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Thurnscoe Boy Archer On Tv

13 June 1970

South Yorkshire Times, June 13th 1970

Thurnscoe Boy Archer On Tv

An archer who in 1900 won the Scorton Arrow, one of the most treasured prizes in archery, is featured in the third and final programme on archery on Sunday m Yorkshire Television’s martial arts series for the ITV Network.

Ben Hird, whose 89th birthday fell last Sunday, won the historic archery prize at Settle in 1900, shooting with Ye Green Company, a band of archers from the Shipley area, near Bradford.

“It was something of a breakthrough when I won the arrow,” says Ben. “We were working class lads lootings in what had been the preserve of the gentry. “I hope you will behave yourselves,” they told us when we entered for the contest. I was a foundry man at the time.” Ben left Yorkshire 10 years later, and now lives “in exile” at The Croft, Overstone Solarium, Overstone, Northampton.

The long bow Ben uses is more than 100 years old and in complete contrast to the sophisticated bows of today. “It cost me 8s. fid.,” he recalls.  ; “Modern bows cost anything from £20 to more than £110. My first bow cost me 3s. 6d.”

In the programme Ben will be seen with a young schoolboy archer, Christopher Watt, of Thurnscoe. His advice to the young archer: “Practise, practise, practise.”