5 January 2020
Welcome to the December Report. The 2019 outdoor year has now finished and 2020 has begun. Well done to all those who maintained their classifications and handicaps in 2019 and congratulations to those who improved or have gained one for the first time. As most of you are aware, classifications need to be regained each season. Additionally, the top three handicaps entered by you this year are averaged and the resulting number forms the starting handicap for the New Year. If you only shoot Tuesday/Friday, then you’ll need to wait until April (date to be confirmed) before you can start your 2020 Outdoor campaign. Those who shoot on Sundays can start regaining from January 4th. 252s are a one-time thing, so no need to earn them again.
The postal leagues are ongoing, with 20 Portsmouth and 16 Frostbite scores for December. Please continue to do so for the next three months. Scores from additional members, regardless of perceived skill level, are welcome, as the teams are not fixed. The best scores form the team each month and in the event of illness or other absence, even the newest of members could contribute.
The Grand Prix continues to be popular, with two rounds done and three to go. January (7th and 10th) will be a Worcester (not a Vegas as originally stated in the November report). This uses a special five-zone black and white target and a five-arrow end (make sure you have enough fletched arrows ready to go). Targets must also be placed at the top and bottom of the boss, with half the round shot on each.
A separate report on the Grand Prix and Postal leagues was made on the website mid-December and another will be posted mid-January, once I have the postal results backs from DCAS.
If you are unsure about anything, feel free speak to me in person or via the club email/Facebook page.
Here’s what members achieved in December…
Tables with the required scores for classifications can be found here.
Details of the 252 scheme can be found here.
The most recent tables of club records can be found here.
James, Jonathan, Iain, Alister, Jim and Linda attended the Plymouth University charity shoot mid-month. This was a double WA18 plus a fun head-to-head.
Congratulations to all.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. Indoor season is a great opportunity to try a competition, as the distances are obviously a lot shorter. If in doubt, speak to the hosting club’s tournament organiser.
The club will be hosting the DCAS Indoor Championships in late February, so this is a great option to look at. Please note that we will also be after volunteers to help run the day.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for December. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
15 December 2019
Welcome to the inaugural League Report. This focuses on the club’s progress in the County Postal Leagues as well as in-house competitions, such as the Tavistock Trophy and Grand Prix.
I hope to publish this report around the same time each month, although it will depend on when I receive the results from DCAS. Keep an eye out on the website and Facebook page for updates.
The majority of the material below focuses on results from November. However, because of the timing of the Grand Prix, I have also included the December progress from that.
Due to the increased number of participating archers, I entered an additional Recurve and Longbow team this year, resulting in three Recurve, one Compound and one Longbow team for the club.
For those unfamiliar with the format; Archers shoot a Portsmouth round under competition conditions and the top three scores for each bow type form a team (and the following archers form the ‘B team’, ‘C team’, etc if a club enters multiple teams). These scores are sent to DCAS and clubs compete against each other from November to March.
In this first month, we won three of our matches and lost two. Below are the results tables from DCAS and a table that I keep myself for progress within the club. Take a look and see how you/we did.
Please continue to provide scores, even if you don’t feel that you will make the teams.
The Frostbite teams are selected in the same way as the Portsmouth, with the top three scores forming each team. There is a restriction, however that a maximum of one compound archer may be in each team.
New to this year, DCAS is trialing a Longbow-only team. As a result, I entered a Longbow team, in addition to the existing two mixed teams.
As with the Indoor Postal, archers shoot a Frostbite round and the top three scores form a team. Unlike the Portsmouth, teams are not bow specific (with the exception of the new Longbow team). Archers from any bow style can contribute to the teams, although there is a maximum of one Compound allowed per team.
In November we won one match and unfortunately lost the other two. Below are the results tables from DCAS as well as the table that I keep myself. Take a look and see how you/we did.
Please continue to provide scores, even if you don’t feel that you will make the teams.
The Grand Prix is new this year and has been well received. Each month, a different round is shot, with the scores being adjusted by the members’ handicaps. In the table below, the first column for each month is the actual score entered. The second column is the adjusted score. In theory, if a person shoots a score in keeping with their handicap, they will receive an adjusted score of 1440.
The nature of the competition means that nothing is set in stone. Somebody currently near the bottom of the rankings could leap towards the top if they score sufficiently better than their handicap in a future round.
The Tavistock Trophy is an internal competition run using the scores entered in the Indoor Postal. The highest cumulative score for each category over the five months wins. In the event of a category only having a single participant, they will be included in the most appropriate alternative (normally forming a unisex bow category).
At present the categories are Gents Barebow, Ladies Barebow, Compound (unisex), Longbow (unisex), Gents Recurve and Ladies Recurve. The current standings can be seen on the table below.
Great work everyone, keep it up and check back again in January for the next update.
2 December 2019
Welcome to the November Report. Indoor season continues strongly, with several new classifications earned and club records set.
You can still pursue outdoor classifications and 252s on Sundays, as the outdoor season officially ends in December. I’ll need all outdoor scorecards filled in and given to me by then, so I can calculate end-of-year handicaps, etc.
The postal leagues have kicked off. I entered additional teams this year and these have been supported, with 21 Portsmouth scores and 16 Frostbites. Please continue to do so for the next four months. Scores from additional members, regardless of perceived skill level, are welcome, as the teams are not fixed. The best scores form the team each month. Please remember that December is a shorter shooting month due to Christmas (last indoor session is the 20th, returning on January 3rd), so get your scores in early.
The Grand Prix has been received well, with 20 people signing up (including myself, although I’m only doing it for fun). December’s round is a WA25 on the 3rd and 6th (hopefully competitors have their sight marks). January will be a Worcester, which uses a special five-zone black and white target and a five-arrow end. You will also shoot half on a top target and half on a bottom target.
A separate report on the Grand Prix and Postal leagues will be made on the club website once I have the postal results backs from DCAS.
If you are unsure about anything, feel free speak to me in person or via the club email or Facebook page.
Here’s what members achieved in November:
Tables with the required scores for classifications can be found here.
Details of the 252 scheme can be found here.
The most recent tables of club records can be found here.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. Indoor season is a great opportunity to try a competition, as the distances are obviously a lot shorter. If in doubt, speak to the hosting club’s tournament organiser.
A nice local option is happening on December 14th, with the Plymouth University charity shoot.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for November. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
10 November 2019
Welcome to the (slightly late, Simon’s fault) October Report. As expected, Indoor season has picked up, with the number of indoor classifications earned and regained spiking.
You can still pursue outdoor classifications and 252s on Sundays, as the outdoor season officially ends in December. I’ll need all outdoor scorecards filled in and given to me by then, so I can calculate end-of-year handicaps, etc.
The Postal Leagues begin soon (Friday 1st for Indoor/Portsmouth and Sunday 3rd for Outdoor/Frostbite), as does the inaugural Grand Prix (the first round is a WA18, with scores to be shot on Tuesday 5th or Friday 8th only – unless approved by me in advance). Please ensure you get your scores into me as soon as possible and on official score sheets. Just as a heads up, the December round for the Grand Prix is a WA25, so if you are taking part, make sure you get a 25m sight mark in advance.
If you are unsure about anything, feel free speak to me in person or via the club email or Facebook page.
Here’s what members achieved in October.
Tables with the required scores for classifications can be found here.
An updated version of the 252 score sheet has been added to the 252 page on the website. This has two score tables per page, reducing paper usage. Ideally both successful attempts at a given distance will be on a single sheet. Please switch to using this new sheet as soon as possible. A new example photograph of a completed sheet has also been added.
Details of the 252 scheme can be found here.
The most recent tables of club records can be found here.
Darren Bennion shot at the two day Exmouth Archers Open Field Shoot, which included the DCAS and GWAS Championship on the second day. Day one was the Unmarked round, where he placed sixth and set a club record. Day two was the Marked round and he improved his result to second on the day, also setting a club record for the two day event. In the end, he came third overall for the weekend, second in the GWAS Championship and he won the DCAS Championship.
Congratulations.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. Indoor season is a great opportunity to try a competition, as the distances are obviously a lot shorter. If in doubt, speak to the hosting club’s tournament organiser.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for October. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
2 October 2019
Welcome to the September Report. Indoor season has begun, so naturally the number of outdoor classifications and 252 have reduced, as the indoor classifications become the priority.
Don’t forget that you can still pursue outdoor classifications and 252s on Sundays and the outdoor season officially ends in December, so I’ll need all scorecards filled in and given to me by then, so I can calculate end-of-year handicaps, etc.
Here’s what members achieved in September.
Tables with the required scores for classifications can be found here.
Tables with the required scores for classifications can be found here.
The most recent tables of club records can be found here.
Congratulations to all.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. Indoor season is a great opportunity to try a competition, as the distances are obviously a lot shorter. If in doubt, speak to the hosting club’s tournament organiser.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for September. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
5 September 2019
Some will say “yay!” others will have a tear in their eye. Either way, the outdoor season is almost over and it’s time to go indoors. For those members new to indoor shooting (and those who need a reminder), here’s a few things you should know.
Indoor evenings will start on Tuesday 10th September and last until April 7th, with a break for Christmas. We have a later start time of 19:30 for evening sessions due to hall availability. We generally finish around 21:15 but this can vary a little depending on what people are doing.
Please be on time, or preferably early, and help to set up targets. Nobody should be taking a bow out of a case until the hall is setup and ready for shooting. We are limited by hall availability, so we want to get as much shooting done as possible.
As always, Sunday shooting is outdoors year-round, starting at 09:30. We have the field all day on Sundays, although most people tend to pack up around lunch. As long as you and a key holder are present however, you may shoot for longer.
Indoor shooting is across the road from the school, in the YMCA. From the YMCA car park, walk down the side of the halls nearest to the road and go into the second entrance at the end of the ‘driveway’; This is the main reception. Turn left and then left again next to the changing rooms.
If you’re only able to shoot at evening sessions, then the start of the indoor season marks the end of outdoor. In which case, please fill in and hand over your outdoor (blue) scorecards to the Records Officer, so that they can calculate your year-end handicap and classification. If you are going to continue shooting outdoors on Sundays, then the outdoor year is still ongoing and you have until the Christmas break to achieve any outdoor classifications. You can also continue to pursue your 252s year round.
As with outdoor shooting, there is an indoor classification scheme with a series of ‘ranks’ from ‘H’ to ‘A’. Classifications must be renewed each year, so everybody who earned their indoor classification last year must do so again from next week. To obtain a classification you must submit 3 scores reaching the qualifying classification score. Details of which rounds you can shoot can be found on the Rounds & Classifications page.
Remember to switch to your yellow indoor scorecard, if you don’t have one ask Jonathan.
Each year, Devon and Cornwall Archery Society run a Postal League. Archers shoot a Portsmouth round and the top three scores for each bow type form a team. These scores are sent to DCAS and clubs compete against each other from November to March. This is a great reason for club members to score, as everybody has the opportunity to contribute to the club’s success. Please let the Records Officer know well in advance if you are interested in entering scores, as he will have to officially enter teams in the near future.
In addition to the Postals, this year we will be trialling the Yelverton Bowmen Grand Prix. This is a handicap-based multi-round competition that will be run for club members. Please look out for an email in the next few days with full information on the Postals and Grand Prix.
As usual, the Social Secretary will be running fun shoots for Halloween, Christmas and Easter. These are always great fun and Iain’s costumes are something to behold. Speak to him for more details.
Don’t assume that inexperience means you can’t enter competitions. Archery events are as much about the atmosphere as the shooting. It’s also an opportunity to look at all the different equipment that people have. Indoor competitions don’t go beyond 30m (most are 20yd or 18m), so this is the ideal season to try out competitions, as you don’t need long range accuracy to hit the target. Give a competition a go and see how what happens.
The club also hosts the Devon and Cornwall Archery Society Indoor Championship in February, so as well as members taking part, we’ll be after volunteers to help run the day. Be sure to check out the Devon and Cornwall Archery Society events calendar to see what’s going on in the two counties.
Regardless of the result, let the Records Officer know how you did and they’ll mention it in the monthly Records report on the website.
1 September 2019
Welcome to the August Report. It was a quieter month, as things start to calm down after the earlier rush of the season. New beginners are just joining and the indoor season is about to begin, so expect a busier September. Here’s what they’ve managed in August
Members continue to progress through the 252 scheme
These are the club records achieved during August
New for September the club Record Certificate has been updated to reflect our brand. Who will have the honour of getting their hands on the first one!?
Mid month, Marcus Yeoman attended the Exmouth Archers WA50 and head to head. He qualified first in the morning, setting a club and county record in the process. He then went on to win the head to heads, setting another club record.
Congratulations to all.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. If in doubt, speak to the tournament organiser.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for August. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
11 August 2019
Welcome to the July Report. Apologies for the slightly later post but our Webmaster ran away to deepest, darkest Cornwall for a couple of weeks for a well earned holiday. July was a hot month for shooting, both literally and metaphorically, with some of our archers getting out to maximum distance and earning the awards to prove it. Here’s what they’ve managed in July.
Members have continued to progress through the 252 scheme, preparing themselves for the distances allowing better classifications.
These are the club records achieved during July, as well as those I managed to find from the Redruth Double American last month. Congratulations to all.
I finally managed to get hold of the full results of the Redruth Double American held in June. In addition to what I posted a month ago, here’s how our guys did:
Congratulations again to those who braved the weather that day.
Darren Bennion and Marcus Yeoman attended Stage Two and Three of the National Tour in mid July.
Darren and Marcus attended the Cleve Metric Weekend at the end of the month.
Congratulations to all.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. If in doubt, speak to the tournament organiser.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for July. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
8 July 2019
Welcome to the June Report. It’s been a quieter month, mainly due to that glorious British summer weather… can you feel the sarcasm? Despite the weather, our members have been pursuing their awards and attending competitions. Here’s what they’ve managed in June.
Members continue to progress through the 252 scheme:
These are the club records achieved during June. Congratulations to all.
Additional records from the Redruth Double American are likely but I’m waiting for the full results before I can confirm. Keep an eye out for a June report update.
Something I forgot to mention previously; Any new records will now be updated on the website monthly. Updates will be passed to the Webmaster around the same time as these reports, so check in the first week or so of each month if you are interested in seeing an accurate list.
Alister is currently the only person whose position I can report on and Jonathan’s is the only confirmed record, as I have not seen the full results tables yet. I shall issue an update when they arrive.
Well done to all who competed during June and congratulations to those who came away with trophies and other awards.
Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. If in doubt, speak to the tournament organiser.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman.
Thus ends the Records Report for June. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.
2 June 2019
Welcome to the May Report. Outdoor season has properly got underway with people attending competitions and pushing for 252s and classifications.
At Grand Day, I was presented with certificates and badges for our winning teams from the Winter Postals. The top three contributing archers from the winning teams received a DCAS badge and the club received a certificate. Congratulations to James Baker, Simon Bench and Iain Lees (Portsmouth B Team), plus James Baker, Jonathan Ingram (yes I’m congratulating myself) and Alister Smith (Frostbite A Team).
Additionally, Alister Smith achieved the highest Longbow score in our Frostbite division with 229. Marcus Yeoman did the same for the Portsmouth Compound division with a score of 598. Both received a certificate and a badge.
Congratulations to all who took part in the postals.
At the same time as this report goes out, there is now a new page on the website dedicated to explaining how the 252 Scheme works and the required scores. There is also a new version of the 252 scoresheet, the link to which is on the 252 page. There are likely to be some of the old format lying around but, once these are gone, could everybody please switch to the new one.
With the outdoor season into full swing, the gains and regains have started to come in:
Members continue to progress through the 252 scheme:
These are the club records achieved during May. Congratulations to all.
Five of our members attended the DCAS Grand Day at the start of the month. The morning session was a two-way Longbow National, in which Alister Smith came 10th and Jim Start came 15th. The afternoon session was a conventional National for all bow types and our members placed as follows:
Jonathan Ingram and Marcus Yeoman attended the Redruth Double WA720 the week after Grand Day. Jonathan came 8th in Gents Recurve, setting club records for the single and double WA70 and earning his White FITA Target badge. Marcus won the Gents Compound and set club records for the single and double WA50. These are possibly also higher level records.
Marcus attended Exmouth Archers’ York shoot mid-month and came 2nd, only missing out on the win by a gold count.
Marcus attended Brixham Archers’ ‘Open Rose’ York shoot at the end of the month and won.
Rob ‘Pasty’ Cain attended the NFAS 3D Championships in Newark at the end of the month and placed 29th in Gent’s Barebow on day one. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to shoot on day two.
Well done to all who competed during May and congratulations to those who came away with trophies and other awards.
Coming up next month Darren Bennion and Marcus Yeoman will be attending the UK Masters in Lillishall (in fact, they will have done so by the time this report is out). At the end of the month Alister, Bruce, Iain, Jonathan and Simon will be attending the Redruth Double American. Good luck to all members competing in June and keep an eye out in the next report for results.
If you attend (or are planning to attend) a competition, please let me know (and add the round to your score card!). Also, let me know if you earn any badges (Roses, Stars, etc) or if you manage to attain the lofty ranks of Master Bowman and Grand Master Bowman. Take a look at the DCAS events calendar and see if there are any competitions you fancy trying. If in doubt, speak to the tournament organiser.
Could I also take the opportunity to remind people to add any scored rounds to their scorecard and hand these in to me on a fairly regular basis. I think there may even be a couple of cards from the indoor season still to come to me (the indoor year officially ends on the 31st of June. Can I please have any indoor cards before then). Little and often is a lot easier for me to process (and quicker to hand out any badges), rather than everything at once.
Thus ends the Records Report for May. Please let me know if there are any errors, omissions, etc and I hope that you continue to provide me with material to put into these reports. If you don’t want to be mentioned in reports, please let me know.