Namoi Valley Archers Host Hugely Successful State Titles

On the weekend of the 17 – 18th August Namoi Valley Archers hosted the 3D state archery titles at their Wandobah Road range. The weekend was an outstanding success, despite the threat of rain on the Saturday morning, with nearly 150 shooters in attendance for the two challenging ranges shot over both days. Northern branch controller Mike Potter said that he can’t remember such a large turnout at a NSW branch shoot in over 6 years. The ranges were put together by Greg Donovan and Gordon White who, along with other club members, have put in big weekends getting the ranges ready in time for this important date on the archery calendar. The club had shooters attend from all over the state, but most notably from as far south as Adaminaby and Batemans Bay, who along with Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Orange, Forbes and Lithgow all sent a large contingent of archers up from the southern club’s to contest the titles over the weekend, with some staying camped over at the range for some sightseeing at Ag-quip. Along with the southern clubs, our northern neighbours Maitland, Singleton, Gloucester, Newcastle, Gosford, Taree, Kempsey, Inverell, Dubbo and Cobar all sent members over to make the weekend, not only a success in respect of numbers but also a truly memorable weekend of 3D target shooting. The Namoi Valley Archery club had some stand out success against the best shooters in the state, all competing for the chance to be crowned state champion. Wade Hudson has continued his recent good form with a win in the men’s compound masters division, beating Rob Salter from Maitland and turning the tables on his rival who had the wood on him at their recent trip to Argentina for the world IFAA championships. Another outstanding win went to Darrell Hudson in the men’s recurve A grade division, not only did Darrell shoot well to secure a narrow win over his Taree counterpart but Peter Stubbs, another Namoi Valley archer and club president, finished in 3rd position. James Bush who hails from Murrurundi, along with his father Peter, have been travelling over to Gunnedah to compete with Namoi Valley Archers for several years now and all the practice has paid off with James taking out men’s bow hunter Unlimited flight 2 division with 3 dominant rounds of shooting. This is James first notable win in archery and the young man was ecstatic with his performance. Brian Taylor was likewise exuberant with his win in men’s compound B grade, he has been away from archery for some time, with this being his first appearance at a shoot in years. Brian was quite surprised at not only his performance but his achievement in taking home the silverware with the smile impossible to wipe from his face. Other notable performances from the club included a first place to Amy Stubbs in women’s compound C grade, a win to Phil Greenwood in men’s recurve ungraded, and a 2nd and 3rd place finish in men’s freestyle unlimited flight 2 from Bernie Hayne and John Clark. While Benjamin Stubbs, Ann Stubbs, Stuart Dolbel and Greg Donovan all finished with a 3rd placing in their respective divisions. A big thank you to all the members who sacrificed time to help set up on Friday, set out the ranges, work in the kitchen and generally helped to keep things running smoothly. Without a concerted team effort the weekend would not have been the success it was. The clubs next shoot will be on the 8th September and will be an IFAA style round with a muster scheduled for 9:00 am and a start followed shortly thereafter.

NSW State 3D

NSW State 3D titles Namoi Valley Archers last shoot was conducted in preparation for the hosting of the upcoming state 3D archery titles to be held at the Wandobah Road range on the weekend of the 17 – 18 August. A working bee was conducted on the Saturday before the club shoot to ready the range and facilities for the influx of shooters expected. The club is hoping for good weather over the weekend with a stockpile of fire wood and plenty of hot water to ease aching muscles, with a story or two to be told, and embellished, around the campfires. The weekend will consist of shooting at 20 3D animal targets on two ranges, with a 3 arrow round in the morning and a one arrow round in the afternoon on the Saturday, followed by the, always exciting and lively, knife and axe throwing in the evening. On the Sunday there will be a two arrow all count in the morning over 20 targets, followed by the presentations and awards. Greg Donovan is again back in top form, taking out the sighted division over the weekend with Lloyd Jauja and Bernie Hayne filling out the placings. With the state shoot so close Peter Stubbs has had a morale boosting win over Darrell Hudson in the traditional division, while Karen Hudson showed glimpses she is returning to her best form in the women’s compound. Open division: 758 Greg Donovan, 750 Lloyd Jauja, 744 Bernie Hayne, 742 Tim Hayes, 728 Gordon White, 720 Craig Poeschl, 714 Peter Bush, 710 Brad Mulherin, 576 Terry Lynch, 380 John Clark, 372 James Bush, 358 Sebastian Donovan, 354 Matt Kersley Compound Division: 570 Karen Hudson, 482 Ann Stubbs, 244 Brian Taylor, 208 Sharon Boyd Traditional Division: 548 Peter Stubbs, 514 Darrell Hudson, 462 Greg Capper, 186 Norm Webster Junior division: 666 Jed Hayes, 458 Callan Webster, 282Connor Poeschl Ungraded: 698 Cory Barber, 498 BJ Cahill, 264 Beau Bryun, 246 Raymond Spradbrow The State 3D titles are on this weekend 17 – 18th August, don’t forget to get there early Saturday for gear checks and sign in, followed by muster, start time will be approximately 9:30am. The club will have lunch and dinner available at reasonable costs. If you would like any information call the president Peter Stubbs on 0267431559 or secretary John Clark on 0267423220

Magic Murrell scores momentous milestone.

Sunday saw a good turnout of archers at the Wandobah Road range, with a full ABA round on the cards and a sausage sizzle provided to fill the hungry bellies. The days shooting consisted of a 3 arrow first to score round and then a one arrow only round on 20 animal targets staged on the skilfully laid out boundary range on what was a great day of archery which saw a club record broken. Young Kaytlyn Murrell, showed glimpses of her future potential on her way to a new club record score of 664 in cub girl compound, stepping out of her sisters shadow, and eclipsing Haylee’s previously held record by a mere 2 points. A very pleased Murrell said putting in some good practice through the week with her new, super tuned, bow was the difference between mediocrity and a meteoric performance. In other results James Bush scored a surprise win in men’s sighted , putting together two good rounds of shooting to just edge out John Clark, with Peter bush rounding out the top three placings. Wade Hudson continues his dominance of the male compound division with the closest competitor being a whopping 250 points in arrears. Wendi Murrells return has seen her take top billing in the ladies compound with a solid performance. Sighted division: 776 James Bush, 774 John Clark, 766 Peter Bush, 762 Greg Donovan, 756 Bernie Hayne, 752 Nathan Murrell, 748 Zac Hayne, 736 Josh Whitbread, 718 Luke Trickett, 642 Ken Thompson, Compound division: 752 Wade Hudson, 626 Wendi Murrell, 556 Sharon Boyd, 546 Karen Hudson, 506 Ann Stubbs, 502 Ben Stubbs, 496 Jarrod Stubbs, 428 Brian Taylor Recurve division: 622 Darrell Hudson, 356 Greg Capper, 244 Norm Webster Junior recurve: 348 Callan Webster, 298 Harrison Capper, 238 Paul Webster Cub compound: 664 Kaytlyn Murrell, 646 Haylee Murrell, 248 Jacob Newcombe Ungraded: 384 BJ Cahill, 330 Cory Barber

May The Force Be With You

Sunday morning saw a cold start at the Namoi Valley Archers Wandobah Road clubhouse, with things soon heating up out on the range with some scorching shooting in the men’s open division. The club has been in a forced recess of late, with the rain causing a cancellation of the last shoot and their being a three week break in between the 2 latest club events. Last Sunday saw a good turnout for what was an enjoyable novelty shoot using star wars targets, expertly and accurately designed by club members, which saw archers trying to rid the galaxy of such nefarious and villainous characters like, Darth Sidious, Jabba The Hutt, Boba Fett and Darth Vader. While trying to remove rebel alliance scum like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and the like, with ‘the force’ no doubt being the reason some found it hard to score on these targets. John ‘mighty overlord’ Clark, finally broke through for a win, ‘the force is strong with this one’, shooting a perfect round, with Nathan Murrell also sharing the glory on this occasion, with the two of them unable to be separated at the end. The two shooters were going shot for shot, with both competitors trying various Jedi mind tricks to upset the other and remove them from ‘the zone’, in the end it came down to the last arrow from Murrell, who scored a bullseye on a difficult target to draw level with Clark and finish with equal billing. Following closely behind the two leaders was Stu Dolbel in second place and James Bush rounding out the placing. In the compound division Wade Hudson proved too strong once again, finishing well clear of the field with Karen Hudson in second and Ann Stubbs breathing down her neck in third spot. Darrell Hudson continues to dominate in the recurve division, leading the field home in what is getting to be a predictable outcome for the veteran, seeing Hudson shooting left handed or blind folded seems to be the only hope for the rest of the group at this stage, who must, by now, be totally demoralised with the ease at which Hudson continues his strangle hold on the top spot. Phil Greenwood, recent survivor of the fires at Coonabarabran, came in a valiant second placing with Bernie Hayne and Peter Stubbs tying for third spot. Open division: 400 John Clark, Nathan Murrell, 395 Stuart Dolbel, 390 James Bush, 385 Peter Bush, 320 Brett Wheatley, 205 Greg Capper Compound division: 380 Wade Hudson, 355 Karen Hudson, 350 Ann Stubbs, 300 Brian Taylor, 275 Sharon Boyd Re curve division: 330 Darrell Hudson, 300 Phillip Greenwood, 295 Bernie Hayne, Peter Stubbs, 160 Norm Webster Junior boy archer: 310 Jim Pease, 280 Callan Webster, 250 Jacob Newcombe, 240 Connor Wheatley, 230 Harrison Capper, 200 Ethan Newcombe, 190 Corbin Davis, 125 Paul Webster Ungraded: 270 Peter Bishop, 250 Connor Bishop, 175 Vonda Newcombe, 135 Breanna Newcombe

Apprentice surpasses the master’s.

At the recent ABA shoot on the Namoi Valley Archers Wandobah Road range, on what was another sublime day for archery, young Sebastian Donovan has put the old guard to the sword with a commanding performance, in the men’s open division. This recent shoot saw a full ABA 20 target round consisting of a 3 arrow followed by a 1 arrow round, with the maximum points scored being 800.Donovan shot faultlessly to record a narrow win over John ‘number two’ Clark, who seems to have come to grips with his new bow and is always ready to capitalize on inconsistent shooting. Filling out the no3 spot is Sebastian’s dad Greg Donovan who has been the leading shooter at the club of late, and he might have to ‘point the bone’ at Sebastian, as it were, to ensure his continued dominance if the young gun can continue with this style of quality shooting. You could have thrown a blanket over the top 5 spots in the sighted division, with Murrurundi shooter James Bush coming in at no.4, and the Narrabri top dog, John Finn, at no.5. Wade Hudson turned in another polished performance to completely tyrannise his opposition in the compound division, while his dad Darrell has stepped back into the ascendency, after an enforced layoff, in the traditional division. While new comer, young Jack Ross, has recorded a big score in the boy’s compound division. The next shoot will be on the 21 April, which will be a Delta round on the boundary range, this is the harder style American targets with the realistic placement of scoring corresponding with the vital zones of the animal, muster will be at 8:30 with a 9:00 am start. Don’t forget to call in at the Namoi Valley Archers site at the Gunnedah show, whether you are an existing member or just want to see what it is all about. Club members will be on hand to answer all your questions. This will be followed on the 20th April with a “come and try “day for all who are interested. Sighted division: 768 Sebastian Donovan, 764 John Clark, 762 Greg Donovan, 758 James bush, 752 John Finn, 744 Peter Bush, 742 Brad Mulherin, 726 Craig Poeschl, 714 Trent Ross, 678 Denise Stevenson , 672 Greg Capper, 658 Michael Rule, 632 Tracey Redgrove, 604 Kate Hamilton, 592 Mark Gardiner, Mark Stevenson, 338 Brett Wheatley Compound division: 740 Wade Hudson, 646 Karen Hudson, 522 Ann Stubbs, 458 Sharon Boyd, 434 Brian Taylor Traditional division: 652 Darrell Hudson, 592 Peter Stubbs, 202 Kathleen Gardiner, 192 Norm Webster Junior compound: 600 Lachlan Boyd, 556 Zachary Gardiner Junior traditional: 434 Callan Webster, 256 Paul Webster Cub compound: 704 Jack Ross, 568 Matt Ross, 432 Connor Poeschl, 414 Jacob Newcombe, 264 Connor Wheatley Cub traditional: 316 Ethan Newcombe, 278 Harrison Capper, 100 max Gardiner

Hayne is 3D King

Another fantastic turnout of archers complemented what was a challenging 3D shoot , the targets were set out with cunning intent by range captains Greg Donovan and Gordon White , with help setting up from club members, the result of which saw a total of 54 competitors participate on what was a splendid day for shooting . With archers coming from far and wide including such places as Mudgee, Tamworth, Barradine, Murrurindi and even a visitor from Tasmania, to test their mettle against the Gunnedah course. In what was his final shoot before the upcoming national titles at easter which is to be held at Alice Springs, Bernie Hayne scored a hard fought narrow victory from the ever present John Clark with James Bush rounding out the top 3 spots in the hotly contested sighted division. Hayne , like a pressure cooker, has been slowly building over the last 6 months, recording some respectable scores, with this win no doubt boosting his confidence for his endeavours at an attempt at a national title. The entire Hayne family is making the pilgrimage to the red centre for what should be a great shoot, with both Bernie & son Zac looking to impress on the score card, the club wishes them all the best. In the bare bow compound division Karen Hudson led from start to finish in a dominant display, with daylight second ,the only one with any answer to Hudson’s dazzling repertoire of shots was the old warhorse himself , Neville ‘nifty’ White , who still continues to produce quality scores, Ann Stubbs rounded out the placings with a serviceable third. Jed Hayes led the junior’s home, with the rest finding the going tough, with Lachlan Boyd 2nd and Jack Ross in 3rd, which was the result of some unaccommodating target placement. The new shooters at the club are performing well and recording some pleasing scores, with this being, for a lot of them, their first 3D shoot from the standard paper target game they have been accustomed to. The clubs next shoot will be this weekend 17/3/13, consisting of a 3 arrow round on the boundary range. Results: Sighted division: 750 Bernie Hayne, 746 John Clark, 742 James Bush, 734 Sebastian Donovan, Brad Mulherin, 730 Zac Hayne, 724 Gordon White, 724 Peter Bush, 722 Stuart Dolbel, 722 Michael Rulen, 702 Brandon Thrift, 692 Tim Hayes, 688 Mark Daley, 656 Craig Poeschl, 650 Brendon Footit, 634 Simon Taylor, 606 Trent Ross, 590 Mark Stevenson, 588 Denise Stevenson, 582 Kate Hamilton, 546 Mark Gardiner, 348 Matt Kelly, 328 Tracy Redgrove, 308 Richard Redgrove, 256 Matt Kersley Compound division: 630 Karen Hudson, 580 Neville White, 514 Ann Stubbs, 494 Brian Taylor, 368 Sharon Boyd, 218 Kate Harris Recurve division: 556 Peter Stubbs, 308 Norm Webster, 296 Phill Greenwood, 218 Andrew Poeschl, 192 Kathleen Gardiner Junior sighted division: 678 Jed Hayes, 612 Lachlan Boyd, 592 Jack Ross, 500 Matt Ross, 494 Zachary Gardiner Junior compound division: 502 Gordon Harris, 452 Jacob Newcombe, 438 Connor Poeschl, 188 Tristan Poeschl Junior recurve division: 398 Callan Webster, 356 Paul Webster, 182 Jim Pease, 76 Jade Gardiner, 66 Gillian Harris62 Max Gardiner Ungraded: 266 Peter Bishop, 232 Connor Bishop, 134 Peter Curwen

Outback Range Challenges Local Archers

Fine weather ensures good turnout. The clubs recent shoot was conducted on a dry but storm damaged course, with the range captains Brad Mulherin and Stuart Dolbel having a lot of work to do to bring the range up to scratch with wind and water causing considerable damage, again, to what was a challenging course ensuring that no big scores were recorded. Another excellent turnout of round 50 archers lined up for the starters whistle on what was an enjoyable day of shooting .With archers from Tamworth, Barradine and Murrurundi making the trek over and a large contingent of local and junior archers ,the Gunnedah club has witnessed , in the last few months, an influx of new archers bolstering their numbers considerably. The most exciting aspect of all this is the number of junior and cub archers joining the ranks of the initiated, ensuring good future prospects for the club as a whole. The last time archery member numbers were seen to increase over the norm was due to the Sydney Olympics popularity, with Simon Fairweather winning gold and consequently inspiring people to take up the bow over the more mainstream sports. With the release recently of many movies and television shows, Hunger Games , Brave , Arrow etc.. , possibly being the impetus behind this new found desire to share in what is an ancient practice of launching pointy sticks at things, be they targets or in its more traditional form , that of hunting. Meg Jaeger led the way in the junior sighted division, giving the boys a dust up, with some excellent shooting, Lachlan Boyd and Zach Gardiner couldn’t be separated in a tie for second, with Jack and his brother Matt Ross following very close behind. Haylee and Kaytlyn Murrell went shot for shot with Haylee just edging out her sister to record the win in the cub compound division, with new bowman Connor Poeschl giving a good account of himself to finish a gallant third. A much improving Mark Stevenson clawed a victory over Ken Thompson in what is an ongoing struggle between the two. Wade Hudson is shooting back at his best, with a comprehensive victory in the compound division followed by Karen Hudson and Wendi Murrell fighting it out for the placings, with karen just edging out her rival in a narrow win. The ‘old man’ of the range Darrell Hudson scored another win in barebow recurve over long term rivals Phil Greenwood and Peter Stubbs, who are both shooting very well but have been unable to dethrone Hudson in his almost ‘zen’ like ability to score points. A huge field of archers in the men’s sighted division saw Greg Donovan again victorious over a much improved Brad Mulherin with Peter Bush third, followed by a raft of shooters breathing down their necks. Special mention must got to new shooter Trent Ross who, on only his first outing at the club recorded a truly remarkable score beating out some old hands in the process. The next shoot will be this weekend 10/3/13 consisting of 2 3D rounds with a BBQ lunch, muster will be 8:30 with a 9:00am start. Sighted compound – 386 Greg Donovan, 384 Brad Mulherin,380 Peter Bush,376 Micheal Rule, 374 Bernie Hayne, Nathan Murrell, Steve Jaeger, Sebastian Donovan,372 James Bush, Brandon Thrift, 368 Trent Ross, 364 Gordon White, 348 Craig Poeschl, 344 Mel Sinclair, 334 Mark Daley, 330 Matt Sinclair, Greg Capper, 310 Matt Kelly, 308 Denise Stevenson, 264 Brian Taylor, 188 Mark Gardiner Sighted recurve – 320 Mark Stevenson, 310 Ken Thompson Bare bow compound – 368 Wade Hudson,334 Karen Hudson, 328 Wendi Murrell, 278 Ann Stubbs, 232 Sharon Boyd Bare bow recurve – 324 Darrell Hudson, 310 Phil Greenwood, 306 Peter Stubbs, 232 Norm Webster, 166 Kathleen Gardiner Junior compound – 328 Meg Jeager, 288 Lachlan Boyd, Zach Gardiner, 282 Jack Ross, 260 Matt Ross Cub compound – 310 Haylee Murrell, 302 Kaytlyn Murrell, 236 Connor poeschl, 204 Emylie Murrell, 194 Emily Jaeger, 180 Jacob Newcombe Cub recurve – 186 Harrison Capper, 182 Rhegan Jaeger, Callen Webster, 162 Jade Gardiner, 140 Paul Webster, 104 Max Gardiner

First shoot of the year. Namoi Valley Archers kicked off the year belatedly, with the previous first official shoot of the year called off due to a torrential downpour making conditions too dangerous to shoot. Some last minute work with the whipper snipper and pruning saw, and thanks to some warm weather, resulted in perfect conditions for shooting on an unchanged boundary range. With the recent generous donation of unlimited plastic for target butts by Scott Davies from Carroll Cotton, the club members have been busy packing the new butts in anticipation of a big year, this has resulted in the replace ment of some deteriorated and unusable target butts , with the chance now of upgrading the ranges for more varied shots. With all the club members keen to sink their teeth into a new year of challenges , and also a large contingent of new comers on hand, the shooting commenced enthusiastically on what turned out to be a day for good scoring. Greg Donovan has asserted his dominance in the sighted division early, with a scintillating round , which resulted in the horde following fighting it out for minor placing honours only. John Clark took out 2nd place with Bernie Hayne and Lloyd Juaja finishing 3rd, in what were, after recent form, pleasing results for them. In the barebow division Wade Hudson reigned supreme, with Neville ‘ nifty’ White taking out 2nd place and both Darryl Hudson and Wendi Murrell unable to be separated , finishing with a dead heat for 3rd.In the junior division Lachlan Boyd showed a clean set of heels with Haylee Murrell in the cubs making light work of the conditions to record a win. The next round will be on Sunday the 24th of February with an 8:30 start for a 9:00 shoot with a new concept being trialled, whereby the standard 20 target round will be split into two 10 target rounds, consisting of a 3 arrow and a 1 arrow being shot on each. Results: Men’s open – Greg Donovan 396,John Clark 388,Bernie Hayne 384,Lloyd Jauja 384,Nathan Murrell 382,Stuart Dolbel 380,Sebastian Donovan 378,Peter Bush 374,Andrew Springall 370,Gordon white 370,Brad Mulherin 368,Michael Rulen 360,Craig Poeschl 348,Waylon Allan 338,Greg capper 334,Matt Kelly 324,Mark Stevenson 306 Women’s open – Denise Stevenson 330 Men’s Compound – Wade Hudson 376,Neville White 340,Jarrod Stubbs 244 Women’s compound – Wendi Murrell 330,Karen Hudson 302,Ann Stubbs 280,Sharon Boyd 228,Kate Harris 116. Junior – Lachlan Boyd 330,Gordon Harris 216,Paul Webster 186,Callan Webster 136,Gillian Harris 126 Cub – Haylee Murrell 356,Kaytlyn Murrell 274,Connor Poeschl 268,Emylie Murrell 192 Ungraded – Mark Daley 334,Brian Taylor 238

NVA Start The Year In Good Form

The rain in Maitland falls mainly on us. Namoi Valley Archers sent a smaller than usual contingent of keen archers to the first shoot of the year at the northern NSW branch ABA shoot held recently at a very wet Maitland range. Although the forecast did not look good going into the weekend the intrepid team set forth through torrential rain on the Friday ,which lasted through till Saturday lunch, assured of not having the heatwave conditions of the previous year, and the choice pick of camping spot, albeit slightly wet underfoot. The Maitland club always produces an enjoyable shoot with the hot showers on Friday night most appreciated. Although numbers were slightly down ,due to the forecast rain, a good turnout of archers presented at the muster on Saturday morning, obviously choosing to stay in dryer accommodation, and despite the continuing rain, proceeded to record some good scores in the trying conditions. The Gunnedah club members, coming in from a spell and with plenty of practice under the belt proceeded to give an excellent account of themselves over the weekend , with all attending archers taking home a medal of some sort, in a dominant club display, with the Hayne family not only taking home dual bronze but cleaning up at the raffle table as well. Father and son team of Bernie & Zac Hayne both finished with a 3rd placing in their respective classes , in the highly competitive freestyle division , with Zac shooting against Australian representative Jake Collins, who scored a perfect second round on his way to another victory. Wendi Murrell had a morale boosting win over close rival Libby White in the barebow division, who was shooting on home soil, in a come from behind victory , which saw her run away with the win in the end. Nathan Murrell finished with a second placing in a large field of competitive archers in the bowhunter unlimited division flight 2, while Peter Bush came away with a 3rd place in flight 1.The Murrell girls Haylee, Kaytlyn and Emylie all had wins in their respective cub barebow divisions, with Haylee’s score second in the overall cub/junior/ladies tally ,only being beaten by 4 points by her mother Wendi. Despite the weather and slippery conditions the weekend was a great success for the club, with the scores showing great promise for the year ahead in what will no doubt be another successfull campaign for archery pre-eminance.