Nationals Shoot Report 17th September 2011

The 2011 Nationals had finally come around and after a disastrous pre-nationals shoot at South Wilts I was hoping that this weekend was going to be significantly better. This year the Nationals were being held at Eastnor Castle near Ledbury in Herefordshire and having looked at the website I was looking forward to shooting in the woods around the castle. Having spent Friday on a Westfield Experience day at the Millbrook Proving Ground it meant I would need to be up early to arrive in time to register and so it was.

I should have been shoot both days but as things turned out I could only make the Saturday and given the way that went maybe it was for the best. So after a 2 hour drive I finally arrive at the shoot and the first priority was to track down a cup of tea. So with tea in hand it was time to register and go and find out who else was around for the pre-shoot chat.

The weather in the morning was glorious with blue skies and the odd cloud but the crowd of archers was smaller this year than previous and to reflect this their would only be 3 courses rather than the traditional 4. The result of this was that the Longbow Archers would be shooting with Compounds and Crossbows on the Y course which was laid by Doverdale Bowmen for compounds.

South Wilts Shoot Report 4th Semptember 2011

With the Nationals fast approaching it was time for the South Wilts pre Nationals Shoot shooting faces for a full round. Now it has been some time since I shot faces and I was soon to remember why I prefer 3D shoots and if the round had of been 3Ds my score would have been half decent as it was; well the less said about that.

Anyway when I set off the sun was shining and the sky was blue but as I approached South Wilts it was obvious that Sam had been doing the rain dance and very successfully at that. The black clouds we rolling about the South Wilts course and I was getting wet just trying to put the waterproofs on. At this point I totally believed that their was some twisted competition going on and that South Wilts were trying to out do Avalon. If this was the case they failed because as it turned out the day was a day of two halves and by the afternoon we were basking in sunshine and blue skies.