A light-hearted look at the world of archery
We archers take ourselves very seriously, don’t we? After all, we’re a minority sport nursing a long and venerable history. How often have we maintained a silent disdain as a group of brow-ridged rugby players dragged their knuckles past the archery field on the way to a match, whistling the theme from The Archers? And how many times have we bitten our tongues when a friendly relative has asked whether we’ve been playing archery today? Playing? Playing?!! No, you play rugby, you play football, you play cricket – but you practise archery, you think in response, before going on to say, yes, I’ve been shooting a few arrows at the club.
Then there is the general air of misery and angst hanging over the archery field like a malevolent cloud as we fret and strut our way through a tournament. How hard we practised in the run-up to the tournament, only to end up shooting like a wassock.
Yes, I hold my hand up and confess that in a lifetime of archery I’ve taken it all very, very seriously; indeed, for many years I was addicted to shooting, and I don’t say that lightly. Let’s just say I’ve mellowed a bit and can now see the funny side.
I love cartoons, and you will see four of them interspersed with my articles. Although the cartoon gags are mine, the drawings are from the skilful fingers of Will Broughton, aka the Chorlton Potter (https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=The%20Chorlton%20Potter). He is a marvellous potter and a wonderful illustrator, and I am a delighted beneficiary. As well as having been an archer himself, he is also the son of the late Mike Broughton. Mike and I enjoyed many a shoot and a good laugh together, on the archery field and during coaching sessions.
So allow me to aim for laughs as an antidote to our collective misery and provide you with a humorous look at our wonderful sport and the world of the bow.
David Edwards Hulme.
Contents:
Ever wondered how the bow was invented? It’s lost in the mists of time, as they say, but I’ve an idea how it might have come about….. Og sat near the fire at the cave entrance. The nights were long...
Some people think their club is run by a load of old jobsworths. They should worry. I’ve been leafing through the rule book of the Old Farnworth and Royton Toxophily Society. (Stand to attention as you read this.) Rule 15:...
Archery has one great thing going for it…it’s an open sport, where beginners can often mix with Olympic level archers at competitions. It also attracts a mix of characters with very different backgrounds. So sit back and let me introduce...
Ever been in a pub with a club mate when a friend walks in? You introduce them, obviously. Let’s call your club mate John and your friend – a non-archer, of course – Derek. The conversation may have gone like...
This was the bit the club secretary dreaded most. He’d just finished explaining the dress code as laid out by GNAS – or Archery GB, as they now had to call it – and how it fitted in to the...
The scene is a group therapy session for Archers Anonymous. Therapist: OK, let's introduce ourselves - and first, could I just ask the chap over there - Bob, is it? - to just sit on a chair and not on...
Some clubs – indeed, some counties - still have quaint awards at their presentation ceremonies. For example, worst white or best gold, harking back to the days when archery really was a hit and miss affair (it still is? Sorry.)...
If you’re a radio fan you might enjoy this glimpse of a new soap based on the well-known and long running radio serial. I’ve been taking a peek at the script of ‘The Archers – an everyday story of shooting...
The archer was in some obvious distress when the club coach arrived at the indoor range. “I’m really struggling,” said the archer, Peter. “What’s the problem?” asked the coach. “Well, I’ve got gold shyness and it’s destroying my archery,” said...
1. Use a long rod with a nicely curved end. It doesn’t look pretty, but it makes a good walking stick. 2. To stiffen a set of arrows, place in a tube of water, add a few Viagra tablets, and...
For years, I had wondered just who were Cheadle Archers. The name of this Victorian club is on three trophies that had come into the possession of my own club, the Bowmen of Bruntwood, since its formation in Cheadle, Stockport,...
The Bowmen of Bruntwood was formed in 1950 by Trevor Francis, at his flat on Cheadle high street in Stockport. He’d been a glider pilot in the Second World War, and back problems that developed after his war service meant...
I have possessed a bow for much of my life. My earliest memories are of trying to shoot chickens on a farm in Marple, Cheshire, as a small boy. Luckily, I missed – a feature of my later shooting! I...
Our club founder Trevor Francis took up archery when he developed severe back problems after serving as a glider pilot in World War II. Contact sports like rugby and football had to be crossed off his to-do list – and...