Sunday 10 September hailed the end to the 2017 Summer League. Due to CTRA not having access to a shooting field, it was agreed that Rayleigh would host the final matches. It was therefore CTRA vs West Essex A and Rayleigh vs Colchester running under the same shooting signals.
The weather would play a part in the match as it was forecast to rain later in the afternoon.
Shooting commenced just before 11am and 80 yards got underway after one end of sighters. Most seemed comfortable with shooting however some arrows did miss the mark. The rain made an early appearance and the archers from West Essex took shelter in the CTRA tent, having not brought their own and were now claiming ‘squatter’s rights’. Fortunately, the rain passed with little impact on shooting.
After the targets were moved to 60 yards, a brief 30 minute lunch was called. It was at this point that some were regretting their choice in clothing as the ambient temperature dropped noticeably.
After another quick break in shooting, 50 yards got underway. We were also visited by Grays captain Kevin, who was undoubtedly interested in the result of the Rayleigh/Colchester match.
Shooting finished and all equipment away before the rain was due, it was time to total the scores.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A loss by 200 points. Well done to West Essex ‘A’.
As both matches were shot at the same venue, the results of the Rayleigh/Colchester match were also read out. Rayleigh winning by the narrow margin of 11 points.
Congratulations to Rayleigh and commiserations to Colchester who will be leaving Division 1.
Onto the indoor leagues, Bray 1 and Andy Harris. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and successful winter season and I will see most of you on the indoor circuit.
Chris Jordan
CTRA Captain
Sunday 6 August marked the ‘grudge match’ vs Rayleigh. Last year CTRA narrowly won by only 2 hits (drawing on points). The weather was perfect for archery, a few clouds and light wind.
Sighters started just after 11am due to an unforeseen delay. 80 yards got underway after one end of sighters, however it appeared that some were still struggling and there were a few arrows off target (some on the target next door) but fortunately no arrows were harmed in the making of this match.
After the targets were moved, lunch was called and came as a welcome relief from the sun. Following the needed pit stop we continued at 60 yards. Everyone seemed to have settled and the scores improved as a result.
After another distance change and a quick breather 50 yards got underway and everything pointed to the match finishing in good time. Although fatigue was starting to take its toll on most, the scores continued to improve.
Once all the equipment was put away it was time to total the scores.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A loss by 357 points for CTRA. Congrats to Rayleigh Town.
The final match will be played on Sunday 10 September. Due to lack of outdoor facilities in September, Rayleigh have kindly agreed to host our final match vs West Essex Bowmen. This has the added spectacle of all four teams in Division 1 shooting at the same time. It will be an amazing experience.
Chris Jordan - Team Captain
Today was our one and only home match of the year.
Again, it was a beautiful day for shooting, no breeze for most of the day and very sunny.
Of all the Albion matches I have shot in, this one seemed to finish very quickly, we were done and being fed by Michelle by 16:30. So a very big thank you to Michelle for providing the catering.
80 yards got started on time at a more reasonable time of 10:30am, I for some reason thought I had lost an arrow in sighters… but later turned out I just couldn’t count properly. Paul Greensted tried giving Chris Higgins another 30 points on 80 yards, which Martin Skinner noted for later discussion.
The first distance finished, we had 20 minutes for lunch and then back to shooting.
60 yards was completed without much incident. Everyone was commenting on the frozen bottle of water I had been drinking throughout the day had started resembling something quite interesting...
Anyway, we break between 60 and 50 yards. And then I decide it’s a good opportunity to look at the Pavilion Room we would be using after the match… and I can’t get in… nightmare. Chris Higgins to the rescue, phones the site manager and they come along about 10 minutes later.
So, the final distance comes and goes again without much incident, Paul Greensted is juggling shooting and organising the catering with Michelle, which no doubt didn’t help his concentration.
Scores on the doors:
Grays – 3684 points
CTRA – 4071 points
Another win for CTRA by an impressive 387 points.
Well done everyone! We now have a 4-week break before our match with Rayleigh on 6 August.
Chris Jordan (Team Captain)
On Sunday 16th July 2017 we hosted a World Record Status WA 720 plus Head to Head tournament at our Writtle College shooting ground.
With the valuable help of the field crew, and Mr Clark’s van, setting up the field was completed in good time, albeit a bit delayed as one of our stands was vertically challenged and needed some help.
At assembly the archers were asked if they were happy to shoot the 720 round as a single detail as there was sufficient room on the line for all to shoot at the same time. Silence in the group indicated acceptance and then shortly after practice commenced.
Weather was very mild in the first half of the 720 with little wind and enough cloud cover to give some protection from the sun, although not for long.
The second half was a bit more challenging with increased wind and the climate definitely turning more humid. With no lost arrows or equipment issues the shoot finished before lunchtime and scores were submitted for qualification in the afternoon’s head to head competition.
The head to head competition went very well with some usual suspects receiving trophies and medals. Full results are available via our Tournament Results menu.
Thank you to the judges, the field crew and the CTRA helpers who managed registration, drinks and bacon sandwiches. Thank you again to Perris Archery for sponsoring the event. It was good to see a number of their Perris Archery shirts on the shooting line.
A very big thank you goes to Martin Skinner who not only managed planning the shoot but was running around all day doing the many jobs that were essential for us to enjoy such a successful day.
Today marked the start of CTRA’s title defence against Colchester. Sighters were agreed for 1pm which is later than usual.
The biggest challenge of the day would be keeping hydrated, as today was also the hottest of the year so far.
The first challenge was getting to the venue however, as everyone seemed to think that it would be a good idea to go out… the second was finding the venue, as Brian and Joel pointed out the lack of good directions from their captain (sorry guys).
Anyway, after getting ready in time, the first end started on time and the sun had disappeared behind some cloud cover giving the competitors some relief, although short lived. Campaign HQ (AKA the club tent) was a welcome haven from the sun.
After the 80 yards distance was finished a 20-minute break was called and archers were able to discuss how well they had done. Myself having shot a personal best of 282 was rather pleased… but now the distance change.
Shooting recommenced and the breeze (wind) which had been absent for all of 80 yards showed in typical Colchester style. But it affected everyone. 60 yards came and went (a little slower as we were all feeling the heat) and on to the last 3 dozen at 50 yards.
It was at this point where stamina come into play, and some were feeling it more than others, like Chris Higgins who was wearing a base layer under his shooting shirt to prevent sunburn (I feel for you). However, it was plain to see that Martin was dehydrated too, so in stepped the Captain who had bought 6, 1 litre bottles before the match.
After the 50 yard distance, it was time to total the scores.
Colchester – 3759 points
CTRA – 3956
A win for CTRA by 197 points.
Well done team, onto our only home match vs Grays in two weeks.
Chris Jordan - Team Captain
- You are here:
-
Home
- News
