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.

Thompsons Finish Well At State FITA

Namoi Valley Archers held a club event on Sunday with Range Captain, Matt Wittman, adding a new twist to the day by combining the circular IFAA faces with the 2 round ABA format. Competitors gave the day the thumbs up with some excellent scores recorded. Tamworth veteran, Neville White, turned in a masterful display to finish on top in the Compound division with a fast finishing Ann Stubbs also shooting well to take second place with Karen Hudson in third. John Clark shot very consistently to finish on top in the open division with Greg Donovan doing just enough to take second place by 2 points from Gordon White and Matt Jauja who tied for third. Jackelyn Patrick shot a personal best score on her way to the win in Cub Compound with Haylie Murrell in second and Kaytlyn Murrell in third.

Gunnedah archers, Ken and Shane Thompson competed in the NSW FITA Field Championships held at Armidale over the weekend with Shane shooting extremely well to finish in second place in the Cadet Recurve division with the winner setting a new Australian record. Ken Thomspon finished a creditable 4^th in the Adult Recurve event which featured a top class field including Australian Olympic representatives.

Scores

Compound – Neville White 682, Ann Stubbs 622, Karen Hudson 610, Nathan Murrell 546, Wendi Murrell 468.

Open – John Clark 784, Greg Donovan 756, Matt Jauja 754, Gordon White 754, Mark Stevenson 702, Peter Bush 694, Denise Stevenson 606, Lloyd Jauja 384, Matt Wittman 370.

Traditional – Darrell Hudson 668, Michael Patrick 592.

Junior Compound – Christopher Patrick 586.

Junior Open – Sebastian Donovan 724.

Junior Traditional – James Bush 340.

Cub Compound – Jackelyn Patrick 558, Haylie Murrell 406, Kaytlyn Murrell 126.

Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 260, Emily Murrell 198.

Branch 3D Title Success

Namoi Valley Archers sent 4 teams to the Northern NSW Branch Team 3D Challenge held in Gloucester over the weekend with 2 teams winning their respective divisions. This event is a new concept on the Branch calendar with each 3 member team shooting 2 qualifying rounds on Saturday with the top ranked teams progressing to Sunday’s shootout final. The format for the finals required each team member to shoot just one arrow at a 3D target set up in front of the assembled competitors and the high pressure format bought many teams undone. The team of Ann Stubbs, Karen Hudson and Amy Stubbs finished the qualifying rounds with the top ranking in the Women’s Compound event and progressed to Sunday’s final as a hot favourite but struck trouble in the final when Karen Hudson missed with her arrow but Ann and Amy Stubbs both scored allowing the team to post a score. The Gunnedah team then has a nervous wait as the other teams shot but their score could not be matched giving them the win. Namoi Valley Archers decided to field a composite team in the Mens Compound event with Recurve archers Darrell Hudson and Peter Stubbs joining compound star, Wade Hudson, for the event. The team struggled to match the top flight compound teams during the qualifying rounds doing just enough to make the final and just like the Gunnedah’s team were in a precarious position when Darrell Hudson’s arrow just skimmed the back of the target. Peter Stubbs scored with his arrow and Wade Hudson drove his arrow right into the bullseye giving the team a score. Amazingly, team after team cracked under the intense pressure and the Gunnedah boys celebrated in style when the last team failed to beat their score giving them an unlikely win and bragging rights over their opposition. The focus returns to club activities this weekend with a shoot set down for November 1^st.

State ABA, Gunnedah Show The Way

Namoi Valley Archers sent a 16 member team to the NSW State ABA Championships held at Gloucester over the long weekend returning with 7 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze medal in another top class performance by the club. Competitors faced very difficult conditions over the weekend with steady rain falling on both days and this, added to the tough ranges prepared for the event made top class scores hard to come by. The Gloucester ranges feature some very challenging shots with the ranges set in well forested country with gullies and some steep terrain making distance judgement difficult. The championships were conducted over 2 days with competitors shooting 2 x 20 target rounds on each day.

Wade Hudson reigned supreme in the Masters division finishing the championships as the overall highest Mens compound point scorer recording a comprehensive win. Hudson did not have it all his own way though trailing Robin Huckett by 2 points after the first day of competition but Hudson turned up the heat on the second day turning in 2 brilliant rounds which left Huckett floundering in his wake. Karen Hudson also turned in a quality performance scoring the trophy for the overall highest Womens compound score on her way to winning B grade with Amy Stubbs making it a quinella for the club in this division. Ann Stubbs was another archer to perform well scoring a superb victory in C grade setting the win up with a personal best score in the first round. Matthew Wittman and Ben Stubbs added to the medal haul scoring silver medals in B grade and C grade respectively. Darrell Hudson blitzed the field in the Recurve event scoring a runaway win from Tamworth’s Bruce Sherwood with Peter Stubbs grabbing third for the Gunnedah club. Gordon White had to battle hard for the win in Mens Freestyle Unlimited flight 2 holding off a surge from Kempsey veteran, Cec Apps, over the final 2 rounds to score a narrow 8 point win. Denise Stevenson finished with silver in the Womens Freestyle Unlimited contest and Ken Thompson also had to settle for silver running into a red hot local in Liam Mowbray in the Freestyle Recurve event. Matthew Jauja shot brilliantly over the weekend to score an excellent win in Junior Freestyle Unlimited and must be due for promotion to the top flight in the very near future. Shane Thompson also showed his class shooting very consistently over the four rounds to record the win in Freestyle recurve while Jarrod Stubbs rounded out the medal count with a well deserved second place in Junior A grade compound.

NVA Performs Well At State 3D

Namoi Valley Archers scored 3 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals at the NSW State 3D Championships held at Tuggerah over the weekend in another strong club performance. The Tuggerah ranges are located in lush coastal forest with the range designers offering a very challenging layout for the championships. Wade Hudson confirmed his ranking as one of the best barebow compound archers in the country with a brilliant performance over the four rounds to finish the weekend with the gold medal in the elite Masters division leaving the other competitors in his wake after scoring a stunning 390 out of a possible 400 on one round. Gordon White scored an impressive debut win in the Freestyle Unlimited-flight 2 division with a very consistent display over the weekend and this win will give White a real confidence boost for future tournaments. Darrell Hudson showed a real liking for the 3D discipline scoring an excellent win in Recurve - B grade with club mate Peter Stubbs grabbing the bronze medal. Exciting youngster, Matthew Wittman handled the step up to Freestyle Unlimited-flight 1 with ease scoring the bronze medal in a crack field of competitors. Denise Stevenson continued her recent run of good form finishing with the silver medal in Womens Freestyle Unlimited – flight 2. Karen Hudson shot particularly well to finish with silver medal in Womens Compound – B grade with Amy Stubbs finishing with the bronze. Ben Stubbs made a welcome return to the tournament scene finishing with the bronze medal in Compound – C grade. Juniors Matthew Jauja and Jarrod Stubbs rounded out the medal haul with Jauja scoring the silver in Freestyle Unlimited and Stubbs the bronze in Compound A grade. Club members are reminded that the next club shoot will be held this Saturday morning with muster at 9.15am.

Last Round Before Nationals

Namoi Valley Archers held a 2 round ABA event on Sunday with club members taking the final opportunity to prepare for the 2009 Australian Championships to be held at Mildura over the Easter weekend. Competitors took to the Outback range in perfect weather conditions and some excellent scores were recorded. Matt Wittman tuned up for the Nationals putting together two top class rounds to score a narrow 2 point win over John Clark in the Open division with Greg Donovan grabbing third place. Darrell Hudson was in sensational form in the Traditional division scorching round the course to score a comfortable win with Peter Stubbs also shooting well to take second with Michael Patrick in third. James Boxsell was another archer in great form scoring a decisive win in the Junior Open contest with Sebastian Donovan just edging out Cameron Boxsell in a spirited battle for the minor placings. In the Junior Compound division Jarrod Stubbs showed his class to score a good win with Sam Snape taking second place and Sam Zelinski finishing third. The next club shoot will be held on April 26th.

Scores
Open – Matt Wittman 784, John Clark 782, Greg Donovan 762, Matt Sinclair 736, Gordon White 724, Matt Jauja 692, Lionel Solomon 392, Denise Stevenson 342, Rob Steele 328.
Compound – Karen Hudson 508, Ann Stubbs 486.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 608, Peter Stubbs 520, Michael Patrick 376.
Junior Open – James Boxsell 730, Sebastian Donovan 666, Cameron Boxsell 648.
Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 604, San Snape 534, Sam Zelinski 426, Cody Leggett 360.
Cub Open – Jessica Sinclair 590, Jacob Solomon 374, Sophie Donovan 258.
Cub Compound – Jackelyn Patrick 216, Matthew Solomon 126.
Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 90.

Season Heating Up As Nationals Approach

Namoi Valley Archers held a 3 arrow round on Sunday with competitors taking to the Boundary range to compete in perfect weather conditions. Matthew Wittman continues to set a cracking pace in the Open division returning another outstanding round to finish on top after a close battle with John Clark. Stuart Dolbel returned to form with a good performance to edge out Greg Donovan for third place. Darrell Hudson shot brilliantly to take top honours in the Traditional division with Michael Patrick and Peter Stubbs finishing tied for the minor placings. Jarrod Stubbs finished the day as the top Junior Compound shooter scoring a good win with Sam Snape just edging out Sam Zelinski in a spirited contest for the minor placings. The next club shoot will be held on April 4th and will feature a 2 round ABA event. This will be the final opportunity for club members to gain vital practice before the Australian Field Archery Titles to be held in Mildura over the Easter weekend.

Scores
Open – Matt Wittman 1145, John Clark 1140, Stuart Dolbel 1125, Greg Donovan 1110, Gordon White 1055, Matthew Jauja 970, Mark Stevenson 915, Bernie Hayne 815, Matt Sinclair 810.
Compound – Karen Hudson 670, Ann Stubbs 575.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 740, Michael Patrick 600, Peter Stubbs 600, Lloyd Jauja 335.
Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 815, Sam Snape 670, Sam Zelinski 655, Chris Patrick 540, Zac Hayne 415.
Junior Open – Sebastian Donovan 985, Hayden Riordan 620.
Cub Open – Jessica Sinclair 775, Sophie Donovan 575.
Cub Compound – Curtis Riordan 340.
Novice – Roy Irvine 460.

NVA Performs Well At First Major Of The Year

Namoi Valley Archers sent a 10 member team to the Northern NSW Branch 3D Titles held on the Central Coast on the weekend returning with 4 gold, 4 silver and a bronze medal. Over 90 competitors braved the extremely hot conditions to contest the two day tournament hosted by the Moonterra club who provided two top class ranges for the event. The ranges located in coastal rainforest provided a real challenge with the range designers making excellent use of the steep terrain.
Wade Hudson finished the weekend as the top compound archers scoring the win in the Masters division with a superb performance across the 2 days of competition. Amy Stubbs caused a huge boil-over in Womens Compound B grade with a brilliant performance to take the gold medal in her first tournament as a senior archer. Stubbs made the transition from the Junior ranks in style relegating highly rated club mate Karen Hudson to second place to give the club a great 1-2 result. Ann Stubbs added to the medal haul showing great determination to grab the silver medal in Womens Compound C grade while outstanding junior compound archer Jarrod Stubbs was in a class of his own scoring a big win in B grade. Darrell Hudson turned in an outstanding two days of archery to score a dominant win in the Recurve event with Peter Stubbs fighting hard to take second place as the club underlined its’ dominance in this style of archery. Denise Stevenson scored the silver medal in Womens Freestyle Unlimited with a typically determined performance while Mark Stevenson continued his recent run of good form taking the bronze medal in Mens Freestyle Unlimited shooting particularly well on the second day.

First Shoot For 2009

Namoi Valley Archers launched the 2009 season on Sunday with 38 archers braving the hot conditions to compete in a 2 arrow 3D round. This round gave club members their only opportunity to prepare for the 2 day 3D tournament to be held at Moonterra on the Central Coast this weekend. Course designers, Greg Donovan and Lloyd Jauja prepared a very challenging 20 target range which provided plenty of tough shots through clever use of terrain and target choice. Jackelyn Patrick found the course to her liking setting a new Cub Girl Compound record on the day. The Open division had a big field with John Clark edging out Stuart Dolbel for top spot in a close contest. Gordon White showed the benefit of some hard work at the practice butts over the off season to grab third spot from some highly rated archers. Wade Hudson turned in an impressive performance to finish the day as the top Compound archer with Karen Hudson shooting well to take second spot with Ken Hill in third after a solid round. Darrell Hudson scored a great win in the Traditional contest with visiting Tamworth archer, Andrew Springall taking second place and Michael Patrick third. James Boxsell returned the highest score of the day with a sensational round on his way to winning Junior Open with Cameron Boxsell filling second p[lace and Sebastian Donovan third. The next club shoot will be held on February 15th with muster at 8.45am.

Scores
Open - John Clark 766, Stuart Dolbel 758, Gordon White 728, Steve Jaeger 700, Greg Donovan 700, Matthew Wittman 698, Mark Stevenson 668, John Muller 646, Terry Lynch 608, Denise Stevenson 462, Bernie Hayne 388.
Compound – Wade Hudson 690, Karen Hudson 518, Ken Hill 480, Ann Stubbs 434, Ben Stubbs 432, Keegan Patrick 354, Amy Stubbs 332, Carly Beazley 262, Taylah Snape 86.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 532, Andrew Springall 492, Michael Patrick 476, Peter Stubbs 452, Lloyd Jauja 302.
Junior Open – James Boxsell 774, Cameron Boxsell 698, Sebastian Donovan 658, Matthew Jauja 644, Hayden Riordan 420.
Junior Compound – Jarrod Stubbs 542, Christopher Patrick 420, Brody Waterford 348.
Junior Traditional – Zac Hayne 50.
Cub Compound –Curtis Riordan 534, Jackelyn Patrick 444.
Cub Traditional – Sammy Patrick 232, Emily Jaeger 68.

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.