WATER RAT ON TARGET FOR SUCCESS IN DELHI

ACGA, August 13: A member of the New South Wales water police, a plumber and an apprentice mechanic are amongst Australia's 12-member archery team set to compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October, it was announced today.

Archery will make only its second appearance at the Commonwealth Games following its debut in Brisbane in 1982.

Eight gold medals in total will be on offer for men and women in the individual recurve, team recurve, individual compound and team compound events.

Recurve bows are the traditional bow seen for many years in all international competitions whist compound bows utilise the latest technology which shoot arrows much faster and with a higher level of accuracy.

The Australian contingent will be led by three-time Olympian Matthew Gray, an officer with the water police in New South Wales.

A member of the 1999 world indoor championships gold medal winning team, the 37-yearold first took up the sport thirty years ago at the age of seven when his father bought him a bow at a local garage sale.

Gray will compete in the recurve event alongside Perth school student Taylor Worth who recently won the US Open championships, Mathew Masonwells (QLD), Dawn Nelson (VIC), Alexandra Feeney (NSW) and Deonne Bridger from Western Australia.

Thirty-eight year-old Bridger, who competed at the 1996 Atlanta and 2004 Olympics, was the archery team section manager in Beijing but will make her return to the other side of the fence in Delhi.

The Australian compound contingent will be spearheaded by 2003 world target champion Clint Freeman (TAS) and 2008 World Cup winner Patrick Coghlan (SA), and also includes plumber Robert Timms (ACT), Fiona Hyde (NSW), apprentice mechanic Rebecca Darby (QLD) and Cassie McCall (ACT) who has been a revelation for the Australian team since taking up the sport only two years ago.

Australian head coach Simon Fairweather said the Australian archers have faced an intensive year of camps, trials and overseas competition in order to be selected.

"The members of this year's squad have shot over 100 matches in preparation for the Games. This is far more match practice than any previous Australian team has ever done prior to an event and I feel that it will stand our archers in good stead once we get to Delhi.

"We have just competed in a World Cup in Ogden, Utah where our compound ladies picked up the bronze medal for the teams event, and the compound men just dipped out for the bronze also.

"This year we are most strong in the compound division, particularly the men. The team includes Clint Freeman who was the 2003 world target champion, Pat Coghlan, a World Cup finalist in 2009, and Robert Timms who has produced fantastic results and consistency throughout the selection process.

"I'm also looking forward to seeing what our recurve men can produce. We have a mix of experience and new talent. Taylor Worth has been improving steadily over the last year and recently won the USA Championships."

ACGA Chief Executive Officer Perry Crosswhite said it was great to see archery back on the competition program.

"We are looking to win our first Commonwealth Games archery gold medal in Delhi and have expectations this may come in the compound disciplines."

"We expect to face strong competition in the compound division from Canada, England, South Africa and New Zealand. In the recurve events, India and Malaysia will also be strong medal contenders."

The Delhi 2010 archery competition will be staged from October 4 to 10 at the Yamuna Sports Complex.

Six Australian archers competed in Brisbane in 1982, Michael Coen from Victoria winning a bronze medal.

The Australian archery team will pack their bags again for Shanghai, China at the end of the month. The fourth World Cup of 2010 (August 31 to September 4) will double as the team's final hit out ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

2010 Australian Commonwealth Games archery team

Male Compound

Robert Timms 30 ACT

Patrick Coghlan 36 SA

Clint Freeman 37 TAS

Female Compound

Fiona Hyde 47 NSW

Cassie McCall 28 ACT

Rebecca Darby 19 QLD

Male Recurve

Taylor Worth 19 WA

Mathew Masonwells 24 QLD

Matthew Gray 37 NSW

Female Recurve

Deonne Bridger 38 WA

Dawn Nelson 45 VIC

Alexandra (Lexie) Feeney 21 NSW

Press Release issued by ACGA