My Account
Many Twin Coast members are actual hunters.
The Twin Coast Archery Club hosted a national bowhunting tournament north of Wellsford last month.
Around 70 archers from as far as the Bay of Islands and Cambridge competed in what is one of four qualifying events for the national bowhunting league championship.
A total of 28 rubber animal targets were set up in the bush and archers had to shoot from various distances, ranging from 9 to 55 metres. Archers shot two arrows at each target and points were determined by anatomical markers on the target, with a maximum of 10 points.
Member Lyall Lainchbury said the club had been able to join the competitive circuit after a five year recess, thanks to landowners on Bosher Road providing permission to use their farm for a course.
Lainchbury took first place in the senior division with 434 points and clubmate Sarah Thoroughgood won her division with 346 points. Caleb Browne came second in the junior “cub” level division with 172 points.
Lainchbury says that field archery is more challenging than traditional target archery because the archers have to guess the distance.
He says courses are set up to be deceptive with undulating earth and “dead ground”.
However, he says that archery is one of the few sports where grandchildren and grandparents can compete together as modern bows are not physically strenuous.
He, his wife and son have all won world championships in their divisions for field archery at one time.
The Twin Coast Club meets at the A&P building at Centennial Park in Wellsford on Tuesdays at 6.30pm and has about 80 members. Newcomers are welcome to try their hand with club gear.
