hill 154, Karen Hudson 144, Nathan Murrell 131, Ann Stubbs 120, Wendi Murrell 113.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 150, Peter Stubbs 137.

Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 226, Zac Hayne 221.

Cubs – Haylee Murrell 107, Emilee Murrell 63, Kaytlyn Murrell 51.

Novice – Gavin Donnelly 119, Michael Donnelly 102, Tom Welsh 85, Rob Welsh 56.

Nationals, NVA Shines

Namoi Valley Archers returned from the Australian Field Archery Championships held in Charleville, Queensland with a massive haul of 34 medals across the 2 disciplines contested over the Easter weekend. The club has big contingent of 20 archers at the 4 day tournament winning medals across all styles of archery underlining the clubs’ all round strength. Australian championships were contested in the ABA National event held over 4 rounds and the 3D event held over 2 rounds. The organizers made a major change in the ABA National event this year dropping one of the 3 arrow rounds for a 2 arrow all count round on Sunday while the 3D event was contested under the IFAA rules which will be used at the 2011 World Bowhunter Championships to be held in Wagga Wagga.

Wade Hudson stamped himself as the best barebow compound archer in the country winning both the ABA and 3D titles in the elite Masters division with a sublime display of precision archery. Hudson was streets ahead of his opposition in both events winning the ABA crown by 74 points and the 3D event by a massive 113 points. A remarkable achievement as Hudson has had limited time on the range due to his studies at the University of New England. Hudson also achieved the rare feat of winning four gold medals at the championships, after being selected in the Northern NSW team which won both the ABA team event and the 3D team event. Organizers were so impressed with the level of Hudson’s performance that his scores were announced round by round at the presentation in acknowledgement of his prowess over the tournament.

The club finished with a total of 9 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals in the ABA Championships. Matt Wittman had a wonderful tournament finishing with the silver medal in the premier sighted division, Freestyle Unlimited -Flight 1. Wittman was tied for the lead after the first 2 rounds but lost ground during the 2 arrow round and despite turning in a brilliant last round Wittman could not close the gap. This was a superb performance by Wittman who at just 18 gave away years of experience to his opposition. Greg Donovan scored a big win in Freestyle Unlimited – Flight 2 with a terrific performance across the 4 rounds and will be joining Matt Wittman in the elite Flight 1 after this outstanding showing with club mate Gordon White also shooting well to take third. Ken Thompson scored another an Australian title taking out the Freestyle Limited Recurve event with a dominating performance while Lloyd Jauja took home the silver in Bowhunter Unlimited - Flight 2 missing out on top spot by just 6 points. Bernie Hayne finished with the silver in the Hunter division with a typically courageous display showing real strength of character across the 4 day tournament. Denise Stevenson seems to have found her home in Freestyle Limited showing some excellent form to win the silver medal with a consistent display across the 4 rounds. The clubs’ traditional archers performed well with mark Stevenson winning his first Australian medal taking out the Longbow Modern event posting some top scores across the weekend. Peter Stubbs finished with the silver in the Recurve B grade contest with club mate Darrell Hudson taking third. Stubbs was right in contention for the win after the first day of competition but the eventual winner found another gear to finish too strongly for Stubbs to take the win. The newly promoted Ann Stubbs rounded out the medal haul with a great display in Compound B grade to take the silver medal. The clubs junior archers also performed extremely well with Matthew Jauja showing his class to take the Freestyle Unlimited – Flight 1 crown with a dominant display while Zac Hayne underlined his rapid improvement to finish with gold in Freestyle Unlimited – Flight 2. Shane Thompson shot particularly well to take the title in Freestyle Recurve with youngsters Krystal Jauja, Freestyle Unlimited and Sophie Donovan, Freestyle Limited both taking home Australian gold medals in the Cub competition.

The club also dominated in the 3D event winning 9 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals. Matt Wittman again showed why he is regarded as one of the country’s best up and coming archers scoring a bronze in the ultra competitive Freestyle Unlimited division. Greg Donovan stamped his class in Flight 2 of the same division with his second gold medal of the weekend with team mate Gordon White battling hard for third place. Ken Thompson scored double gold taking out the Freestyle Rcurve contest with another consistent performance and Lloyd Jauja grabbed bronze in a tough Bowhunter Unlimited - Flight 2 field with a polished display. Bernie Hayne showed his liking for the 3D style taking a silver in the Hunter division with Denise Stevenson shooting well to finish with the bronze in Freestyle Limited. Ann Stubbs scored an impressive win in Compound B grade, her first win in this division since her recent promotion while Karen Hudson battled equipment problems all weekend but did enough to take the bronze in Compound A grade showing her mental toughness over the 2 rounds. Longbow exponent Mark Stevenson added another gold to his collection with a win in Modern Longbow while Peter Stubbs finished third in Recurve B grade. The clubs junior brigade were once again on song with Shane Thompson to good for his opposition on his way to winning Freestyle Limited Recurve with Zac Hayne scoring well to take the Freestyle Unlimited – Flight 2 crown. Sebastian Donovan showed real tenacity to score a great second place in a very competitive Bowhunter Unlimited event underlining his recent surge in form. Cubs, Krystal Jauja and Sophie Donovan completed a golden weekend each taking their second gold medal in their respective divisions to complete a hugely successful tournament for the local club.

Local Records Fall As Archers Ready For The Nationals

Namoi Valley Archers held a 2 round ABA event on Sunday with a big field taking to the Outback range with many competitors taking the final opportunity to gain valuable match practice before the Australian Championships to be held in Charleville over the Easter long weekend. Some top class scores were recorded on the day with Karen Hudson, Ken Thompson and Sophie Donovan all setting new club records in their respective divisions. Matt Wittman continued his recent good form to score a brilliant win in the Sighted division missing the bullseye just 5 times over the 40 target competition to just shade John Clark with Stuart Dolbel shooting well to hold off Greg Donovan for third spot. Wade Hudson tuned up for the National titles with a superb score to score the win in the Compound division with Karen Hudson returning a Masters score to finish second with Ann Stubbs in third. Sebastian Donovan also showed he will be a strong contender at the Nationals shooting a top class score on his way to the win in Junior Sighted with Zac Hayne just edging out Lachlan Scott and Shane Thompson in a tense battle for second place. The Traditional contest was a torrid affair with Michael Patrick and Peter Stubbs finishing tied for top spot with Darrell Hudson and Mick Sinclair filling the minor placings.

Scores

Sighted – Matt Wittman 790, John Clark 788, Stuart Dolbel 778, Greg Donovan 774, Gordon White 760, Warrwick Shepherd 754, John Finn 742, Bernie Hayne 734, Ken Thompson 724, Greg Scott 734, Steve Jaeger 732, Peter Bush 696, Denise Stevenson 598, Lloyd Jauja 380.

Compound – Wade Hudson 760, Karen Hudson 656, Ann Stubbs 530.

Traditional – Michael Patrick 560, Peter Bush 560, Darrell Hudson 544, Mark Stevenson 382, Mick Sinclair 324.

Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 778. Zac Hayne 708, Shane Thompson 702, Lachlan Scott 702, Jack Shepherd 696, Jess Sinclair 290.

Junior Compound – Christopher Patrick 586, Jackelyn Patrick 286.

Cub Sighted – Sophie Donovan 590, Krystal Jauja 280, Samuel Jauja 246.

Cub Barebow – Sammy Patrick 334, George D’Marchos 214, Stacey Scott 186.

Namoi Valley Archers was represented by a 9 member team at the Maitland 2 day tournament held recently with the club winning 5 gold, 2 silver and a bronze medal. Greg Donovan shot extremely well to win Freestyle Unlimited with Mark Stevenson taking out the Longbow event. Darrell Hudson and Peter Stubbs scored the quinella in the Recurve contest with Denise Stevenson taking bronze in Freestyle Limited. Sebastian Donovan showed he is among the top juniors in the Northern NSW Branch scoring the win in Bowhunter Unlimited. Karen Hudson celebrated her well deserved promotion to Compound A grade scoring the gold medal while Ann Stubbs was another archer to earn promotion moving into B grade and finishing the weekend with the silver medal

3 Arrow Round Sees Stiff Competition

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow event on Sunday with a big filed in attendance to try the newly revamped Boundary range. Matt Wittman found the new layout to his liking turning in a virtuoso display to leave the rest of the field floundering in his wake scoring a big win in the Sighted division. John Clark finished the day in second place with Tamworth visitor Brandon Thrift finishing third. Tamworth veteran, Neville White showed his class scoring the win in Compound with Karen Hudson shooting well to take second place with Ann Stubbs third. Sebastian Donovan proved too strong for his opposition in the Junior Sighted contest with Zac Hayne finishing second and newcomer Jack Shepherd shooting well to grab third spot. The next club shoot will be held on March 28^th and will be a 2 round ABA event with a B-B-Q lunch between rounds. This will be the final opportunity for members to grab vital practice before the National Championships to be held at Charleville over the Easter weekend.

Scores

Sighted – Matt Wittman 1160, John Clark 1115, Brandon Thrift 1100, Greg Donovan 1095, Stuart Dolbel 1090, Gordon White 1055, Jodi Dolbel 1045, Matt Sinclair 1010, Warwick Shepherd 1005, Matt Jauja 945, Greg Scott 915, Michael Rule 915, Peter Bush 895, Andrew Springall 865, Andrew Stubbs 835, Bernie Hayne 810, Denise Stevenson 735, Lloyd Jauja 295.

Compound – Neville White 835, Karen Hudson 740, Ann Stubbs 645, Nathan Murrell 575, Wendi Murrell 535.

Traditional – Peter Stubbs 600, Mark Stevenson 495.

Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 960, Zac Hayne 890, Jack Shepherd 855, Hayden Riordan 740, Jessica Sinclair 640.

Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 725.

Cub Sighted – Sophie Donovan 625, Krystal Jauja 500.

Cub Barebow – Haylee Murrell 360, Kaytlyn Murrell 345, Samuel Jauja 260.

Novice – Emilee Murrell 500, George D’Marchos 285, Stacey Scott 270.

NVA On Fire At Kempsey

Namoi Valley Archers was well represented at the first Northern NSW Branch tournament of the year with an 11 member team traveling to Kempsey for the 2 day 3D event. Competitors breathed a sigh of relief when the showers that had fallen on Friday night and Saturday morning cleared just as archers took to the ranges for start of competition with the remainder of the event held under fine conditions. The team turned in a dominant performance finishing with 7 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals. Peter Stubbs recorded a hard fought win in the B grade recurve division downing club mate and arch rival Darrel Hudson in a very satisfying performance. Stubbs was pushed all the way by Hudson and withstood the pressure to start the new year in fine style. Karen Hudson was in sensational form turning in a top class performance to score an outstanding win in B grade Compound with Amy Stubbs adding to the medal haul by grabbing bronze. Ann Stubbs also shot well winning the C Grade compound event and after a string of good performances must be due for a promotion to B grade in the very near future. Husband and wife team, Mark and Denise Stevenson, had a golden weekend with Mark scoring a breakthrough win in Modern Longbow and Denise winning Freestyle Limited Flight 2. Greg Donovan was another archer in great form winning Freestyle Unlimited Flight 2 with a quality performance and after a series of recent good results promotion to the elite Flight 1 must be just around the corner. Jarrod Stubbs scored the silver medal in a very competitive Junior A grade Compound division with Sebastian Donovan underlining his potential by finishing second in Junior Bowhunter Unlimited. Sophie Donovan flew the flag for the club in the cub division scoring the gold medal in Freestyle Limited with a very determined performance over the 2 day event. The next Branch 2 day tournament will be held in Maitland on March 21 and 22.

3D Tests Local Before Away Shoot Season

Namoi Valley Archers held the first 3D round of the year on Sunday with another big field taking to the ranges. The format for the day had archers shooting a 3 arrow round in the morning and a 1 arrow in the afternoon with a BBQ lunch between rounds. Range designers Lloyd Jauja and Greg Donovan presented archers with a challenging course making excellent use of broken ground to test competitors distance judgement. Matt Sinclair led the field home in the Sighted division returning a top class score with Greg Donovan grabbing second place with Matt Wittman in third. Wade Hudson dominated the Compound contest with Karen Hudson filling second spot and Ken Hill also shooting well to take third. Darrell Hudson finished on top in the Traditional division with Michael Patrick shooting well to take second with Peter Stubbs in third. Sebastian Donovan proved too good in the Junior Sighted division with James Bush filling second and newcomer Lachlan Scott making an excellent debut to take third. The next club shoot will be held on March 6^th.

Scores

Sighed – Matt Sinclair 764, Greg Donovan 744, Matt Wittman 734, Lloyd Jauja 728, Warwick Sheppard 726, Peter Bush 708, John Muller 700, Greg Scott 696, Andrew Springall 694, Michael Rule 646, Andrew Stubbs 676, Denise Stevenson 506.

Compound – Wade Hudson 718, Karen Hudson 656, Ken Hill 588, Ann Stubbs 538, Amy Stubbs 492, Wendi Murrell 488, Nick Lyons 286, Patrick Cameron 246.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 618, Michael Patrick 566, Peter Stubbs 536, Mark Stevenson 354.

Junior Sighted – Sebastian Donovan 702, James Bush 682, Lachlan Scott 654, Jess Sinclair 580.

Junior Compound – Chris Patrick 454, Jackelyn Patrick 268.

Cub Sighted – Sophie Donovan 546, Krystal Jauja 490.

Cub Barebow – Sammy Patrick 274, Haylee Murrell 188.

Little Archer – Emylie Murrell 190.

3 Arrow All Count To Kick The Year Off

Namoi Valley Archers kicked off the 2010 season on Sunday with a big field taking to the Outback range for a 3 arrow round with senior competitors trying the newly introduced Hunter peg for the first time. This new innovation will be used on all ABA ranges in 2010 and it is hoped it will prove popular with the hunting fraternity and see an increase it shoot numbers at both club and branch events. Despite light raining falling during the round some very good scores were recorded with visiting archer Pat Tydings recording the highest score for the day on his way to winning the sighted division just holding off Stuart Dolbel in a very close contest with Matthew Wittman just a few points away in third. Wade Hudson was in scintillating form scoring a decisive win in the Compound contest with Tamworth veteran Neville White turning in a good round to grab second with Karen Hudson third. Darrell Hudson started the year in fine form finishing the day a clear winner in the Traditional division with Peter Stubbs second and Michael Patrick third. James Bush and Shane Thompson turned on an exciting head to head duel in the Junior sighted contest with Bush just outlasting Thompson to record a very narrow win with Sebastian Donovan grabbing third. The next club shoot will be held on February 21^st.

Scores

Sighted – Pat Tydings 1165, Stuart Dolbel 1160, Matthew Wittman 1150, Gordon White 1120, Ken Thompson 1120, Greg Donovan 1110, Matt Sinclair 1095, Andrew Avard 1085, Matthew Jauja 1045, Peter Bush 1035, Bernie Hayne 1005, Denise Stevenson 805.

Compound – Wade Hudson 1110, Neville White 1005, Karen Hudson 885, Amy Stubbs 725, Ann Stubbs 720, Wendi Murrell 650, Taylah Snape 525, Nathan Murrell 360.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 865, Peter Stubbs 710, Michael Patrick 580, Mark Stevenson 455, Lloyd Jauja 385.

Junior Sighted – James Bush 990, Shane Thompson 985, Sebastian Donovan 940, Zac Hayne 735, Jess Sinclair 430.

Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 695, Jackelyn Patrick 400, Christopher Patrick 225.

Cub Sighted – Sophie Donovan 660.

Cub Compound – Haylee Murrell 525, Kaytlyn Murrell 170,

Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 220.

Little Archers – Emilee Murrell 400.

First Shoot Of 2010

First shoot of 2010 will be February 7th with a 3 Arrow all count on the Outback Range, 8.30am registration for a 9.00am start.