On September 9^th, a formidable group of longbowmen, under the watchful eye of Keith Shooter, gathered at the club to shoot the 40^th “Bowmen of Wharfedale” longbow tournament. The round was a 2-way Western, under BLBS rules – so no sights or sighters. It is remarkable to anyone not versed in the way of the longbow how anyone manages to hit the target at all (though not all arrows did). Conditions were not perfect, with little sunshine, scurries of rain and a gusting breeze, but the archers cheerfully shot on. Lunchtime saw them provided with pie and peas and fruit tart, all of which drew compliments from many. Lunchtime also saw the only prolonged period of breezeless sun, and the morning conditions returned to welcome the archers back.

The club had many members participating. Not least Carol Wood, who briefly left slaving in the kitchens behind to serve elegantly as Lady Paramount. We also had two awards – Steffi Hermanski took the prize for Ladies – Most Hits, while Alex Hermanski was delighted to receive the “Do it yourself longbow kit” for most greens.

A surprise award was made at the end, as the BLBS presented David Aikin with an engraved tankard for organising the tournament these many years, and keeping the flame of BLBS archery alive. Well-deserved indeed!

Next year’s tournament is booked for September 8^th – get your entries in now!

Photos of the day’s events can be found here.