THE State Field Archery Championship was the target of the Blue Lake Archers members over the weekend, with a successful venture by the four local competitors who attended.
The championship was hosted by the Great Southern Archery Club at their picturesque field archery range located at Strathalbyn on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Ian Harris, Tamika Mullan, Ben Kilsby and Jeff Puckridge attended and all came home with podium finishes in their individual gender, age and equipment divisions.
The 58 archers competing represented nine South Australian clubs and were spread over 28 divisions.
Field archery is conducted in at natural terrain setting, with the archers moving from one target to another, each target a different distance and target face size.
Maximum arrow score in field archery is six points for each arrow, with three arrows shot at each target stand.
Archers are required to shoot at a total of 24 targets to complete the event, the total possible score 432 points.
Mullan competed in the Open female compound bow division, Kilsby in the Open male compound bow, Puckridge was in the 60+ male compound bow division and Harris rounded out the group in the 70+ male compound bow division.
Mullan brought home a gold medal, winning her division by an easy 65 points.
Puckridge snared his gold medal by a nail-biting solitary point in his division.
Harris landed a silver medal 42 points behind the gold medallist, while Kilsby secured the bronze medal in the highly-competitive Open men’s division, finishing just seven points off the gold medal score.
Archery returns to the local scene this week with indoor archery at Blue Lake Gymnastics Club, Malseed Park, Friday at 7pm, followed by outdoor archery at Corriedale Park 12.30pm Sunday.
State Field Archery Championship, possible score 432 points – Open female compound: Tamika Mullan, Blue Lake Archers, 323; Briony Smith, Southern Vales Archery Club, 258.
Open male compound: Bailey Wildman Eden Field Archers, 399; Brandon Hawes Cressy Bowmen, 399; Ben Kilsby, Blue Lake Archers, 392.
60+ male compound: Jeff Puckridge Blue Lake Archers, 351; Tom Kowalski, Eden Field Archers, 350; Garry Staples, Cressy Bowmen, 341.
70+ male compound: Bill Holmes, Eden Field Archers, 336; Ian Harris, Blue Lake Archers, 294.
