The ANZ postal league is run throughout the country each year over summer. Each club determines at the start of the season how many 3-person teams they wish to register. The club nominates teams, not individuals, since individual shooters are assigned into a team each month based on their score for that month. All candidate shooters must be affiliated to a national archery organization. Shooters may be from any bow type. There is no distinction between men/woman or between junior/senior.
Teams are assigned into divisions, based on previous years results. Each division has six teams, and each month teams are paired off round-robin for a long-distance match. The teams shoot separately, and three points are awarded to the winning team, two for a loss, zero for a “no score”. All shooters from one club must shoot at the same time on the same day. Hence each club shoots five shoots over the summer, one each in October, November, Dec/Jan, February and March. The shoot may be shot at any time during the month.
A “Canadian 900” is shot, which is 30 arrows at 55m, 30 at 45m, 30 at 35m. All faces are 122cm for recurve and longbow, 80cm for Compound and 60cm for Crossbow. The members of each team are not actually determined until after the shoot is completed. The club may field more archers for the shoot than there are places in the combined teams. The three highest scores comprise the “first team”, the next three highest archers the “second team”. If there are more archers than team places, then some scores will not be counted.
For more information, refer to the complete competition rules at Archery NZ.
2009/10 Progress
In 2009/2010, the 2009/10 league contains 6 divisions. Manawatu Archery Club has a team in Division 4 and Division 6. The full draw is available on the ANZ website. The MAC matches are as follows:
| Month | Match vs. | Team | Result | Total Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | Dunedin B | SR, JCS, ABH | Win (details) 2351 to 2089 | 3 | 1st |
| Nov | Christchurch C | SR, JCS, CJ | Win (details) 2321 to 2033 | 6 | 1st |
| Dec/Jan | Trentham | CJ, JCS, PB | Win (details) 2261 to 1532 | 9 | 2nd |
| Feb | Randwick | SR, JCS, CJ | Win (details) 2419 to 2182 | 12 | 1st |
| Mar | Mana | ABH, JCS, CJ | Win (details) 2289 to 1452 | 15 | 1st |
| Month | Match vs. | Team | Result | Total Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct | Whakatane | CJ, PB, CF | Loss (details) 1933 to 2210 | 2 | 5th |
| Nov | Bye | PB, TS, DCM | Bye (details) 2027 pts | 5 | 5th |
| Dec/Jan | Southland | CF, FD, DCM | Loss (details) 1831 to 2285 | 7 | 5th |
| Feb | Wairarapa | TS, DCM, FD | Loss (details) 1981 to 2193 | 9 | 4th |
| Mar | Timaru | TS, FD, CF | Default Win (details) 2065 to 0 | 12 | 4th |
Here are the final (March) Rankings at the end of the season.
2008/09 Results
Manawatu had a great year in the postal 2008/09 league. Thanks to a sustained and concerted effort, we managed to top Division 4 and have been promoted to Division 3 for the 2009/10 tournament.
Manawatu B showed commitment and focus, and managed to field a full three-man team every round. We seem well on track to make a big impact next time around in Division 6.
Overall, the club is developing an ever-increasing depth in their competitive archers. It can't be denied that the loss of Steve Ryan is going to make things harder next year. But there are plenty of upcoming shooters in the club ready to make their mark on the competition as the new season begins.
Here is Chris Jones' writeup for the Manawatu results in the 2008/09 Postal League.
Here is the 2008/09 Postal League Final Newsletter from Chris Jones, with his final summary and wrap-up for the tournament as a whole.