4th Anniversary Field Archery News UK magazine - June/July 2020

Field Archery News UK The only multi-society, global field archery publication... June / July 2020 4th Anniversary Edition ~ FOR THE LOVE OF FIELD ARCHERY ~

* Contents * Club News & S New Features 30-35 Russian Longbow Club (RLB 36-38 Cotteswold Mounted Arche 8-15“Why We Rove” by Jason Stokes 44-49 Argyll Field Archers - “Lockd & friends 88 UPDATE! Dunbrody Archers 104-106 Limerick Field Archery Club 16 Puzzle Time Answers 20 Bob Edwards’ “Keeping busy Tomás O’Maoldomhnaigh 122-124 Peace International Archery during lockdown” 54-56 Product Review: “The Mantis Regu X8” by Tampini Kalmaru, 26-27 Cartoons by Via Verde Team TAC 86-87 “Archery on the Big Screen” 58-59 “Adventures into the Longbow - 98-101 Del the Cat’s “Bowyer’s Dia Part 1” by Alison Rayson 146-147 FAN UK’s Dogs & Crossbow 61 Product Information: Archery Success - “Creating A Round” 4th Anni 62-69 FAN UK would like to say Edit “Welcome to the world of Rockingham Field Archers”! 72-75 “Beginner’s Bowyer Dictionary” by Bartek Grygiel 82-84 “Coach’s Thoughts” by Ken Brill 90-95 OH Boyd’s “A Journey through Archery” 108-111 Bogenbau Rockhauser’s “Tattooed Bow” Feature 116-117 “Barry Cheadle - One Man & His Shoot, Update!” 132-135 “Off The Arrow Shelf” by Rob Jones 2

Shoot Reports Shoot Entry Forms BC) Winter League 2019-2020 21-24 UKIFAC 2021 @ Wexford ers Update! Archers 15 & 16.05.2021 down Field Archery” by Bill Oliver s 40-42 Wharfe Valley Archers b 20th Anniversary Year by 10 & 11.10.2020 y Club Update! 118 Delamere Field Archers ulars 04.10.2020 ” 128-129 Welsh & Open Field Archery ary” Championships 2020 ws List so far! 26 & 27.09.2020 iversary 142-143 THWAC 2-day WA 3D Field tion Shoot 29 & 30.08.2020 Photography COVER Jason Quinn, Audris-Hart Field Archers 4-5 Helen Cohen-Quinn 18-19 Colin Greenway, Row Brow 29 Paul Williams 52-53 Kate Blinston 78-79 Bernie Stafford 114 Jason Stokes 120-121 Helen Cohen-Quinn 126-127 Jason Stokes 136 Jason Quinn 144-145 Kate Blinston REAR COVER Jason Quinn, Audris-Hart Field Archers 3

Retro 24s Collection

Photographer: JASON QUINN, Audris-Hart Field Archers Location: Dunkery Field Bowmen shoot, 12th November 2015



4th Anniversary Messages “Happy 4th, FAN UK. Keep growing and making people happy - same as always! Here's to the next 40!” Ana Aldred, Managing Partner - The Archery Shop Happy Birthday FAN UK from Archers of Dolphinholme! “It always helps to pass the time before the next trip to the woods where we'd all like to be. Here's to a long bright future.” Dear Editor and friendly archers from all over the world, I’m so proud to be a part of this amazing community especially now, when “Field Archery News UK” is celebrating its fourth anniversary. Personally I adore the idea of this Magazine that brings together all archery lovers following each own paths and styles. Nothing like sharing our point of view and learning from each other. In this special time I wish you all that you desire. May your every day be filled with passion and wonderful surprises. Never stop delighting us with such great content and pages full of hard work. I hope we will meet here every two months for many many years more :-) Stay strong and safe ~ Bartek from Dreamcraft Archery ~ 7

Why we Rove (or the musings of those who wander the fields with likeminded people, laughing ,cursing, joking, berating, telling tall tales, pulling strange faces if called for, drinking luke warm coffee or a drop of something warming and always having a good time with a stick and a bit of string). Now then, I have to say I was completely surprised and pleased a few months ago, when I was asked by Helen to put down a few words for an article in the February/March issue about our roving group, ‘The Flodden Marks Company of Longbow Archers’, surely this was a publication for those who wander the paths of woods and forests, picking his or her target through bramble and trees? For us that ‘Rove’, it’s the fields, meadows and open countryside that call, our target, ‘the Mark’, is to be found over hill and dale. Two types of archery that couldn’t be further apart? On the face of it possibly, but as I hope this article will show we are just different branches of the same tree, only a tree that Field archers shoot through and we Roving types try and shoot over. Hopefully in the next few pages with the help of a few knowledgeable and respected Roving types (other than my useless mutterings), we will try and impart to you why we ‘Rove’, and in some cases what we are missing in these troubled days of, ‘Stay at Home’, not being able to wander with friends, bows in hand. Hopefully having read this and the February/March article, the next time you’re out you’ll want to see what it feels like and send an arrow high into the sky above the wood, before you go into the shade, and then maybe just maybe you’ll seek out one of the roving groups nearest to you, stand on the line and, “Loose!”, into the blue, time and time again. The question asked was: “Why do you rove, why not target or field archery?” 8

Archery has been my passion for nearly twenty years now, I’ve tried target archery, indoor and out, and I’ve spent many hours wandering through a wood, putting my boot to the ‘peg’ then looking for the 3D, and yes I enjoy them both. But I more than ‘enjoy’ roving, whether it is on my own, with my chums at our FMR or at one of the roving groups who hold shoots throughout the year; there’s just something about being out in the open putting an arrow into the sky. For me the draw to archery began with a passion for history and tradition, not sport, so the Longbow was always the bow of choice and whilst in the dim and distant past it was practiced with at the ‘Butts’ and used for hunting (both of which target and field archery cover), the longbow was also practiced with at distance and this is what I wanted to try, a traditional, historical and a little known (by the public at large) pursuit. Roving ticks all my boxes - ‘history’,’ tradition’ and ‘open countryside’. Then there are the people, I can honestly say I’ve never met more honest and friendlier people than when I’m roving, no matter where it is. Yes it sounds clichéd... but the sheer joy of standing on the crest of a hill, longbow in hand, looking for ‘the Mark’ across open countryside, by the side of likeminded archers is hard to describe; and this ‘line’ isn’t quiet... there’s laughing, abuse, jokes, encouragement, advise, smiles and heads nodding at thinking of an arrow shot and well-placed (until you get to the Mark and realised it was ten yards short or wide). Also for me (or you) roving with a longbow, like most archery with a longbow, could possibly be the nearest I’ll get to doing something (apart from eating, working, sleeping and fornicating) that one of my ancestors did hundreds of years ago, it was law to practice the bow, so there’s every chance at some point in the past that someone of my bloodline shot as unpredictably as me. 9

I’ve only managed to get out on our roving fields once for an early Sunday morning practice shoot recently, I stood Longbow in hand, in a green open field which had a light covering of drying muck (that gave the air a musty earthy smell, to say the least), overlooking the countryside of the North, the church bells in nearby Chapletown village tolled, though no one will have heeded their call because there was a pandemic throughout the land. I found myself smiling and laughing at the thought this is about as close to longbow roving in Medieval or Tudor England as it gets, in the middle of all the horrible things going on with the world, ‘Roving’ had brought a very ‘Monty Python’ humoured moment to oddly cheer me. In truth, as much as I witter on and lose the thread of what I’m trying to write and convey, I can’t put into words why I rove because (another ‘cliché’) words aren’t enough to explain why - you’ll just have to try it and you’ll know why. 10

I’d like now to introduce you to a man from the very heart of England, Gary Williamson, who has kindly put down some truly honest and personal words to convey just what it is to Rove… “When I was a boy in the 1960s and early 70s, I would wander the woods and fields where I lived and make bows, arrows and spears from the hedges using my trusty sheath knife. We all carried them, it's just how it was then and no one ever used them in a bad way; nor did anyone blink an eye when a gang of urchins strode through the village armed to the teeth with primitive homemade weapons and the odd BSA airgun or Gat pistol. Later on we had shop bought bows of wood and fibreglass and arrows that were straight and had proper fletchings instead of cardboard… a luxury indeed. So when I discovered roving archery some years ago, I was instantly transported back to my childhood and the fun and freedom I had back then was relived once more. Previously I had been in a target club shooting longbows, I tried field archery which I enjoyed even more. But when roving entered my life I knew I had found the archery I had loved so much as a boy and was instantly hooked. It's possibly the nearest you will get mediaeval archery were they trained archers not just at the butts and wand shooting but out in the countryside learning how to shoot at marks that were at different distances, uphill, downhill, over water and many different kinds of topography and terrain. The Shire Bowmen were the people we shot with and their figurehead David Whitmore was the man responsible for keeping them together and keeping roving alive in the mid shires of Albion. My brother from another mother - David Peach - had been on the same journey as I and we shared a love of archery and it's history. During this time I also taught all three of my children to shoot bows and they came roving as well until young life carried them off to live it. 11

Dave and I travelled the country roving and meeting many good folk along the way: The Cerne Abbas archers, Warbow Wales, The Companions of the Longbow, Jason Stokes and The Flodden Marks shoot and many, many individuals too numerous to mention here that helped me along my path and I now know as friends. I can honestly say that these archers we met a roving were like the outlaws of Robin Hood hiding in Sherwood forest... the outsiders and rebels who had come from the established archery system with all it's rules and regulations, committees and stuffed shirts, they were to be found shooting their bows in the countryside where freedom was king. They had that same sense of freedom that I had found in roving and that freedom gave them a joy that was tangible and infectious. I was shooting a 60lb longbow and thought it was Wonderful; that is until I saw people shooting longbows and flatbows up to 130lb in draw weight. The Cerne Abbas archers all used these heavy bows and to me were the pinnacle of heavy bows and roving, these men are now my good friends and I owe them much. The sound and sight of these bows was almost too much to bear, I was transfixed and couldn't get enough of watching them - this was what I wanted to do. So I began a journey... a journey that took me from a 60lb longbow to a 115lb longbow I had made myself and many more in-between as I slowly climbed up the bow weights. The beautiful 60lb longbow I loved I quickly managed to blow up when I learned how to shoot warbow style. Unfortunately the bow wasn't tillered to take it and I was on full throttle and couldn't be held back. They say it's not reaching your destination that is the best bit, but the journey getting there. This was so true of my journey into heavy bows and roving with them. The people I’ve met are some of the best people in my life and I am proud to now call them friends and brothers. Bowyers, fletchers, blacksmiths and a myriad of talented people all with the common goal of shooting 12

bows and arrows around the stately homes, woods and fields of old Albion. Without these outlaws, eccentrics and characters of the bow, I couldn't have done it half so well or fast. These archers who rove are always willing to help others and give them the advice and their experience; to to pick you up and help you when you're down and need that encouragement to carry on. Out of this was formed a small fellowship of men, archers who naturally gravitated towards each other and were all on the same journey too, The Mercian Bowmen came into being. We helped each other along, shared bows, shared skills and knowledge but - best of all - we stood shoulder to shoulder on the shooting line grinning like children. Over the last few years bow weights have risen and are now nudging up to the 200lb mark for some archers; incredible! I have started to make my own longbows and have so far made eight successful ones and broken three. The smallest was 75 lb and the heaviest 115 lb. I have made Ash, Hazel, Wych elm and Yew bows, all self bows. I make all my own arrows from scratch as well as some forged mediaeval type arrow heads. There is not a better feeling than standing in open countryside with a bow in your hand knowing that you have made it, as well as the string and the arrows. Then, drawing that bow back with all your might and loosing that arrow and watching it arc up into the sky and slowly arc back down to earth. Just Heavenly. So now, in these times of lockdown and restraint, not being able to go and shoot my bow and share these experiences with my fellow toxophilites is painful to say the least. I know it's trivial compared to what is going on right now. Every day I count my blessings and feel sorrow for all those souls who have tragically passed through the veil and their families and friends who are left behind. I feel like I am in a surreal film from the 1960s where things don't seem real or make any sense anymore. With work suspended and time on my hands, I have been keeping up my archery by shooting into my shed from just outside its door using blunts and a soft target boss. One silver lining to come out of this is that I have almost overcome my target panic. I got to a stage where I would loose my arrow far too early and shoot high above the target at close ranges. Every shot at close range was a mental battle inside my head, to the point where I wouldn't shoot the close shots for fear of looking like an idiot; but constantly shooting into my shed at a low target has helped immensely and almost eliminated the problem. So I am longing to go a roving again and share that childlike joy once more with the rascals, villains and outlaws of archery that are my friends and fellow rovers.” 13

And now for a few words from Ruth Carty - an archer who shoots with some of the most esteemed Longbow groups in England: “When I began to shoot, it was with a recurve bow at standard archery targets up to 80 yards. However, I really wanted to shoot longbow and, after a trial with another archer’s bow, there was no going back. I bought my first longbow from Adrian Hayes and loved it. Something, however, was still missing and it wasn’t until joining the International Longbow Archers Association in 2012 that I realised what it was: shooting the longbow in the way it was intended to be shot - across open terrain at distances over 150 yards. The sound of massed longbows all loosing at the same time instantly condenses the centuries that have passed since Agincourt and the battles of the Middle Ages. The flight of the arrow as it disappears high into the sky is a sight to lift the spirits on the greyest of days. When we shoot as a fellowship on estates, or sometimes even stately homes, it is also a real privilege; the history is tangible. I shoot a yew self bow which is an extraordinary work of craftsmanship and a pleasure to hold and shoot: I use it solely for roving. If I could, I would rove every day. If the archery wasn’t enough, to be out in the fresh air (I have shot in all weathers!) and in open country is a feast for the eyes and food for the soul. That’s why I rove... and will for as long as I can pull a bow.” And finally, a few words from a man who truly holds the banner for Roving: Dave Whitmore. He and his Shire Bowmen organise the most regular and always popular roves. If you are looking for the most central and accessible shoots in the UK where you’ll learn from the mass of experienced archers who attend, the Shire roves are the ones to attend. 14

“Shire Bowmen started around 1980. We, as a group of four, started as target GNAS archers, with the Bowmen of Glen, as Longbow archers, and shot many rounds with good success. We got a bit frustrated with just shooting the longest distance of 100 yards. We had our own shooting grounds under the then Lord Lieutenant of the county (which we have shot for well over 20 years, and still shoot); we shot and became Stewards of the Finsbury Mark, arranging their insurance, booking the venues and setting the marks out, for about 12/15 years. Our shoots are on home ground which are private, we were asked if we would hold roving mark shoots, for all Longbow archers to run under the Shire Bowmen, as we had many years of shooting roving marks and a very good grasp of the history of roving. The Shire Bowmen are a non-profit making company of archers, all our entry fees are donated to the venue and we hold our own insurance covering the shoots.” So, there you have it! In roughly 2630 short words, the reasons as to ‘Why we Rove’. I’d like to thank Gary, Ruth and Dave - Longbow archers with far more knowledge and experience than me - for contributing their words to this article; without them it would have been the wittering of some northern bloke with too much caffeine in his system on a Sunday morning! I highly recommend that you log on and look at one of these roving groups to find the nearest one to you:- https://www.facebook.com/FloddenMarksRove/ https://shirebowmen.webs.com/ http://www.fieldandrovingarcherysociety.co.uk/ https://www.longbow-archers-association.org/ I look forward to standing on the line in a field with you soon, Jason Stokes. 15

Anagrams: Red Velvet Chocolate Coffee and walnut White Chocolate Carrot Cake Fruit Cake Lemon drizzle Flapjacks Brownies Fruit Scones 16



Photograph: Colin Greenway Pictured: “A lamb off our neighbouring farm which seems to have adopted our polar bear as a surrogate mum.” at Row Brow Field Archers, Saturday 16th May 2020!



Our awesome FAN UK family member Bob Edwards has been keeping busy during lockdown… here is what he’s been up to! Hi Hels! Here are some pictures of me dealing with Covid-19 boredom. I can't shoot arrows in the garden unfortunately so I made some 3Ds out of foam for a mate... an eagle, an otter, a Canada goose and a pheasant. The final creature is a very rare Kernow-do Dragon (only found in Cornwall and fed on a diet of pasties and emmets!). ~ Good luck with the magazine and congratulations on 4 years! Bob ~ 20



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Retro 24s Collection Photographer: PAUL WILLIAMS, Audris-Hart Field Archers Location: Toad Hollow Archers, August Bank Holiday Weekend shoot 2016

RLBC International Winter League 2020 ~ Final Results Shoot Report ~ Ladies and Gentlemen - here is the FINAL report of the \"RLBC International Winter League 2020\". This was the 2nd International League and we are growing – this year we had 60 Longbow (ELB), 65 Traditional Recurves (Asian peripheral traditional bows), 33 Modern Longbows (AFB\\ Field Archery Longbow), 25 Barebow \\ Instinctive and even 3 Warbow archers – altogether we reached 189 entries! The archers from the UK, Russia and USA were competing in Portsmouth and World Archery 18 rounds – 60 arrows at 60 and 40m targets respectively. The International Winter League 2020 had 6 online stages and 3 ‘in-person’ shoots – 1 in Moscow and 2 in telebridge format between Moscow and St-Petersburg (the archers were shooting simultaneously in two cities with the results coming to the one chart and competing each other). 607 scores were submitted in this 2020 League (434 last year), and now we can publish the Final Chart of the League! The Personal Bests is the Main Chart indeed - we all were working hard to improve our scores! Dimitry Dembowski, The HEAD of RLBC. 30

CHAMPIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL WINTER LEAGUE 2020 (Personal Best): Longbow Portsmouth Gentlemen:- Longbow Portsmouth Ladies:- 1. Ian Stowell – 552 (The New Record of the League) 1. Sheila Hudson – 522 2. Ben Ledwick – 551 2. Sophie Twigg – 492 3. Alexei Klement’ev – 541 3. Wendy Ingle – 491 Longbow WA18 Gentlemen:- Longbow WA18 Ladies:- 1. Ian Stowell – 524 (The New Record of the League) 1. Sheila Hudson – 469 (The New Record of the League) 2. Ben Ledwick – 498 2. Wendy Ingle – 384 3. Igor Ovsiannikov – 475 3. Jane Barett - 360 Traditional Recurve Portsmouth Gentlemen:- Traditional Recurve Portsmouth Ladies:- 1. Sergey Nikitin – 515 (The New Record of the League) 1. Elena Smirnova – 483 (The New Record of the League) 2. Viacheslav Zaboristov – 514 2. Anna Segeda – 453 and Eugenia Gerbich – 453 3. Vladimir Korobkov - 512 3. Irina Bolshakova – 443 Traditional Recurve WA18 Gentlemen:- Traditional Recurve WA18 Ladies:- 1. Roman Smirnov – 425 (The New Record of the League) 1. Anna Segeda – 416 (The New Record of the League) 2. Sergey Nikitin – 421 2. Irina Bolshakova – 360 3. Vladimir Korobkov - 417 3. Ivkina Maria – 307 Modern Longbow Portsmouth Gentlemen:- Modern Longbow Portsmouth Ladies:- 1. Ian Taylor – 562 (The New Record of the League) 1. Sevil Daminova – 300 (The New Record of the League) 2. Alex Newnes – 540 2. Anastasia Shpagina – 207 3. Evgeny Yakovlev - 529 Barebow/Instinctive Portsmouth Gentlemen:- Modern Longbow WA18 Gentlemen:- 1. Alex Newnes – 581 (The New Record of the League, 1. Tim Johnson – 536 (The New Record of the League) 2. Ian Taylor – 516 and Michail Poddevalin – 516 The Biggest Score of the League) 3. Evgeny Yakovlev – 515 2. Iain Cope - 580 3. Mikhail Koposov – 524 Barebow/Instinctive Portsmouth Ladies:- Barebow/Instinctive WA18 Gentlemen:- 1. Mary Louca – 526 1. Alex Newnes – 541 (The New Record of the League, 2. Arina Mikhailova – 511 3. Emma Harrison - 487 The Biggest Score of the League) 2. Rene Bekker - 521 Barebow/Instinctive WA18 Ladies:- 3. Paul Helms - 509 1. Mary Louca – 527 (The New Record of the League) 2. Anna Saruhanova – 382 Warbow Portsmouth:- 3. Amanda Cornish – 256 1. Terry Reeve – 319 (The New Record of the League) 2. Hayden Ledwick – 305 3. Abbie Dawson - 234 The charts in every bow classes follow on the next few pages, with some pictures of the events. Considering efforts, and the amount of scores submitted, we have created separate charts for the single bow class and for multiple bow classes also. 31

SINGLE BOW CLASS CHAMPIONS:- MULTIPLE BOW CLASS CHAMPIONS:- 1. Ian Stowell – 6304 (Longbow) 1. Alex Newnes – 9524 (Longbow, Modern Longbow, Barebow) 2. Igor Ovsiannikov – 5577 (Longbow) 2. Illarion Avalishvili – 7068 (Longbow, Modern Longbow, Traditional Recurve) 3. Ben Ledwick – 5059 (Longbow) 3. Ian Stowell – 6304 (Longbow) CONGRATULATIONS to Lord Ian Stowell and Alex Newnes being the Best Archers of the International Winter League 2020 – by the Records and overall amount of scores! 32

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Here is the GOOGLE doc for all the stages of the League! - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/ d/1Y_6sdSWqwyZZdLMyUGUW1ngPgUfCTIeXIR2prd0-ZPs/ edit?usp=sharing 34

I want to thank every archer who took part in this huge archery competition! I hope together we will overcome these hard days together. I think all archers of the world are one big family and we should be united in the merit of friendly sport and competition. Sincerely Yours, Dimitry Dembowski, The HEAD of RLBC. 35

Cotteswold Mounted Archers update The current lockdown has put an end to the regional competitions we had planned for this year but we have come up with some other activities to keep our skills honed. Some of us are lucky enough to still be able to see and ride our horses so have been doing the postal matches set by the International Horseback Archery Alliance, which change every couple of months and mean that we can compete against horseback archers around the world. However for those who cannot ride at the moment or do not have their own horses, we have come up with our own unmounted \"stay at home\" archery challenge which can be done in a back garden or even a garage as the target only needs to be 7 metres away. Details of this are on our website http://www.mountedarchery.org.uk . Pictured Left: Dom Calton, Photographer - Ros Jones Pictured Right: Éowyn Barnes-Short, Photographer - Helen Barnes 36

Pictured Above: Ros Jones, Photographer - Helen Barnes Some of our members have also been taking part in the World Archery \"Beat the outbreak\" online league, which had a new target to have a go at every week that could be printed out at home. Some of these targets were very tiny for us traditional archers, so the British Horseback Archery Association has been running a league just for us so that we can compare results with others using the same type of traditional bow and we all shoot from 5 metres which, again, is a good distance for a garden. 37

Pictured Below:- “Fancy dress week on the World Archery online comp!” Pictured Top Centre: Helen Barnes Ros Jones, BHAA Advanced Coach Cotteswold Mounted Archers Photographer - www.mountedarchery.org.uk Helen Barnes Pictured Above Left & Right: Éowyn Barnes-Short, Photographer - Helen Barnes 38



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~ Lockdown Field Archery ~ By Bill Oliver. The last time we got to shoot together as a club was a few days before lockdown and we obeyed safe distancing, pulled our own arrows and generally shot together but apart. Not as much fun as usual but we’d still be out shooting and we could easily live with this minor inconvenience until things got back to normal. Shortly after that, we were in total lockdown and unable to get out to the range with no way of knowing how long this situation would last. Added to that, we were planning to be competing three weekends out four in of April, travelling to compete with Kendal Bowmen then Border Bows before hosting the Scottish Field Archery Championships at our home course. Many of us have some way of shooting a few arrows in the garden so we can at least maintain some kind of form while the world came to a standstill around us – but it just isn’t the same when you are unable to shoot with your friends and field archery is a sociable way to spend time with your pals in the fresh air. 44

Diane, my yoga teacher wife, has switched her classes from her usual location in the village hall and taken her classes online with the Zoom platform which, after some teething tech issues, was working well. She invested in a Bluetooth headset which was all that was needed, other than the ubiquitous iphone and some decent data (which is not a given, living in Argyll). She suggested running some online archery for the club which at first seemed a strange thing to do, but these are strange times so a plan was hatched. A ‘Zoom’ invite was sent out and 6 of us met up via the world wide web on a lovely sunny April day in our back gardens scattered all over Scotland from Craobh, Oban, Taynulit and Lanark. 45

The plan was to shoot Bunnies at 5 and 10 meters with 6 ends of 3 arrows at each distance. I set up the iphone up on a camera tripod so that both target and I would be in view while shooting, reasoning being that it forced me to observe my awful technique... at the appointed time the clan assembled and after several minutes of “Can you hear me?” and “TURN ON YOUR MICROPHONE!!”, which - upon reflection - it was pretty stupid for me to be shouting in a back garden in Craobh to someone miles away, but it was my first time using Zoom and we got there after a few minutes. Notice that the range red range safety flag is correctly displayed… safety must always come first. 46

Once everyone was in communication and ready to go it was time to shoot the first end. Once we had all shot three arrows the scores were called out and added to the master high-tech scoreboard ( pictured below… ! ). A short break was called for the range to be re-set to 10 meters and also to rehydrate the competitors, as the excitement of the competition - added to the, by now, hot April Argyll sunshine - was taking it’s toll... “Hot April Argyll sunshine” are not words you will read often in a single sentence… we are indeed living in unusual times… 47

It was an interesting experience with everyone talking, shooting and engaging in the usual banter that goes on at the range but this time all into a small phone screen when we were miles apart – but it worked and worked reasonably well. Most importantly it allowed us to meet up and shoot together as a club when other- wise we would be isolated so it is definitely a great way to stay in touch and stay fo- cused on our archery. The Scoring was all done on one white board by me – and I still didn’t win.. My excuse for not doing better will take some beating – I borrowed my wife’s Blue- tooth headset so I could be totally hands free but discovered that the boom mic was right on my anchor point. Next time I’ll wear it on the right hand side but I doubt that will help much. So – some simple tech which most of us have already and an app download can keep us together doing the sport we love in these strange times. It’s not as good as ‘The Real Thing” but it is way better than sitting home alone wish- ing you were out there. 48

I got sent these photos of a couple of the online field archery gangs, John and Aileen Tait, with their home range - and also their home made bow & arrow quivers allowing them hands-free walking on the woods.. 49

Field Archery News UK’s Events Calendar is updated regularly with shoots FROM MULTIPLE SOCIETIES & ASSOCIATIONS for the forthcoming year… don’t forget to keep checking in at http://fieldarcherynewsuk.wixsite.com/fanuk/ event-calendar ~ For The Love Of Field Archery ~ 50