Colchester And District Archery Club 1954 - 1994
Page 4: Darts and Fetes
For the first time in Colchester, at the Garrison Sergeant’s Mess, there was an archery-darts match with teams of eight, the archers winning by two straight legs. Colchester’s team was: Mr & Mrs Osbourne, Massingham, Crick, Pilgrim, Dow, Bentley and Tucker (Captain). Nine-year-old Susanne Osbourne prepared for the national junior championships. Chairman Blake expressed the hope that archery would be introduced into senior schools.
Colchester archers issued a challenge to dart players for a feature attraction at the town’s three-day carnival in the Castle Park. An old score card of 1955 shows Colchester beating Braintree, teams being Colchester: Crick, Massingham, Pilgrim, Osbourne, Dow, and Dot Osbourne and Berry. Braintree Count Stayner, Hutton, Faulkner, Miss Wiffen, Overall, Jacques and Mrs. Lawrence. It was probably in 1956 that the county’s first coaching certificate course was held at Wickham Bonhunt when for Colchester, Osbourne, Tucker, Crick were among those who received their country’s first coaching certificates. Wiseman and Arton were among the judges. Stour Archers were the opponents at the Whit weekend at Colchester. A western round was shot. At Sudbury an Albion was the round and Colchester won. They also beat a combined Braintree and Dunmow team on the garrison ground.
There was held in 1956 a celebration dinner and dance at the High Street Oak Hall restaurant tickets 10s. 6p. Ald. Craig was mayor and called speakers to order with a hunting horn, Bill ever with an eye to Press pictures! The mayor learning of the history of the sport i.e. medieval Colchester provided arrows and fletching and Henry VIII wanted from the town his three bowmen to which we have referred: “I think it would be very good if we could bring the archers into the Oyster Feast by having these three with their long bows, their green uniform and bonnets with eagle feathers (shades of the Royal Company) to act as a mayor’s body guard”. That would give the BBC and the film people something to picture he added. The club secretary augmented this with the suggestion that two tall archers should stand behind the mayor’s chair. Normally it was the tallest two available policemen. At the dinner the Blake trophy was awarded to Yo Mayden on behalf of Vic who was moved with the army to Malaya. Tables were decorated with archery targets and there was a display table of long bows and native archery equipment. After running a side show behind the castle in which the queen made a Press picture ‘having-a-go’ with a bow, the club took on Ipswich at Ipswich. Ipswich: Fidler, Bickers, Hardy, Herbert and Mrs. Fidler 2210; Colchester 2622 Massingham, Crick, Dow, Osbourne, Tucker, the latter recently making news receiving the coveted Essex red tassel award of merit.
The club was for ever promoting itself and the sport, attending fetes, time consuming but a fun activity. Danbury, St Anne’s, Colchester, Ardleigh, Wivenhoe, display venues keep popping up in the records. In July 1955 Lord Alport then “Cub” Alport, Colchester MP, hosted Ibrahim Nathoo Minister of Works for Kenya who witnessed a club archery display and showed interest in the sport.
Ibrahim Nathoo Minister of Works for Kenya has a go at drawing a bow.
from the Bill Tucker Collection
In its second season shooting clout at South Weald the club brought home two silver medals and lost the team by one point. Men shot at 160yds and the women at 120. Prizes were presented by the county president, chairman of the County Council, Sir Frank Foster. It was in 1955 that Vic Massingham had a goodbye party when he was posted abroad. Susanne Osbourne was runner-up in the junior national and Aubrey Crick was chosen for the Essex team. In September that year Southend held one of the then largest ever tournaments won by world runner-up Joyce Warner, Harpenden, with a highest ever 942 Hereford and watched by famous national coach Howard Wiseman whose other protégée also from Harpenden, Derek Ashcroft, won the York with 762. In the same month Pilgrim Archers at their South Weald ground provided a moving towed target of deer eventually shot by a Colchester archer still in contact from Australia Ron Pilgrim. In October 1955 the American air base Wethersfield Toxophilites archery club hosted Colchester field archers.
Club members never worked so hard as they did converting a war time concrete army hut in Harwich Road which necessitated knocking down walls to make two rooms into one and repairing windows and doors with some existing doors bricked up. Sledgehammer blows were heard for weeks. Eventually the club opened in January 1956 the only indoor range in North Essex. Colchester beat at archery-darts the Spread Eagle pub Great Bromley whose team were regional champions and who lost three games to four. Shooting at their indoor range was up to 25 yards but the club was not long in possession when the church reclaimed it soon after opening in January 1956. After all their work the club was bitter.
Bill on national council pushed through the scheme for major open club meetings to qualify for national records as distinct from county and regional tournaments. The idea came to him when noting Southend’s popular tournament was larger than many county events eligible for records. There were 118 archers taking part at Belfairs Park that particular open which Bill judged. He judged there in all for 30 years. In 1956 Colchester’s 11 and 12-year-olds Suzanne and Jacqueline Tucker came first and second in the first English Junior championships no mean feat for the latter as she had only shot for six weeks.
A three line Press report in the Evening Standard that year said that Colchester was shooting at candles and blowing the flame out with arrows. Obviously a fete. In August the club had a postal shoot with a USA club at Fall River, Mass. Shooting an Albion. It tied in with a Shoot at Sudbury for which Colchester’s Jim Urquhart with 609 was the highest scorer. At the carnival the club planned to shoot flaming arrows. In the event most of the flames blew out with the arrows’ flight. In June Bill was busy for GNAS with an invitation international at Windsor at Home Park for which the Duke of Edinburgh agreed to be patron and gave a trophy. As PRO he brought BBC, American TV and the national Press to cover a world field of 150 archers.
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