(To the tune of Good King Wenceslas)

Eighteen archers all looked out on this festive evening,
When all bows lay round about, long and short and gleaming,
Brightly shone the balloons that night though the targets cruel,
When the teams came into sight, a shriek began the du-el.

Billy’s Baubles, Golden bears, did start their arrows soaring,
Three men and a wooden stick popping balloons and roaring,
We’re all Crackers kept it fun, scoring slow and steady,
When the bonus rounds did come,
Lots of arrows rea-dy.

Soon the night is darker now and the contest stronger,
Five balloons each, they have now, they can go no longer.
Steve to shoot to take the game, with his stick stood boldly,
But a pop was not his fame, though they took not coldly.

We’re all crackers won the night, against the keenest bowmen,
They all shot with all their might, presents for the showmen.
Well done to all who shot that eve, All the archers plucky,
Merry Christmas one and all, and the new year luc-ky.

The winning team composed of Mike Lewis, Nick Holder, Lesley Booth, Alison Hastie and Rob Hodgetts. And well done to Naomi Folkard who achieved the bonus prize for the most balloons hit it the team with the least scoring hits. Pictures of all the Christmas festivities can be seen in the Gallery as always.

Our thanks goes to Sarah Neale for organising the event, we all now look forward to see what the New Year has install for us. Merry Christmas everyone!

It was a sad day to see, when the numbers of Team Saints & Sinners had dwindled to a very poor three. The steadfast archers turning up to try their best against the local clubs were Sarah Neale, Warwick Neale and Nick Holder.

Both Sarah and Nick had both decided to pit their talents on the Double Worcester round and hoped for medal winning positions and Warwick was present to see what he could produce for the Single.

The first session saw Nick and Sarah take to the shooting line, both appeared to start strongly with their names present on the leader board. Nick’s main competition, Eric Thomas of Redditch Company of Archers, was proving to be a fearsome opponent not straying from the five spot. At the half way point an error in Sarah’s shooting caused a rather calamitous miss and lost her valuable points which could not be made up. Nick was having a more successful time and finished the morning with just 8 arrows out of the five spot.

Session B started swiftly for Sarah but fatigue soon set in and after three more misses it was quite clear she was out of the running for any medals! The final session saw Nick continue his battle against the compound greats which now included Luke Beardsley of GNAS. Warwick Neale now stepped up to see if he could fare any better after Sarah’s disappointment.

Warwick’s shooting was consistent and he managed to maintain a middle of the board score, Nick finished just two points short of his morning’s score satisfied to have gained a new PB and Club Record.

Final results revealed that Warwick had tied for third place in the Gents Recurve Single round snatching it on hits. As not enough Saints & Sinners members were present to submit a team entry we unfortunately lost any points towards the Garrington Cup and as team points are what we need...we need you!

Other winners of the day in the Double round included Dave Beardsley of GNAS in Gents Recurve and Jackie Bowser of Cheltenham Archers for the Ladies Recurve and Eric Thomas took Gold in the Gents Compound.

Droitwich Archery Society Double Worcester Results - 09/12/2007

Whilst other team members were off defending the home grounds at Droitwich, Mike Lewis and Josie Lunt had decided to spread there wings a little further afield and take trip down to the City of Newport Archers for their annual FITA 18.

Now the third year for Josie, this was Mike’s first time and many stared as these two outsiders took to the shooting line. As a World Record Status event, they had expected a fairly well organised afternoon’s shoot. However as for many archers this was their first ever tournament, there was some confusion as the traffic lights turned to green!

After a few ends of light hearted banter everyone had settled down into the 5 dozen round. Josie had secured top spot on the leader board in the Ladies Recurve and despite an early miss Mike was still in a safe second place.

The ends past on and Josie continued to extend her lead, making it near impossible for anyone to catch her. Mike on the other hand had been battling away and had managed to gain first place, by the smallest of margins.

With such a close finish in the Gents Recurve, no one knew who the winner was. Final results confirmed that Josie had won the Ladies Recurve, and Mike Lewis had also won the Gents Recurve, what a team! A surprise trophy was awarded to Josie for “Having the most fun” at the shoot. And so the battling duo returned home from rainy Wales with three new trophies to add to the ever growing collection.

Our thanks goes to City of Newport Archers for a very enjoyable afternoons shoot, we hope to see you all again soon!

Newport Archers Open FITA 18 Results - 09/12/2007

This was the two-year anniversary for the Saints & Sinners team with Mike Lewis and Nick Holder in their third attempt at victory and second for Sarah Neale. An advantage gained also in that Josie Lunt the Ladies Recurve winner of the previous year, was now a part of the team and a great asset.

Shooting in the afternoon session Mike already knew he was up against a formidable task to beat Dave Beardsley's score from the morning and Sarah having never secured a score above 600 points had a personal battle going on. Josie would have to shoot to last years standard to retain the trophy and Nick was up against some of the hottest compound archers in the country with Jonathan Mynott and Andy Rikunenko of Redditch already shooting some pretty impressive scores.

Most got off to a strong start with Mike putting in more 10’s than he can ever remember and Sarah although having a few shaky ends was also scoring some good dozens. Josie was shooting consistently but not up to her usual accuracy but was top of the leader board with Mike, both keeping a safe distance from all the afternoon competitors.

Towards the end of the afternoon Mike’s constancy seemed to falter only slightly but enough to keep him from reaching Dave’s trophy taking lead.

Nick Holder was also on the leader board through out and was happy to achieve a PB, Sarah Neale finished with a healthy result, finally cracking the 600 barrier and also gaining a new PB.

Mike having done enough to beat last years winner, had to settle for second place for the second year running, just beating Brian Tustin of RLSAS on Golds, nevertheless taking away a new PB and club record. Josie too took second, some points down on her previous years score, but still an excellent achievement for the latest team member.

The S&S team also came second place in the Recurve Team Trophy event just loosing out by a mere 3 points, beaten by last years winners RLSAS.

Next stop on the Garrington Cup tour is the Droitwich Open Worcester round on the 9th December, it's held in Worcester so if you want to come along and shoot for your club just let us know!

Redditch Open Stafford - 25/11/2007

Club members gathered at the Kidderminster Library to listen to the Chairman's Report as Derek Moule reflected on the passing year. Not forgetting the important task of electing a new Committee deemed worthy to take us into the next year.

The years weather was commented on as its overall wetness did dampen the spirits of many club members but pleasingly the numbers supporting our shoots remained mostly consistent throughout the year.

Yet again the hard work of the clubs more competitive archers was highlighted for their part in the open competitions across the country and their skills used at county level.

Praise was given to those many archers on the shooting line who contributed to the summers postal leagues, our first attempt in recent years saw us top Division two in the West Midlands League and also achieve a very solid third place in the CWAA Summer League.

A very active summer took the team to all the Worcestershire county clubs who are involved in the Worcestershire Summer Cup League and although the results are at present unannounced the team are sure of a successful ranking as the scoop of trophies over the summer was tremendous. Also for the first year a few went further a field attending World Record Status shoots and achieving their UK rankings for the first time.

Thanks to all who helped out and attended the fun shoots including the Christmas 2006 and Halloween Shoot, these were enjoyed by all and are a must for next years calendar.

The Have-A-Go and Beginners Course were a bit of a let down in terms of last years numbers but we welcomed six new archers into the club and hope to see a lot more of them.

Election of the committee members was next on the agenda with the re-election of the trusted team from last year and a few new faces into the mix. With Derek Moule stepping down as Coaching Officer, the club chose Chris McNeill to take on this important role. Penny Neaverson who still retains the CPO also took on the extra duty of Field Captain. Newly elected committee members also include Warwick Neale and recent addition to the club novice Jennie Orgill. Welcome one and all.

With Derek stepping down from his active role an over-whelming vote of thanks and request to make him an honorary member was also passed.

What a busy and successful year we have had, one can only wonder what 2008 will bring us!

A very full and highly competitive target list for the first leg of the Garrington cup illustrated how hard our archers would have to work to gain any medals on the day. With the names of Naomi Folkard, Linda Haines, Jonathan & Nicholas Manning and Colin Geenes present the pressure was on. Our archers were split over the day with Sarah Neale, Warwick Neale and Nick Holder shooting in the morning session and Mike Lewis and Josie Lunt presenting for the afternoon.

The morning session got off to a shaky start for our first three archers but the leader board showed Nick and Sarah both holding second positions. After a hugely improved third dozen Sarah pulled away into a comfortable second place with Linda Haines of Evesham holding a very strong first place. Nick not shooting quite to his ability was easily holding his second place.

Warwick although struggling to start with began to settle into the competition and was producing some very pleasing arrows, eventually managing to produce a new PB for the round.

The afternoon session saw Josie and Mike step up to the line and whilst they both had a slow start Mike appeared on the leader board in second place where he managed to hold throughout the shoot and Josie started in third and managed to pull into second after a better second dozen.

Awaiting the final results all wondered if the success on the Stourbridge Worcester would be carried on. Results showed that Mike and Josie both took third place medals in the Recurve, Nick took the classification award in the Gents Compound and Sarah took the classification award in the Ladies Recurve.

Saints & Sinners major achievement of the day was to win the Recurve team trophy with Josie, Mike and Sarah’s scores beating all other clubs on the day.

Well done to all! That’s a few points towards the Garrington cup, now come and help us at Redditch!

Evesham Open FITA 18 Results - 11/11/2007

Just three archers from team S&S were present at the Stourbridge Open Worcester, Nick Holder, Josie Lunt and Mike Lewis. Both Nick and Mike were returning having shot the previous year, but for Josie this was her first time and her first competition Worcester.

All there archers got off to a reasonable start, but the odd stray arrow started to cost valuable points. During the face change (top to bottom and vice versa) Mike lost several points, but soon settled back into the round. Josie on the other hand excelled in the second half, with numerous perfect ends. Whilst Nick was up against some steep competition, he non the less kept focused and continued on with a solid performance.

Even though the final scores weren’t at the levels which our archers had been achieving in practice, they were however still enough for Josie and Mike to secure first places in both Ladies and Gents Recurve respectively.

Stourbridge Open Worcester Results - 04/11/2007

The Droitwich combined FITA was a chance for members of Saints & Sinners Bowmen to forget any disappointments from Evesham’s Open Stafford the week before and once again prove that the team were a force to be reckoned with.

Archers Nick Holder, Mike Lewis, Josie Lunt and Sarah Neale were in attendance for the start of the 25m FITA, to be followed by an 18m FITA. A first time for all four archers, as non had shot a Combined FITA round before, each had mixed expectations for the day.

Whilst Josie and Nick got off to a reasonable start, both Mike and Sarah struggled to settle in at the distance. Results at the end of the distance left Nick in 9th place, Mike in 5th, Josie in 3rd a mere 4 points off joint 2nd and Sarah in 6th.

After lunch we all moved down closer towards the targets, now shooting at 18m. With the shaky start in the morning session all were keen to up their performances and try to gain a few extra places in the rankings.

Sadly this was not to be, whilst Nick started to struggle with target panic on the amber traffic light, Mike was unable to find any consistency in his shooting producing some rather erratic shots. Although Josie had shot well in the morning session, she too struggled in the final 5 dozen, as did Sarah who despite her best efforts was not reaching the levels she was used to.

The comeback that the members had hoped for was not to be at Droitwich, never the less only two shoots into the season, there were still many more to get things together. Next stop, Stourbridge Archers Open Worcester.

Droitwich Archery Society Combined FITA Results - 28/10/2007

As the darkness fell, ten brave archers took to arms on the Saints and Sinners grounds, which was to become the front line for the battle between Good and Evil.

Whilst our skilled bowmen shot at the various Good and Evil deities and then bobbed for apples, many wondered what the resulting outcome would be. The battle ended without any casualties apart from a few attempts at drowning the opposition (now play nicely boys!) and the Guy Fawkes who got shot in about every region of his body and I mean every region!

With bows lowered and arrows put to bay, results found Good had successfully conquered over Evil and while The Saints team rejoiced in their triumph, all were treated to a post war supper of soup, baked potatoes and steaming hot drinks.

The evening was a great success with being prizes awarded to the winning team of Chris, Tim, Warwick, Liz and Rob (yes the team with the longbow archer won!) and to Mike for hitting the Guy in the head, great shot.

Thanks goes to Jennie, Chris and Penny for helping to prepare and serve the food, to Andy for keeping the fire and BBQ under control and to Nick and Mike for sorting out all the lighting and electrics before the event. Special mention also goes to Warwick, Liz, Tim and Alison who helped setup before the shoot.

Finally a huge thank you goes to our event organiser Sarah Neale, for providing us all with a most enjoyable evenings entertainment. Pictures from the night are now on show in the Gallery. For those who couldn’t make the evening, we hope to see you all next year.

Happy Halloween!

Kicking-off the start of the indoor season, members from Saints & Sinners Bowmen were in attendance at the Evesham Open Stafford. After achieving three medal winning positions from the previous year, goals for 2007 were to equal if not better this.

With last years Women’s Recurve winner Josie Lunt now shooting for Team S&S, and both Sarah & Warwick a year wiser from a season of open tournaments, hopes were high that it was going to be a successful day. Other team members included Mike Lewis, Men’s Recurve second place in 2006 and Nick Holder who this year had returned with his Compound bow.

Shooting in the afternoon session, results from the mornings shoot were unknown but vague rumours were passing around the hall that some impressive scores had been achieved, even more reason for our members to put on a top performance.

After the first dozen arrows, the names of Josie Lunt, Mike Lewis and Nick Holder all appeared on the leaders board, however this was the only time this sight would been seen. Although Josie managed to hold onto her second spot, amongst a field of some top archers, Mike, Nick and the other members slowly slipped down the positions.

Even though Mike’s final score was 10 points clear of the winning score from the previous year, it was only enough to secure him 5th place. Josie finished 2nd with a respectable score of 653 loosing out to Linda Haines of Evesham Archery Club.

Not the great start to the season which the team had hoped for, however it was the first shoot and there are many months of archery to go to regain some of the success seen last winter.

Evesham Open Stafford Results - 21/10/2007

A 23 strong team from Worcestershire was is attendance at Lilleshall for the final county match of the year. Covering all disciplines from Gents Recurve to Ladies Longbow, Worcestershire goals were to equal if not better the results from the previous year. As the start whistle sounded, archers from Shropshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Herefordshire took to the line in an effort to do their counties proud.

Saints & Sinners had sent four of their dedicated archers to the match, Mike Lewis and Sarah Neale now being seasoned county archers, and for Andy McDonnell and Liz McDonnell, it was their first time representing the county, and adding to that it was their first Open FITA Tournament.

It was a damp and cold start, remaining overcast for most of the day. But as conditions go, the winds were only a slight breeze so good scores could be achieved providing our archers were not too weary after the summer’s toils.

All from Saints & Sinners got off to a good start with Sarah producing some satisfying arrows at the first distance. Liz was remaining settled in her first FITA match, and Andy who although wasn’t pleased with his first distance came back at 70m to pick up some much needed points. Mike was not failing to keep his game within his newly achieved Master Bowman levels.

At the halfway stage, these results along with those of other fellow archers from the county placed Worcestershire first in the Longbow and Compound disciplines, and in second place to Warwickshire in the Recurve section.

Three hours more of shooting produced the final results, both Worcestershire Compound and Longbow disciplines had held their own remaining in first place and taking the title for another year, however the counties Recurve archers had slipped down into third place loosing out on second to Shropshire by a mere 8 points!

County wise special mention goes to the efforts of Linda Haines, Sheila Harris, Karen Wells-Richardson, Andy Rikunenko and John Abbott for not only providing vital pointed needed for the county scores, but also finishing in medal winning positions in their individual disciplines. Lets hope with some new faces emerging on the scene, that Worcestershire can have even more success for 2008.

All from S&S were pleased with their individual performances with Mike achieving his 8th MB score of the year, Sarah achieving a new tournament PB making her first 1100 at county level and Liz easily achieving her 1st Class score on her first attempt at 12 dozen arrow match.

WMAS Regional Inter County Match Results - 14/10/2007

Team Saints & Sinners had finally reached the last leg of their long and challenging summer season on the open tournament circuit. Meriden Archery Club were hosts for the annual Windsor round, now a regular attraction for our members. Unlike the previous years inclement conditions, weather forecast proved accurate with dry, calm conditions. So without the slightest detectable breeze our members setup and readied themselves for a fun, laid back afternoons shooting.

Members present included Mike Lewis, Sarah Neale, Tim Hastie, Warwick Neale, newest member Josie Lunt and novice archer Jennie Orgill. Having returned the Radburn-Pritchard Punchbowl team trophy from the previous years success, the battle was on again to at the very least retain the title.

Most got off to average starts but Mike and Josie had both done enough to see themselves placed in second on the leader board but both had work to do to retain those positions. Sarah, Tim and Warwick eventually settled into a steady performance with Sarah missing out on her first ever tournament six gold end by a mere centimetre. Tim and Warwick’s scores were close matched most of the day, as such developing their own personal battle for whose score would be used in the team event!

Jennie shooting in her first ever open competition was slow to settle down but began making up the points up after the first distance. Unfortunately Josie slipped down into third place after the second distance but was still maintaining a good performance. Mike, who was out shooting a new bow for the first time, had struggled at the first distance but after some fine tuning adjustments managed to finally start clawing back the points. However now with only the 40 yards distance remaining he faced a near impossible task of getting any closer to first place.

Results left Josie collecting third place in the Ladies Recurve, Mike with second place in the Gents Recurve and Sarah, Mike, Josie and Tim (eventually beating Warwick by five points) winning the team event to bring back the Radburn-Pritchard Punchbowl for another year. Adding to the success of the day, both Josie Lunt and Tim Hastie left with new Club Records. Thanks to Kevin Hastie for capturing events of the day, now on show in the Gallery.

Well done to all who contributed to the most successful year for our club on the open circuit in many years, see you indoors!

Meriden Open Windsor Results - 07/10/2007

It was Saints and Sinners first attempt for many years at the WMAS Summer Postal League, and what a success! From four months of arduous organising trying to get the members to shoot rounds in the wind and rain, the final results were in and proof it was not all for nothing.

After holding the third place for a while, the last two months saw us shoot up the places in division two to finally secure top spot by over 600 points. This victory will see us being promoted to division one next summer, so if you thought you were nagged this year, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

A huge thank you goes to all those members who put in the time and effort to produce the scores for the league, well done to everyone!

WMAS Summer Postal League Results - 2007

Along with the WMAS Postal League, scores submitted by Saints & Sinners Bowmen were also used in the CWAA Summer Postal League, another first for the club in a long time.

Having again held third place for the first two months just in front of Redditch Company of Archers, August saw us take second place off the Malvern Archers by the smallest of margins. Unfortunately this league promotion was short lived with us slipping back down into third with the fourth and final results in. Redhill Archers won the overall league with Malvern Archers coming in second.

Third place within the county on our first attempt is a great success and one that we can build on, thanks again to all who supported our efforts and submitted scores. We look forward to hounding you all next summer again.

CWAA Summer Postal League Results - 2007

The Telford Archers Double FITA Star was a last attempt for our archers to make any improvements on their ranking scores for the year. For Sarah and Warwick it was the first time they had ever competed in a double day tournament, a goal in itself to complete the 24 or so dozen arrows.

Mike Lewis and Josie Lunt were there with their own personal goals, mainly trying to once again reach the potential they had shown at the start of the season. With a total of 57 targets set up this was a big event with many high profile names on the target list. The weather was uncertain, with Saturday looking to be the better of the two days.

At the end of the first day all our members were pleased with their performances, Sarah managed to improve her tournament PB by 4 points and Warwick was only just behind his. Mike was very pleased with finally producing his 3rd MB score at a record status shoot and is now a bona fide Master Bowman (the first one in the club for some twenty years). Josie had also managed to achieve her previous levels of performance by gaining a high 1100 score, sadly just missing MB by a mere nine points.

Tired but very pleased all our archers retired for the night ready to tackle the elements of the next morning. All four returned the next day with some aching more than others. Unfortunately a rather gusty start ruined any chance of bettering the scores of the previous days shooting.

Josie and Mike having already achieved there goal for the weekend decided to pack up after completing the second distance but Sarah and Warwick who were achieving scores not too far from the previous day continued on. Some rain fell in the afternoon and whilst the winds continued to gust nothing seemed to affect the overall performances too severely as Sarah finished just 27 points shy of her previous days score and Warwick was just 1 point off, both sore, tired but elated that they had finished their first marathon shoot.

Well done to all who shot, each achieving their goals for the weekend.

Telford Archers Double FITA Star Results - 22-23/09/2007

As the Worcestershire archers made their way towards the Bowman of Glen grounds outside Leicester, a large red sun rose into the sky (yes it was that early) and many were keen to find out if Leicestershire and Rutland County would retain their narrow victory from the previous year.

The morning was fresh and overcast with a slight breeze and many felt that if the promised rain from the north managed to stay away the conditions may just be right for some good scores.

The Saints & Sinners representing their county on this day were Mike Lewis in Gents Recurve, Penny Neaverson for Ladies Compound and Sarah Neale for Ladies Recurve.

The longer distances proved tricky for most as the calm breeze on the shooting line belayed the stronger winds buffeting the arrows at the targets so distance totals were to be a little under par.

At the end of the first distance Dave Bearsdley of Severn Archers, Linda Haines of Evesham were holding strong positions with Mike Lewis and Sue Davis of Redditch both putting in steady performances. The results were evidence of this showing Worcestershire already had a healthy lead.

After lunch the wind picked up from a troublesome breeze to become gusty and unpredictable gale. On the plus side it stayed dry and the warming sun took the edge off the cool wind but conditions were not ripe for any outstanding performances.

Penny, having only recently switched from Recurve to Compound was shooting well reaching over 1000 in her first FITA in this discipline. Sarah who struggled during the morning session unfortunately had an error with her sight mark at 50M costing her more valuable points, but she was still satisfied with her overall performance. Mike Lewis who had started in fifth in the afternoon but managed to finish third overall to Dave Beardsley’s second.

Jon Mynott and Andy Rikunenko of Redditch topped the leader boards for the Gents Compound and Shelia Harris of Redhill also finished first in the Ladies Compound. The junior division also came out on top beating the opposition junior section by over 200 points.

Thank you to all the working party and catering staff who provided a great day for us and some great nosh at the end of the day. And well done to the junior section who were affected by the line marking error that lead to there scores being unacceptable for any awards, they are a credit to the sport and embody our motto of Union, Trueheart and Courtesie.

With last years defeat put well and truly behind them the county team can now look forward to the five counties regional match in October. Well done to all that shot and best of luck for the next shoot.

Leicestershire Vs Worcestershire Results - 16/09/2007

With the start of the indoor season almost upon us, it was time to bring out an old favourite of the longer distance archers, the New and Long Western shoot. Whilst some archers were shocked to find that there was in fact a 100 yard line marked out on the field, others relished in the distance enjoying every arrow.

As a handicap round, the excitement of the shoot is always saved till the end when the allowances are calculated. Again a mixture of smiles and frowns were produced as allowances ranging from 700 to 1150 were given to the various archers. Winners of the rounds were Henry Evans in the Gents section, Penny Neaverson in the Ladies, and Joseph Evans in the Junior discipline.

Now onto the real business of the day where novices from the beginners course having less than 2 months experience would battle if out for the prestigious the Cobweb Cup.

Shooting a Western round archers Jennie Orgill, Pete Chambers and Russell Chambers were ready give it their all to get their hands on the gold medal and prized cup. After 8 dozen arrows the top two spots couldn't have been closer, with Russell just beating Jennie into first place by 5 points.

Well done to everyone who shot. Full (verified) Results and some Photo's from the day are available in the usual places.

At 9:00am while most of the Saints and Sinners members were crawling out of bed getting ready for the Club New Western / Long Western and Cobweb shoot, one junior member emerged from beneath his cover of 2 months training to launch his come back to out of club tournaments.

Tim Hastie started shooting the Cadet FITA 60m for the Worcestershire Junior county team, with winds blowing in all different directions. Nevertheless showing off how much the 2 months training has benefited his shooting, he won an important battle to come first in the cadet FITA 60m, with a score of 557 meaning he got top ranking for the head to head shoot that followed.

The head to head was re started after a mistake was made on who shot against who, Tim shot his way through winning “GOLD” beating the other 8 junior boys. The awards didn’t end there, with great shooting from the other Worcestershire Junior team, Tim’s score along with three others totalled over 2200 points winning team tournament beating Shropshire and Staffordshire.

WMAS Inter County Junior Tournament Results - 09/09/2007

Just three intrepid archers from Saints & Sinners were in attendance at the Meriden FITA 70 with Head to Head. Looking to repeat some of the success had at the Evesham shoot early in the year, archers Mike Lewis, Sarah Neale and Penny Neaverson were ready to battle it out against some of the countries top archers.

The morning’s shoot consisted on a FITA 70 round, the results of which would then be used to seed the archers for the afternoons Olympic Head to Head round. Whilst Sarah and Mike struggled early on at the distance, Penny shot well with her compound bow gaining a new PB and Club Record.

With top competition at the venue including Naomi Folkard, Philippa Lowe, Mike Peart and Andy Callaway, our members were under no illusions that they would be finishing with medal winning positions, instead their goal was to stay in running for as long as possible.

Seeding from the FITA 70 left both Sarah and Penny with tough first passes and even with their best efforts they were knocked out in the first round. Mike on the other hand who finished 14th in the rankings had a reasonable start making it through on his first pass.

Through some remarkable shooting and good fortune Mike then proceeded to make it through his next two passes even knocking out Andy Callaway. Now in the final four, Mike was in a medal contending position. Alas after a bad start he was knocked out the semi final leaving his final match to battle for the Bronze medal against Tom Barber. After 12 arrows both archers were tied at 108, where Tom finally beat Mike on a single arrow shoot off, scoring 10 against Mike’s 8.

Well done to all who attended and thanks to Meriden Archery club for hosting the event.

Meriden FITA 720 & Head To Head Results - 02/09/2007

7.30am on a Sunday morning, a time considered by many for lying in bed and enjoying a relaxing weekend. Not so for the members of Saints & Sinners Bowmen, as the 7.30(ish) start whistle sounded, archers took to the shooting line for the start of the National round. Conditions were dry and bright with a light wind blowing across the field.

At the distance change, members filed into the club house to be greeted by a magnificent cooked breakfast, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, waffles, beans and more were on offer to the hungry archers. As plates were cleared from the mountains of delicious food, the now fed archers began to waddle back out to the shooting line with their bellies filled.

Everyone was a winner in there own right for having to get up to the field for a 7.30am start. Full Results from the day can be seen in the usual place. Thanks to Kevin Hastie for providing our ever entertaining actions shots in the Gallery. And a HUGE HUGE thank you to both Kevin and Alison Hastie for providing a very much appreciated breakfast which made the morning a total success.

The last leg of the Worcester Summer Cup League was finally here and those archers still up for the challenge of getting cold and damp were Penny Neaverson, Bill Bell, Nick Holder, Andy McDonnell, Warwick Neale, Derek Moule, Liz McDonnell and Sarah Neale.

With four Compound archers and four Recurve archers apiece it was looking like they would present some healthy competition. However with Mike Lewis attending a Premier tournament event in Exmouth, the teams Gents Recurve would have to work extra hard to secure top winning medal positions for the club. The day was overcast with threatening rain, unfortunately a common sight this summer but the team was undeterred.

A great start saw Sarah at the top spot on the leader board with Warwick in second place, a sure sign that he is becoming a challenger. Bill was holding second place against the formidable talents of Eric Thomas in the compound division and Penny was on the leader board shooting her first Windsor round as a Lady compound.

At the end of the first distance Sarah was managing to hold her first place but Warwick had dropped down a place to third. Bill was still hanging on to his second and Penny was still battling for the first place against Sally Dix of Wolverhampton.

After a short lunch break the rain started and a blustery wind began to trouble the archers on the shooting line. Some erratic shooting from Bill unfortunately cost him the second place position and Warwick eventually lost his medal position by the end of the fifth dozen. Andy after a shaky start managed to climb onto the leader board overtaking Warwick.

Sarah was maintaining a steady performance and managed to keep a small but safe distance from Rachel Beardlsey, an under 13 Junior Lady Recurve shooting in her first open senior Ladies competition and doing exceedingly well! Derek and Nick improved as the competition progressed both putting in solid performances and achieving scores in the 900’s.

A generous scoop of trophies and medals were awarded including Ladies Recurve winner to Sarah Neale, second place to Andy McDonnell in the Gents Recurve, third place to Bill Bell in Gents Compound. The Recurve team trophy was won by Sarah, Warwick and Andy and the Compound team trophy won by Penny, Bill and Nick.

Now we just await the results of the Worcester Summer cup league, many thanks to all who turned up and shot for the club, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Redditch Open Windsor Results - 19/08/2007

The presiding Judge was heard to say ‘Today’s the day, Saints & Sinners are out in force’.

Stourbridge Company of Archers hosted their annual Albion, and the penultimate leg of the Worcestershire Summer Cup League. At their home ground in Halesowen an incredible display of commitment was evident as eight archers from Saints & Sinners Bowmen set up ready for battle.

Weather predictions for the day were somewhat unsettled so tents and waterproofs were at the ready but the temperature was high and unfortunately so was the troublesome wind of the previous weeks.

Team members in attendance were Nick Holder, Penny Neaverson, Bill Bell, Warwick Neale, Sarah Neale, Mike Lewis, Liz McDonnell and Andy McDonnell. With the main disciplines of Recurve and Compound covered, the trophies were there for the taking if our archers proved worthy.

The 80 yards distance proved tricky for many as high winds battered the arrows in flight but by the end of it almost all of our archers held a dominant position on the leader board. In the Recurve sections Mike and Andy held first and second and Sarah and Liz were holding second and third. In the compound section Penny was in first with Bill and Nick holding first and second places respectively. Warwick Neale also started strong looking to produce a possible personal best.

Unfortunate errors at the 60 yard distance caused Liz to loose her third place position and Andy dropped to third with Warwick also finding this distance difficult to gauge but Sarah benefited from a good start as she began to make up the 15 point deficit and gained some much needed points on Sue Davis of Redditch Company of Archers.

At the end of the distance Sarah was only one point behind the leader whilst everyone else had secured strong positions on the scoreboard. As Mike and Bill pulled ahead they strengthened their leads making it unlikely they would not be collecting some form of the medal later, Nick had also built up a safe distance from third place. Penny continued with her solid performance making her presence felt in the Ladies Compound division.

Some near perfect scores where produced by Mike, Bill and Nick at the 50 yard distance whereas Sue and Sarah produced some inconsistent shooting but the 11 point lead gained by Sarah was just enough to keep hold of first place. Liz redeemed herself by finishing on a 100 dozen making up quite a few points but ended up missing out on third place by a mere three points.

Winners of the day were aplenty with Mike Lewis taking the Gents Recurve trophy and Andy McDonnell taking the third place medal, Sarah Neale held the Ladies Recurve, Bill Bell took first in Gents Compound with Nick taking the second place medal and Warwick Neale taking the first classification award.

How right was the Judge with four trophies and seven medals gained, today was definitely our day! Well done to the Team S&S.

SCOA Open Albion Results - 12/08/2007

Now we archers are never one for complaining about the weather, apart from when it’s raining, snowing, windy, foggy, or cold, oh and very very hot! Sun, sun and more sun seemed to be the theme of weather on the day for the CWAA Championships. Hosted by Wyre Forest Company of Archers in the scenic setting of their Arley grounds, archers of Mike Lewis, Penny Neaverson, Sarah Neale and Warwick Neale were in attendance from Saints & Sinners Bowmen.

A rather blustery wind during the morning’s session put pay to any chance of earth shattering scores, none the less Mike Lewis got off to a good start holding first place up until the end of the last dozen at 100 yards, where Dave Beardsley with a very satisfying last dozen the distance pipped Mike taking the lead by 17 points.

Liz McDonnell representing her first club WFCA, got off to an astounding start taking the lead with Sue Davis in second and Sarah Neale in third. After two dozen arrows Sarah had managed to battle her way into first place, but this lead was short lived when Sue from Redditch Company of Archers shot an impressive 98 dozen take the lead by some 21 points at the end of the distance. Both Mike and Sarah now had some work to do if they were to have any chance of taking home the trophies.

Penny recently switching to the dark side of compound was shooting in her first open competition and fairing well under the circumstances producing some satisfying scores. Warwick who was shooting his first ever York was also coping well with the conditions.

At the end of second distance Mike had once again taken the lead making up the 17 points and putting himself in front by just one point. Sarah had a rather less successful time only gained 2 points on Sue realising that her grips on first place were starting to slip away.

Winners of the day included Mike Lewis who achieved first place and is now the proud owner of the Worcestershire County Championships Gents Recurve Trophy. Sarah Neale finally had to settle for second place in the CWAA Championships, and as such taking a well earned first place in the Open shoot. Penny Neaverson won second place in the Ladies Compound division in the CWAA match and Liz McDonnell won third place in the CWAA Ladies Recurve.

Mike and Sarah also went on to win the ‘Jack and Jill’ trophy for best combined score for a nominated pair. Yet another great scoop of awards for the Saints and Sinners Bowmen, well done to all and good luck for the Stourbridge Albion. Photo's of the team and their winnings are on show in the Gallery.

CWAA Open Championships Results - 05/08/2007

The stroke of two o’clock heralded the start of the Short Metric round for the archers of Saints and Sinners Bowmen. Deifying all predictions of a downpour, the sun managed to make an welcomed appearance, a sight not seen for a while now. Sadly at the same time an archer’s worst enemy also came along to join in the fun, strong gusting winds.

Eighteen archers in all took to the shooting line ready to produce six dozen of their best. The line was well attended in all disciplines with a growing Ladies and Junior section, offering some healthy competition for all.

The 50m distance was a challenge for many with the cross wind proving tricky but at the distance change the wind direction changed allowing some points to be made up.

Overall the stars of the day were Mike Lewis who won the Gents Recurve, Sarah Neale in the Ladies Recurve, Penny Neaverson in the Ladies Compound, Nick Holder in the Gents Compound and Tim Hastie in the Junior Recurve division.

Congratulations to Penny Neaverson and Tim Hastie for gaining new Club Records.

As ever a big thanks to all the archers who made the afternoon the success it was, our honorary Lady Paramount Theresa Moule, and not forgetting Kevin Hastie, official club photographer! Photo's from the afternoon and official Results are now available.

Redditch, grey, damp, muddy, torrential rain, this was a shoot not for the faint hearted. Those crazy enough to step up to the line from Saints & Sinners Bowmen were Penny Neaverson, Sarah Neale, Mike Lewis and Nick Holder.

With the first dozen over, the leader board revealed that Mike was off to a surprisingly good start with Sarah having a comparably slower start trailing in second place to Josie Lunt, a recent addition to our club but representing her first club Stratford Archers. Penny was holding third place in the Ladies Recurve with Nick in the making his mark in the Gents Compound discipline.

At the end of the first distance change the rain was still coming down albeit a little lighter than before and Mike was still in a strong position in first. Sarah had managed to claw back 10 points from Josie who was still holding onto the lead, but a difficult task lay ahead if she was to catch her. Nick was also holding his third place position and shooting steadily.

The rain eventually stopped towards the second distance which showed in the dozen scores that were being produced from most of our archers. Josie and Sarah battled on even putting in 6 gold ends at 50 yards and as Sarah slowly inched towards Josie’s total, time and arrows were running out.

Once the presentation started the medals for our members just kept coming, Mike Lewis had a tremendous day not only gaining his first Master Bowman score in an open competition but also winning the Redditch Open and taking home the title of West Midlands Regional Champion with two very impressive trophies.

After a closely fought battle Sarah Neale finally had to concede first place to Josie, loosing by a mere 4 points, in the end settling for silver in both the Redditch Open and West Midlands champs. Whilst Penny collected third place for the Ladies Recurve, Nick Holder was very satisfied with third place in the Gents Compound. To top the day off the collective scores of Mike, Sarah and Nick also took the team trophy and exciting title of West Midlands Club Team Champions.

What a day, our Team Members finally brought home 11 medals and three trophies between them. Maybe this is the rebirth of a gone but not forgotten golden era when Dave Dalton, Dulcie Salter and Margaret Heath used to shoot, once again Saints & Sinners Bowmen have made there presence on the open tournament circuit!

WMAS Regional Championships Results - 15/07/2007

The welcomed mid-morning start hailed a successful day for many of the Saints & Sinners archers who attended to compete in the long and arduous FITA round. As President Derek Moule pegged out his tent with tidings of downpours, most followed suit leading to a very packed out ‘equipment’ line.

A good turnout was achieved for the 12 dozen round with the Ladies Compound discipline being represented for the first time by Penny Neaverson. Conditions appeared perfect for the members, each with their own personal goals of achievement for the day.

With another six members turning out for the afternoons Short Metric round, the shooting line looked very busy and the sun just kept on shining; that was until the final few ends when a huge black cloud and rumblings on the horizon heralded an anticipated downpour. This lead to a very fast finish, pack up and awards ceremony in the clubhouse.

A fantastic day was had by all especially Mike Lewis who not only gained a new club record but also his first ever Master Bowman score (although unofficial), a sight that has not been seen in the club for many a year. Sarah Neale, Penny Neaverson, Nick Holder and Tim Hastie were also all to gain new club records from the days shooting.

Trophy winners of the day for the FITA round were Mike Lewis for Gents Recurve, Sarah Neale for Ladies Recurve and Nick Holder for the Gents Compound, Penny Neaverson for Ladies Compound and Tim Hastie for Junior Recurve. Winners of the Short Metric round were Roger Ireson for Gents Recurve, Lesley Booth for Ladies Recurve and Owain Rice for Junior Recurve.

Let’s pray the weather is as kind to us all on the 29th July, see you all then. Official Results and Photos from the day can be found in the usual places.

Seventeen people took up this year’s course all seeking to find out if archery was for them. Some were more keen than others with at least twelve of them turning up on the wettest and windiest Monday night seen in quite some time. Overall the weather was kind to us with only the one evening being postponed.

A fantastic turnout from our club members was also achieved, thanks to all who gave up their time to support this activity. The beginners were given advice and training on safety, exercising, scoring, boss moving as well as a comprehensive talk on equipment from Phil Ravenscroft of Chiltern Archery. On the final evening a fun shoot was held with the ever-popular balloon popping, introducing them to the wonderful world of competitive archery.

The club increased their membership by six very keen soon-to-be archers, photos are available in the Gallery, I am sure you will all make them feel welcome should your paths cross on the shooting line.

Good luck to all the new members and happy shooting.

Hoping to follow on from the outstanding success at the Wyre Forest Open Western, the usual suspects turned up for another go at gaining valuable points towards the Worcester Summer Cup.

Droitwich Archery Society were the hosts for this leg of the cup and were pleased to be able to show off their new grounds and facilities (with hot pork rolls and a bar). Present were Mike Lewis, Penny Neaverson, Warwick Neale, Sarah Neale, Derek Moule and Tim Hastie.

With heavy rain and high winds forecast for all day, the team expected some tough conditions and were suited up ready. But the gentle rain that greeted them on their arrival eventually lifted to give a slightly overcast but dry and calm afternoon.

Some of the team struggled to meet their normal performances with Derek giving himself extra pressure by shooting a brand new bow with no sight marks! But it was evident from the outset that Mike and Sarah were to dominate the leader board.

Warwick started off with a good performance even giving some concern to the third place contender when he achieved a six gold end at 60 yards. But a few stray arrows lead him to missing out on the 1st class award by a close 8 points.

Results revealed that Sarah again took first place in the Ladies Recurve and gained a new P.B. and Mike won first place in the Gents Recurve section.

The team trophy went to Malvern Archers which was made up almost entirely of Juniors but Saints and Sinners managed a very pleasing second place. Another successful day for the club, thanks to all who that took part and to Droitwich Archery Society for a very enjoyable day.

D.A.S. Open Albion Results - 24/06/2007

One of the longest standing club shoots, the club championships is a chance for members to battle for the highly revered title of club champion. Archers from both Recurve and Compound disciplines were present, with the Longbow champs being held a week earlier.

Conditions like the previous years shoot could not have been better, with clean blue sky's, warming sunshine and the lightest of breezes. With this is mind, high scores were expected and the archers would not disappoint.

Winners of the day were Sarah Neale for Ladies Recurve, Nick Holder in Gents Compound who also gained a new club record. Mike Lewis won the Gents Recurve and Owain Rice winning in the Junior Gents Recurve discipline.

Full verified Results are now available along with a few Pictures from the afternoons shoot.

The 2006 Wyre Forest Open Western was to bring relative success to the members of Saints & Sinners Bowmen winning both the Ladies and Gents Recurve, and second place in the Short Junior Western. Now in 2007 could we hope for the same success from our members?

Team S&S was to welcome three new recruits on board for the Open Western, members Derek Moule, Henry Evans and Neville Link. Now eight members strong, team hopes were high for a least some member winning positions.

With spirits high and everyone enjoying the afternoon's shoot, Mike added some extra entertainment by somehow missing the boss completely nearing the end of 60 yards, adding a great deal of delight to the amusement onlookers.

Results from the Western Round were to bring continued success for the Team Saints & Sinners with no less than 10 medal wins. Mike Lewis won the Gents Recurve for a second year running, Sarah Neale was to win Ladies Recurve, Tim Hastie won Junior Gents Recurve, new comer Derek won second place in Gents Compound and Henry Evans won a well earned third place in his second Gents Longbow shoot of the day. Members Mike, Derek, Sarah and Warwick were also to go on and win the team award.

Our thanks goes to everyone at Wyre Forest Company of Archers for hosting yet another thoroughly enjoyable shoot, and to everyone who came along from Saints & Sinners Bowmen to show their support. Lets hope next year we can have the same continued success!

W.F.C.A. Open Western Results - 03/06/2007

After the downpours of recent weeks it was a pleasant change to have the sun shining at one of the club shoots. Longbow archers Steve Blount, Dan Brown, Bob Cole, Henry Evans and Rob Hodgetts were all present with their fine hand crafted bow to compete for the title of Longbow Champion and win prestigious the Rob Bone trophy.

It would seem that some members had pulled out all the stops for 2007 with new arrows and at least two dozen practice before the event. Opting to shoot a Windsor round (allowing the lesser archers to get some hits), the five archers set about to battle it out over 9 dozen arrows to become victor and crowned champion.

Three dozen arrows into the shoot a fight was developing for 1st place, and another for 3rd. Final results revealed that Bob Cole would be triumphant, winning the trophy for a second time with Henry Evans hot on his heals, a mere 15 points adrift off the lead. Full Results are now available with some Action Shots from the morning.

Scarcely dried out from the previous days shooting at the club American Shoot, three archers set out to compete in the Meriden Archery Club Open FITA Star. Install was another cold, wet and windy day but these conditions did not deter the most dedicated of the clubs archers.

Unfortunately the group lost the company of Penny Neaverson and so Tim Hastie, Sarah Neale and Mike Lewis turned up bright and early to see what they could produce.

With little hope of medal contending positions, goals of the day were on a more personal level. Conditions on the field improved somewhat throughout the day to allow most equipment to dry out, only to have the heavens open as the packing away started (a bit of a Meriden tradition it seems).

A good day was had by all, Mike achieved his 1100 FITA Star and Sarah achieved her 1000 FITA Star along with her third Bowman score of the year. Tim Hastie not only gained a new P.B. and Club Record but also brought home the second place trophy in the Junior Gents Recurve Metric I round.

Well done to all and lets hope the rain stops soon!

Meriden FITA Star Results - 28/05/2007

Running true to form, members of Saints & Sinners Bowmen were met with cold, wet and windy conditions for the spring American shoot. After the appalling conditions of the May Day Western, even the temptations of a BBQ was not enough to get a full shooting line for round.

Where most clubs would of abandoned the shoot if at all even started it, the nine unwavering archers battled it out for the whole 7½ dozen arrows in what at times seemed monsoon like conditions.

Congratulations to every who turned out for the shoot and the Winners of the day. Special thanks goes to Kevin and Alison Hastie for providing endless tasty burgers, sausages, bacon and hot drinks, Kevin again for braving the elements to get our actions shots for the Gallery and of cause Alison for doing an upstanding job as honorary Lady Paramount.

Second leg in the Worcester Summer Cup League, the Evesham FITA 70m and Head to Head was a first for all Saints & Sinners Team members. For those archers who have shot at the Badsey grounds, it is not known for its favourable weather conditions, however like the CWAA County trials conditions were near perfect with warming sunshine and still air.

Archers Sarah Neale, Penny Neaverson, Nick Holder, Mike Lewis and Tim Hastie were to form the now formidable team of Saints & Sinners Bowmen, though at one point the entrance of Mike and Sarah into the shoot was questionable due to a mix up with postage on the entry forms.

Seedings for the Olympic Head to Head Round would be determined by the results of the FITA 70m, so our archers had their work cut out to get a good ranking. After 3 dozen arrows of the 6 dozen round, Sarah was high in the Ladies Recurve ranking holding second place. Mike was also doing quite well being 8th Gents Recurve Disciple. Whilst Penny and Tim had experienced some earlier difficulties Nick was shooting above his usual performance with some very impressive ends.

Results from the head revealed that all our archers would qualify for the Head to Head, with Sarah slipping down to fourth place and Mike moving up two into sixth. Nerves were high as Mike, Nick and Tim all approached the line for the first 1/16 round, sadly both Nick and Tim were knocked out leaving only Mike to represent the Gents any further in the tournament.

Sarah and Penny entered the Olympic round on the 1/8 heat, where due to seeding Sarah did not have to compete getting through on a bye. Against a top archer, Penny's efforts were not enough to get her though to the quarter finals, leaving on Mike and Sarah to continue.

Mike who shot again in the 1/8 eliminator with a comfortable win now faced the quarter finals with Sarah along side. After the 12 arrow pass Sarah had been knocked out and Mike was left with a single shot tie break situation where his opponents secured a win with a 10 over Mike’s 8 points which was the end of the team members.

Everyone agreed that the day had been very enjoyable, our thanks goes to Evesham Archery Club for organising the shoot, all the catering team for those much appreciated sandwiches, the judges, and of course all the other archers who were able to come out on such a glorious day at Badsey.

Once again our very own paparazzi Kevin Hastie, has provided us with an array of Pictures capturing the days events.

Evesham FITA 70m & Olympic Head to Head Results - 20/05/2007

Unlike last year the weather report was right, rain, rain and a little more rain! As more and more members arrived the debate started “to shoot or not to shoot?” For some members the weather was all too much for them (check out the paparazzi pics of those in cars) and they left it to the die hards to complete the full Western round. It was not perfect shooting conditions as can been seen from the photographs, but everyone kept a smile on their faces and battled the wet conditions.

After a very close competition and handicaps calculated the results were as follows, Tim Hastie just won for the Juniors (gaining a new club record) with Owain Rice hot on his heals. Henry Evans won the Gents trophy shooting Recurve rather than the stick he normally uses, and Pauline Rice won the Ladies trophy.

For all the Results from the day and Action Shots from the shoot, visit the normal places.

The second competition running on the day was the West Midlands Archery Society Novices Championships being hosted by the RLSAS. Unfortunately conditions there were no better than on home ground and our courageous novices who attended had quite a demanding start to their first open competition experience.

Colin and Harley Brown were the names representing our club and the greatest of respect goes out to the both of them for not only turning up but also completing the full Western round. Well done to them both for sticking at it and remember it doesn’t always rain so don’t let it put you both off more open competitions!

WMAS Novices Championships Results - 13/05/2007

The third and final competition of the day with our club members valiantly battling the elements was the second of the Worcestershire County team matches. Mike (now free of injury), Penny and Sarah all turned up nice and early to the Redditch Company of Archers home ground on a rather soggy and drizzly morning.

The shoot started in earnest with both the Gents and Junior teams ahead of their Gloucestershire opponents, Ladies Compound were trailing slightly and the Ladies Recurve second place by some margin. Heavy rain started towards the end of the first distance and so to the relief of many the shoot was abandoned.

To round off the bank holiday weekend, the trio from S&S's decided to warm down from Lilleshall with the Open American hosted by Redhill Archers. Grateful that sighters were at 2pm allowing a much deserved lie-in from the 5am starts of the previous two days.

Along with Mike, Penny and Tim, members Andy and Liz McDonnell were onside to compete in the Monday afternoons shoot. On arriving at Wythall Park, home ground to Redhill Archers, members from Saints & Sinners were greeted by blackened skies threatening a downpour of rain at any time.

Not dissuaded by the imposing conditions, the five members that formed Team S&S took their places on the shooting line for the start of the 7½ dozen round. Mid shoot there was a slight cloudburst lasting only a few moments, nothing that would put the determined faces of our members off.

Surprising results from the shoot revealed that the club would leave with four Medals, Mike Lewis 3rd in Gents Recurve, Andy McDonnell 1st Classification, Liz McDonnell 2nd Classification and later confirmed Tim Hastie with Junior 1st Classification. Picture from the afternoons shoot are now on show in the Gallery thanks to our budding photographer Kevin Hastie.

Redhill Open American Results - 07/04/2007

Held at the prestigious Lilleshall National Sports Centre, the WMAS Double FITA Star hosted by Walsall Company of Archers was a chance for members from Saints & Sinners Bowmen to experience a national archery event on a grand scale.

With some 68 targets and near 300 archers over the weekend, the tournament was by far the largest that the three from Saints & Sinners had ever attended. Running over two days, the World Record Status Double FITA Star was also a first for the clubs members with some 288 arrows to be shot plus any practice.

Amongst the line-up were some Britain's finest archers with many of the British team competing along side relative novices to the sport. Archers Mike Lewis, Penny Neaverson and Tim Hastie were under no illusions that they might be leaving with medals in hand. Instead the goal of the weekend was to enjoy the experience and the company of other archery enthusiast.

Perhaps shooting a little under hoped expectations, the three from Saints & Sinners Bowmen battled it out over the two days in meet of their own personal goals. Although a few minor problems were encountered during the weekends shoot, no one left disheartened after the two exhausting 13 hours days.

The three have every intension of returning next year so if you would like to come along to one of England's premier archery events either to compete or just to give your support, get in contact with Mike Lewis.

WMAS Double FITA Star Results - 05-06/04/2007

After the perfect conditions and great performances by our members at the CWAA County Trials, Penny Neaverson, Mike Lewis and Sarah Neale were asked to attend the first of four county matches. Conditions weren’t quite as good with an overcast and chilly start to the morning, but they were up for the challenge hoping to build on the success of their last outing.

With sighters being delayed due to a breakdown of a car containing key Shropshire archers, things finally kicked off to a solid start. Unfortunately due to an injury picked up in warm up, Mike began to struggle with a very painful shoulder and this was reflected in his shooting. Penny seemed to struggle with her sight mark but eventually got back on track. Sarah started well and seemed to be coping with the occasionally gusty conditions.

After the first six dozen the Worcestershire Ladies Recurve team were showing a very healthy lead but the Gents Recurve weren’t faring as well. Due to his continued shoulder problem Mike was forced to retire and as he was top scorer for Worcestershire at this time, things weren’t going to improve for the Gents.

Sarah managed to miss a number of times at the 60 yard distance which was eventually attributed to a bent arrow but the damage was already done. The Cheshire Ladies Recurve eventually began gaining good ground at the shorter distances eventually overtaking them, finally beating the home county by a slim margin.

The Worcestershire team eventually came second overall, let’s hope that Mike’s shoulder improves in time for the next leg and good luck to all three club members.

Three Corners County Match Results - 29/04/2007

In complete contrast to the previous years CWAA trials, archers at the Badsey ground were met with basking hot sunshine and at most the lightest of breezes. Once again generously hosted by Evesham Archery Club, members from across the county came to compete for a place on the county team.

Saints & Sinners Bowmen sent along four of their best to the trials in the form of Mike Lewis, Penny Neaverson, Sarah Neale and Tim Hastie. All past county team members, each had high expectations of once again making the cut.

After a rocky start from Tim and Penny, both settled into the Hereford/Bristol I round after the first few dozen arrows. Mike and Sarah on the other hand started on top form each having PB's at the end of the first distance.

At the end of the 12 dozen arrows results revealed that Mike, Penny and Sarah had all made the team for the first county match, Tim will still have to wait to see if he can make the team. If making the team was not enough, both Sarah and Mike gained new personal best scoring over 1000, with Mike breaking the long standing York club record. Lets hope this top form continues for the first match at Redditch in a few weeks.

Huge thanks goes to Kevin and Alison Hastie for not only supporting the S&S team throughout the day, but for also providing much appreciated nourishment in the form of Sausage and Bacon sandwiches at the mid session interval. Photo's from the day are now on show in the Gallery.

CWAA County Trial Results - 15/04/2007

The Have-A-Go evening is where the club opens its doors to the public offering wannabe archers the chance to try their hand at archery. Some what more relaxed than the previous years event, members of the public were given expert tuition from the clubs dedicated members as they took their first few shots at the gold with real bows.

As with the previous year, there was a surprising amount of natural talent on the shoot line. We hope to see many of the faces again on the June Beginners Course.

Thanks to all the club members who gave up their time to make the evening possible. Pictures from the night are now up in the Gallery.

With blistering cold 20mph winds it was never going to be a day of record breaking scores, but none the less the days shoot was still a huge success with nearly twenty members turning out for the first fun shoot of the year.

Opting to shoot the eight dozen Western round, conditions like the previous year were more suited to kite flying than archery, but none the less everyone battle on to complete the shoot no matter how many arrows were buried into the green stuff!

Winners of the day include Chris Lord, Penny Neaverson, Chris McNeill, Henry Evans and Mike Lewis. Official Results and lots of pretty Pictures from the day are available in the usual places.

To round off a years successful indoor shooting the club held its annual Indoor Championships. There was a mixture of rivalry and anticipation behind the shooting line as the previous years winners took their places to defend their titles for a second year.

Under the strict governing (and at times erratic whistle blowing) of Field Captain Mike Lewis, the archers shot the Bray I round. With no leader board members were left to simply gaze up and down the line in wonder at each others arrows as they flew into the gold!

Final Results revealed that Sarah Neale won the Ladies Recurve, Mike Lewis won the Gents Recurve, Nick Holder won the Gents Compound and Tim Hastie won the Junior Recurve. Photos from the evening are now on show in the Gallery.

With a raucous of laughter sounding out across the sports hall, it could only mean one thing, it was time for the Indoor Longbow Championships.

The competition reached new heights this year with a total of four members competing for the prized trophy. Archers, Steve Blount, Dan Brown, Henry Evans and Rob Hodgetts stood poised and focused on the shooting line ready to put their skills and nerves to the ultimate test!

Three dozen arrows into the Portsmouth round and the scores were locked, with only a few mere points (50 something) separating first and last place. As the final few arrows were shot, so emerged the new Longbow Champion, Henry Evans.

Congratulations to all those who took part in what has to be considered the highlight of the indoor season. Some action shots from the evening can be viewed in the Gallery. Full Results from the shoot are available as always.

Saints & Sinners Bowmen are very pleased to announce that the club has achieved third place out of all the Worcestershire County archery clubs, only beaten by Redditch and Droitwich. This is a fantastic achievement for our first year competing in earnest, now we look forward to the Worcester Summer Cup League. Please come and support the team in our quest to becoming the best club in the county.

As the final curtain drops on the indoor season our band of merry men and women squared up for the West Midlands Indoor Championships hosted by Evesham archery club.

Archers Nick Holder, Sarah Neale, Penny Neaverson and Tim Hastie turned up on a very early Sunday morning to pit their talents against the best in the region. Competition in the Ladies Recurve included members from the GBR team so medal positions were not foremost in anybodies mind.

Tim Hastie got off to very encouraging start with his name showing on the leader board after the first dozen, only 4 points behind Britain’s number one Lady Recurve archer, Naomi Folkard. But whether it was the pressure or the equipment Tim was unable to maintain this performance and slipped out of a medal spot.

Other performances were good but even though no medals were achieved on the day, the team score was crucial in securing a few extra points in this the final leg of the Worcestershire Garrington Cup.

WMAS Indoor Championship Results - 04/03/2007

Hosted at the new venue of the St. George’s Social Club, the Saints & Sinners Bowmen annual awards evening was a time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the members from the previous year's shooting. Over thirty of the clubs members both new and old turned out to participate in the celebrations and join along with the evening’s entertainment.

Compere for the night was Steve Blount who proved more than able to host the skittles contest, creating an air of competitiveness and rivalry. The traditional match of boys versus girls got everyone involved and the results were as expected! Winners of the skittles included Alison Hastie, Warwick Neale and Derek Moule, not forgetting the winners of the wooden spoon award.

The clubs honorary President Mr Derek Moule presented the trophies with the help of the evening’s Lady Paramount, our own legendary Dulcie Salter. Special acknowledgement goes to Mike Lewis, Penny Neaverson, Sarah Neale and Tim Hastie who have not only had winning success within the club, but also at county and regional level. To those who came close good luck for next year, we hope to see more faces on the shooting line in this coming outdoor season.

Thank you also to all those who helped in organising and running the evening, Sarah Neale, Penny Neaverson, Mike Lewis, Steve Blount, Chris McNeill and others who were involved behind the scenes. Some photos from the evening can be seen in the clubs growing Gallery.

The call for the extraordinary general meeting had a two fold purpose, firstly to re-elect a new Subscriptions Secretary, and secondly to discuss the adoption of a Club Loyalty Scheme as proposed by Mike Lewis at the AGM in November 2006.

With such a controversial topic, it was no surprise that the turnout for the evening was larger than had been seen at any meeting for a number of years. Chaired by our honourable President and Chairman, Derek Moule kicked off the meeting with the election of the new Committee Officer. Ken Merry was duly elected back onto the committee.

Next up was the topic of the much discussed proposal of a Club Loyalty Scheme and whether or not it should be included as part of the Club's constitution. There were some "very strong" opinions on both sides of the adoption, with Derek doing an exceptional job at keeping everybody in check and ensuring that the meeting continued to run smoothly.

After a couple of hours of, and at times, some very heated discussions, members agreed that perhaps the best way forward was not to introduce the proposal, but instead to look at other ways in which working party attendances could be increased. A vote of thanks was given to Mike Lewis for highlighting the problem and drawing it to the attention of the members.

A huge thank you goes to Derek for his impeccable chairing of the meeting, and to all those members who were able to come along and share their views with the rest of the club. Lets all hope that we see a few extra faces at the next Working Party.

It was a good turnout from the Saints & Sinners Team at the W.F.C.A. Open Portsmouth. Also in attendance at the shoot was some very worthy representation from Malvern, Redditch, Redhill and R.L.S.A.S. archery clubs, so gaining any medals was not going to be a walk in the park.

Sadly team members Nick Holder, Roger Ireson and Pauline Ireson were unable to attend due to other commitments, leaving the challenge to Penny Neaverson, Mike Lewis, Sarah Neale, Warwick Neale, Tim Hastie, Simon Lord and Chris Lord.

The morning session had seen some very high scores in the Ladies Recurve disciple so the remaining contest was for third place, this was valiantly achieved by Penny in spite of her shoulder injury.

The Gents Recurve proved to be a closely fought battle for second place with Mike finally losing out by two points in the last dozen, having to settle for third place. Warwick put in a good personal performance obtaining the E classification medal. Chris in only his second competition gained a pleasing score and a new Club Record. Well done to all who took part, gaining us those valuable points towards the Garrington Cup.

Wyre Forest Open Portsmouth Results - 11/02/2007

It was a very wet and windy start to the day, however on the bright side the archers of Saints & Sinners Bowmen who turned up for the afternoon session at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre would at least be shooting indoors.

S.C.O.A. hosted their annual FITA 25 event as part of the Garrington cup league. Unfortunately due to ill health the S&S Team lost the company of Simon and Chris Lord (get well soon) and so it was left to Penny Neaverson, Nick Holder, Tim Hastie, Sarah Neale and Mike Lewis to make their mark.

Performance for the afternoon were varied with most suffering from lack of practice over the holidays, leaving some very average scoring. Everyone soldiered on to finish the five dozen round and thanks to Tim and Penny, the Saints & Sinners Team were recognised.

Tim Hastie gained a very satisfactory second place in the Junior Recurve category with a score of 469 and Penny gained her D Classification medal with an impressive C Class score of 501.

Well done to them both, next stop the W.F.C.A. Portsmouth. You can check out the team in all the splendour of their new club colours in the Gallery.

Stourbridge Open FITA 25 Results - 07/01/2007

Kicking of the start of 2007 archers from Saints & Sinners Bowmen were up bright an early to compete in the first shoot of the year. A long lived tradition within the archery club, the frost bite shoot is not for the faint hearted being held on the morning of new years day.

Under the given circumstances there was a surprising large turnout for the shoot, with members both old and young ready for competition. Being very fortunate with the weather we were provided with a warming winters sun for most of the morning, with a light drizzle during the final dozen arrows of the double frostbite round.

All those who managed to drag themselves out of bed were winners in there own right, but still there was some hearty competition on the shooting line. Winners of the morning included Steve Blount, Chris McNeill, Penny Neaverson, Tim Hastie, Owain Rice and Mike Lewis. Some photo's from the morning can be seen in the updated Gallery.