Following on from the Easton Open, the National Matchplay Series Finals were held on Saturday 23rd February at the VHAC Back Valley shooting grounds. The Matchplay Series had been run over the past 6 months with each State holding one ‘leg’ of the event and for the first time, New Zealand is now included as a participant. Dedicated and challenged archers travel to as many Matchplay events as possible, accumulating points along the way. The Finals of the Matchplay Series total 16 archers – 4 from each of the Divisions [Compound & Recurve] male and female.

As with the Easton Open, anticipation and excitement ran high with competition intense all round and many scores had only a few points separating winners. The archers themselves were well tuned to high-level competition and seemed unfazed by the pressure but no doubt the ‘mind games’ were in overdrive. South Australian archers – David Barnes [Recurve], Rory Blake and Andrew Kuchel [Compound] were Medal winners in this NMS Final.

Final Results:

Male Recurve:

1. Ryan Tyack – Sunshine Coast AC, Qld

2. Astin Darcy – Canberra AC

3. David Barnes – Adelaide AC, SA

Female Recurve:

1. Melissa Spinocchia – Sydney Olympic Park Archers, NSW

2. Belinda Maxworthy – Northern Archers of Sydney, Qld

3. Kim Lavender – Sydney Olympic Park Archers, NSW

Female Compound:

1. Tazmin Forrest – Wendouree AC, Vic

2. Elizabeth Randle – Samford Valley Target Archers, Qld

3. Alyssa Mollema – Cessnock Target Archers, NSW

Male Compound:

1. Jonathan Milne – SOPA, NSW

2. Rory Blake – Eden Field Archers, SA

3. Andrew Kuchel – Great Southern Archers, SA