One of our members, Carl McLaughlin, has become closely affiliated with Purbeck Archers and helps out organizing their major annual tournament and volunteering at country shows with them.

Through his enthusiasm for Purbeck and field archery many of us have joined Purbeck Archers and been signed off by Andrew or Kenn of Perbeck Archers to safely follow field protocols and shoot 3-D.

Every couple of months Carl organises an informal competition on a Sunday morning followed by a post-match analysis in a pub with lunch. This time eight of us drew lots and competed as four pairs, whilst two of our newer members were taken around by Andrew to be trained and signed off as safe and competent.

We set off into the woods as two groups of two pairs in direct competition for eighteen kills, the winning pairs from each group then go head to head for the next eighteen kills to settle first and second place, the other two pairs settle third and fourth. This is a great system, as it gives people a chance for a catch up, a bit of banter and some friendly rivalry.

The course is fun, with challenges as small as a stoat and as large as a bear, with dinosaurs, big cats and other kills ranging from five or so yards to fifty or more. The trees and ferns add to the challenges, it really focuses the mind, and the course is changed regularly to keep things fresh.

A range of bows were used on the day, no classes or handicaps, a simple scoring system of 3 points a win, 1 point each a draw, zero for a lose based on the total score for each pair on any given kill.

After a bit of a ding dong the day was settled on a tie break and Jez and Ryan came first overall after a majestic pair of double pro kills on the python took it to a decider on the dodo and they beat Alan and Jason into second place. Alan proffered numerous excuses as to why it was a draw, but Ryan offered only an impression of Alan’s loser shuffle, head down, shoulders slumped, emanating a high-pitched grizzle. It was uncanny, he’d clearly seen this a lot. Handshakes to close and Jez and Ryan became the current Best Archers in The Woods

Summertime. Buckland Ripers. A lopsided field in a soft valley. In the top corner beneath the pylons in an impromptu gazebo settlement a flock of CMBers have migrated from Cobhams for the day.

The natural setting is a charm as well, the farmyard has Yellowhammers, the clout field buzzards, swifts, sparrowhawks, kestrels, corvids and pheasant, the woods a cuckoo, chiffchaffs and a song thrush, more importantly though the trophy table has Ospreys.

Good to see so many CMB archers involved again this year, hope to see even more again next time, it’s a good day’s fun, everyone is made very welcome in a supportive and generous environment.

It’s an opportunity to see what other people get up to in their clubs and in their kit choices, to swap ideas and to hear about what is coming up to enjoy through the summer or to try clout or field for a change.

It’s the one I try not to miss and can’t wait to get back to next year.

Put the Osprey Archers Triple Shoot in your diaries as soon as the date comes up!