Despite the common sense approach of going to bed early on Saturday night, four very sleepy archers braved the morning brightness to make the journey out to Osterley, from deepest Clapham Junction. Thanks (if such they can be called) are due to Calum, for showing his usual comedy timing and good judgment in all things musical. Better rested, if equally painfully early, our man in Ipswich also made the long journey
While Andy was driving all the way from deepest Essex, Dave (ashore for almost the last time before posting to foreign climes), Ian and Chris made the much more pleasant journey from Clapham, bring a car full of archery toys, and one hanger-on, in the shape of UCL's very own Veronica Bray.
The 100 yard distance (sorry, V, 80 yards for you) went as well as could be expected, in good conditions. Early overcast, even threatened rain at one point, gradually gave way to bright sunshine, and most of the team managed to forget to apply enough sun cream!
However, the rest and semi-consciousness of the lunch break was to prove almost fatal to that lead, with Andy steadily gaining points and determination through the 80 yard middle distance. As Dave and Chris shot steadily towards their respective 'Rose' targets, the wind started to rise, and Andy brought the gap down to a mere 5 points by the end of 80 yards (yes, one of us did miss!). Meanwhile, Veronica, not to be outdone by the men, shot her way into an ever increasing lead over Chris. The sun made its presence felt at last, and as the crosswind became trickier, each of us started to feel the ill-effects of not wearing enough sun cream! As the two dozen arrows at 60 yards rapidly passed by, Chris - who uncharacteristically refused to wager beer on the outcome of his contest with V - struggled to regain points, and try to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Despite hard work at the short distance, the lack of beer motivation (usually his best encouragement!) told against him, edged out by some good shooting and some rather obvious jokes on target 36c. Meanwhile, Andy and Ian traded points (but surprisingly few insults) as the dozens were shot. Ian ultimately managed, just, to hold his fragile lead, and finished on 924, a mere seven points ahead of Andy. The team performance, although solid, was not sufficient to claim the metalwork on this occasion, but all concerned shot reasonably well and enjoyed the day. Both Dave and Ian claimed 'Rose' awards, for 800 and 900 respectively. More importantly, most of team shot more consistently than had been the case at Lilleshall at the start of the month, demonstrating that even limited practice can always help! As Andy drove ever eastwards, heading for home, the rest of the team retired to Ian's place for pizza and (most unusually) very little beer. Joined by Andy & Leo in preparation for the Monday FITA Star, the pizza was accompanied by much DVD watching - while his timing, and possibly his judgment, can easily be termed poor, Calum's ability to buy electronic toys is never in doubt. We also managed to set up Leo's spinwings, while with some reluctance Andy was persuaded to make a string
Deprived of the supportive abuse of his team mates, Dave shot reasonably well at 70 and 50 metres, but failed to capitalise on that performance at 30. Leo, by contrast, shot personal bests at some of the distances and stormed to an impressive 1207 finale, claiming her 1200 FITA Star. It may have been compound (obligatory dig) but congratulations are due. Andy was left to cope with the knowledge that Leo beat him by a point, although he was heard complaining that direct comparisons between a compound 60 metres and a recurve 90 metres were harsh at best! His score, abuse aside, was the second MB of the season, and it can now only be a matter of time before the all important third score falls into place the rest of us have a little further to go
As the morning wore on, our weary contenders were able to gain some respite from the fatigue of the previous night, with many missed arrows on both ladies and gents line (and especially, we understand, one compound junior) dragging the pace of the shoot to a crawl. Finally waking up as the later-than-expected lunch approached, Ian shot some good ends to forge an early lead amongst the team
Monday started, if anything, even earlier. Only Dave, Andy and Leo made it to the shoot this time, though, while Chris went home to pack his worldly goods, and Veronica and Ian claimed fatigue and being called into work respectively.
Most importantly, it was an enjoyable weekend of shooting - despite the lack of sleep! The Northern Area Championships beckon