About Us

Brief history of the club

The club was formed in 1951 at a meeting held in The New Inn public house in Kidmore End village. The members shot on a field at the rear of the pub and according to records, distances were 40 or 50 paces on Mondays and Thursdays and 60 paces on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In 1970 the landowner decided he no longer wanted the club to use the land. After much searching the newly formed Abbey Rugby Club agreed to allow the use of the land we have now.

As the club no longer had any connection with The New Inn it was decided to change the name to South Oxon Archery Club as the rugby club ground is just in Oxfordshire. This explains why some of the trophies are inscribed “Formerly New Inn Archers”.

Shooting Times

img_8699We shoot at the Abbey Rugby Club grounds RG4 8XA, where they obviously have priority on the ground.  We typically shoot until 18:00 Monday to Thursday & Fridays until dark. Club shoots are on Saturday & Wednesday mornings.  There is no Sunday shooting during the Rugby Season.

Winter shooting

At the moment we have no Winter indoor shooting facilities. However, we do continue to shoot outdoors over the Winter period on the above basis. On  Saturday mornings, we shoot a Frostbite Round, which is 6 sighter arrows, then 3 dozen arrows at 30 meters onto an 80cm target face.  The club runs a Frostbite Award Scheme, where badges are awarded in recognition, when members achieve certain levels of scores starting at a score of 200.

The Ground continues to be open for members to shoot at flexible times mid-week, but obviously the limited day light makes shooting in the evenings impractical. Safety requirements continue to be in place especially as the Rugby Club is more active over the Winter period.

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