Our History
Ye Olde Delph Bowmen is a local field archery group based in Atherton, Greater Manchester. We are a friendly group of individuals who meet to enjoy the great sport of field archery. Ye Olde Delph Bowmen is part of the National Field Archery Society (NFAS) and is also affiliated with the English Field Archery Association (EFAA).
We were originally founded by our President, Mr Alex Grant, around 1981. Alex, from Newton-le-Willows, had just resigned from an older club called The Vulcan Archers. The name 'Ye Olde Delph' derives from a wood near the village of Crank in St Helens, Merseyside, which Alex was attempting to secure for use. However, he was unsuccessful in this endeavour. As a name had to be submitted for the club during these negotiations, 'Ye Olde Delph Bowmen' was chosen. Having attempted to secure several different woodland venues, he eventually obtained one in Grange Valley, Haydock, called Fox Covert. The Fox Covert wood was mainly flat with a stream running through it, but it also contained a small quarry that permitted a number of downhill shots. Being quite a small woodland, it could only support a 2 x 18 shoot. During this period, the club held regular meetings at a local pub called The Owl's Nest.
After an arson attack on its storage caravan in 1986, the club decided to move to Denow Woods in Appleton, just south of Warrington. Around this time, the club also secured the use of an upstairs room in Warrington Baths as an evening archery practice venue, and later, club meetings were relocated there from The Owl's Nest.
Denow Woods consisted of a 600m-long, deep, and narrow valley ranging from 40m to 60m in width. It provided many varied shots, including a small quarry-like cul-de-sac where we sometimes placed a moving target. However, there were some disadvantages. Its rather limited size meant it could only comfortably, and more importantly, safely, cater for a 2 x 20 shoot. The steep clay terrain became notoriously slippery when wet, and parking was limited, requiring a quarter-mile walk to gain access.
Denow Woods provided the club with a home for approximately 14 years from 1986. While we were never asked to leave, by September 2000, the venue had lost its old parking facilities. In its later years, the club suffered repeated incidents of vandalism, including its catering hut lock being filled with epoxy glue in 1998. Finally, in 1999, all its bosses were destroyed in a further arson attack on its hand-built, corrugated steel storage hut.
When the club moved to a new woodland site adjacent to the A580 East Lancashire Road, south of Haydock Racecourse, it was a coincidence that this woodland was also called Fox Covert. The term 'Fox Covert' historically refers to a wooded area where landowners created artificial dens to encourage the fox population, thereby facilitating the hunting fraternity.