Josh Ford has added to a strong 2017 season with silverware as the new state Australian Bowhunters’ Association (ABA) junior champion.
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The ABA state titles were hosted by the Manning District Bowhunters in Taree in the beginning of October.
The massive bowhunters event saw teams and individuals travelling from Gloucester, Wagga, Newcastle and all across the state to contest the junior and all-age divisions.
The win for Ford is also notable after he secured his second straight national title earlier in the year, and the Edgeworth-born archer also shot his way into the B-Grade champions’ spot at the Field Archery Championships in Ipswich in July.
Those wins, and the newest state title, join his National International Field Archery junior boys championship in the trophy cabinet.
The state event in Taree consisted of a three arrow round held in the morning, and a one arrow round held after lunch each day. Each round is 20 targets.
Ford, who was at the Taree event representing the Boolaroo archery club, scored 378, 372, 382 and 384.
His 1516 total was enough to secure him the title.
Alongside him at the northern competition to represent the Lake Macquarie-based archery club were a number of marksman, including a handful of eventual winners.
Leonie Forbes (358, 282, 348, 320 for 1308) was the best of the Adult Womens’ C-Grade, notching the Hunter’s Natasha Bowden (312, 214, 244, 324 for 1094) to the win.
Keili Courtney, Jeremy Douglas , Ryan Sliwinski and Paul Jurskis all returned to the Boolaroo club with wins under their belt in Taree.
The Hunter Valley region also had the Hunter Bowmen Field Archery Club attend the event with a strong contingent of competitiors.
24 Hunter Bowmen members made the trip to the state titles, and 22 returned either medal winners, or state champions.
Notable wins included Libby White’s close victory over Ann Stubbs from Namoi Valley in the Women’s A-Grade (Compound) Division.
White was able to take home the top spot of the Hunter club off the back of a 348, 328, 304, 348 scoreline for a 1328 total, just 72 better than Stubb’s 1256 (332, 302, 322, 300).
The Hunter club also proved their pedigree with a win in the Men’s A-Grade (Compound) division.
Patrick White represented the Hunter with his 340, 350, 362, 364 for 1416 haul, outscoring the next best archers.
Second in the top division was Namoi Valley’s Brian Taylor (356, 272, 348, 308 for 1416) and third was Manning’s James Dowson (322, 290, 310, 310 for 1231), both of whom slipped for the second shot to allow White to claim the title.