Shooters aim for golden arrow
An archery competition similar to a legendary challenge Robin Hood is thought to have taken part in will be held near Southwell for the first time.
The Sheriff of Nottingham’s Golden Arrow Archery Tournament takes place at the Sherwood Archers club, Maythorne, a week tomorrow.
It is the first time the competition, in its 62nd year, has been held outside Nottingham.
During the competition archers shoot at targets and the competitor with the highest score is awarded a golden arrow and the title of Captain of Sherwood Forest.
According to legend, the Sheriff of Nottingham tried to trap Robin Hood by holding a competition where the prizes were golden arrows with silver heads.
Robin Hood competed in disguise and won.
The secretary for Sherwood Archers, Mrs Susan Stankovic, said organisers were unable to hold the competition in Nottingham this year so the club volunteered to host the event.
“I’m hoping that by bringing it out to Southwell we can improve the entry for it this year,” she said.
“A lot of archers are very competitive and like to shoot at competitions where they can get awards and ranking points for positions nationally.
“This particular tournament doesn’t have any of those attractions. It is purely a fun tournament on a Saturday afternoon.
“We are hoping by bringing it to Southwell we can reinvigorate it and encourage all archers to take part.”
Mrs Stankovic said competitors had to shoot a target 60 yards away.
She said: “It’s quite a manageable distance for new archers.”
Mrs Stankovic said more people had been taking an interest in archery since the release of the Robin Hood film earlier this month.
She said: “As a club we have seen quite a bit of interest this year. We held a beginners’ course recently and we had 20 archers attend.
“What’s been lovely to see is we have had quite an increase in the numbers of juniors in the club and we always enjoy seeing new members.”
The competition is at Maythorne Cottage Field, Lower Kirklington Road, at 2pm. Entry is £5. For more information and entry forms visit www.sherwoodarchers.org.uk
