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
