Maidenhead Bowmen were formed in 1952 and found a permanent meeting place at Braywick Sports Ground 20 years later.

The club became Maidenhead Archers in 1999 and during the summer months, from May until September, the club shoots outdoors at the Braywick ground on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

As October approaches the less hardy of the group can carry on the sport at Windsor Sports Centre, while a monthly outdoor ‘frostbite’ competition is shot on the fields at Braywick.

I went along to Braywick on Wednesday last week to get a taster session. Sue Church has been an archery enthusiast since she was a youngster and her husband, Clive – whom she introduced to the sport – is the Maidenhead Archers' chairman.

She talked me through my first shot, measuring a suitable arrow for me by judging my reach and placing me with one foot either side of a rope marker, with my side towards the target. “Archery is very good for the posture because it makes you aware of how you are standing and breathing,” she said.

“And there are 57 checks you make before you fire, many of which you do automatically after a while. “Before you take a shot, make sure your weight is equally distributed, look straight ahead, turn to face the target, hold the bow flat, parallel to the ground, rest the arrow on the bow as if you are laying the table and pull it back until it clicks into the string.
“Bring up the bow and pull back from the elbow until the fingers are level with the chin and line the sight up with the gold centre of the target when you are ready let go.”

Original Article Kathryn Lay
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