Sporty Sussex

In the third part of our series on taking up a new sport, Hanna Prince explores the appeal of netball, archery, windsurfing and petanque

Netball

Archery

It’s a school playground favourite – but netball can still be enjoyed by women (and men) of all ages and levels of experience

Archery has had close associations with Sussex since the iconic colour scheme of the archery target was invented here in the early 1800s The sport emerged at the end of the 19th century as an alternative to the newly invented game of basketball. It was first played at Madame Ostenburg’s College in Hampstead and has been a staple of school PE lessons ever since.

Today, netball is a recognised sport of the International Olympic Committee. It’s governed in the UK by three national bodies: England Netball, Netball Northern Ireland and Netball Scotland. The game is usually played on a rectangular court, divided into thirds, by two teams of seven players. Each player has an assigned position: Goal Shooter (GS), Goal Attack (GA), Wing Attack (WA), Centre (C), Wing Defence (WD), Goal Defence (GD) and

Goal Keeper (GK). Sussex has a number of netball leagues, ranging from casual and beginnerfriendly to more formal and structured. “If you haven’t played since school then a good league to join is the Social 7s,” suggested regular player Ella Cowley. “It’s a really nice league with a good mix of abilities – but there are several leagues across the county. There’s even a Brighton mixed team for both men and women. I love netball because it’s so social and you meet so many different types of people.” To get involved, visit englandnetball.co.uk/ play-netball/find-a-session-or-club or contact a local social league such as Social 7s (www.social7s.co.uk). Most leagues are women only, but Brighton Mixed Netball play on Tuesday evenings and are contactable via Facebook or Sarah Grant at social7snetball@gmail.com

There are dozens of clubs across the county – but all operate under the banner of the Sussex County Archery Association (SCAA), which organises regular championships and intercounty matches.

“There’s quite a variety of archery styles and disciplines to choose from,” explained Rod Brown, Chairman of SCAA. “The commonest disciplines are Target – which takes place either outdoors or indoors, on a flat ground, shooting arrows at concentric zones marked on sheets of paper at distances ranging from 10 metres to 90 metres; Field – which is a form of simulated hunting that takes place in hilly woodland, at a variety of paper and 3-dimensonal targets; and Clout – where the

targets are much further away, up to 185 metres, and where the aim is to land the arrows in the ground close to a flag.”

Archery can be competitive or relaxing, supportive, fitnessboosting and accessible to a surprising range of disabilities. According to Rod, it’s also a fantastic family sport for all ages. “This inclusivity really shows up in our indoor championships, when everyone – female, male, able-bodied, disabled, blind, junior, senior and veteran – are all together on the same shooting-line aiming at targets the same distance away.” Most archery clubs run beginner courses year-round. Visit sussex-archery.org.uk/ sussex-archery-clubs/ to find a club local to you. chairman@sussex-archery.org.uk

With plenty of popular windsurfing spots, Sussex is the perfect place to try your hand at this water-based adrenaline sport

Like lawn bowls, bocce and crown green bowling, petanque is a form of boule sport – and it’s played widely across Sussex

Windsurfing is a relatively recent addition to the world of water sports – it began in California during the 1960s and was only recognised as an Olympic sport in 1984. It’s enjoyed a popularity boom in Sussex over the last few decades, partly because we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to suitable locations.

“We get the prevailing south west winds, which work very well for this coastline,” said Lewes-based windsurfer Joe Bennett. His favourite spots are

Petanque

Boule sports have been played for thousands of years, but petanque was invented in Provence during the early years of the 20th century. One theory is that the game was imported to England by travellers who had seen it played on French campsites. Whatever the case, there are now around 3,000 players licenced through Petanque England (petanque-england.uk) and the game Shoreham and Worthing, but there’s also great windsurfing on offer at

Lancing, Littlehampton, Goring,

Eastbourne, Pevensey and Hove. “As soon as you can stand and swim, there’s lots of youngsters doing it at places like Piddinghoe Lake near Newhaven or Hove Lagoon,” added Joe. “Equally, there’s plenty of older people doing it, even into their 80’s. It’s about technique, not brute strength.” Most windsurfers take part for the fun of it, but there are regular races organised both locally and by the UK Windsurfing Association. If you’re a total beginner, the first step is to sign up for lessons at a local lake or Royal Yachting Association school. “Once you have the basics you can start sailing in stronger winds and choppier waters and on smaller boards,” said Joe. “You’ll love it!” Local spots with windsurfing schools include Piddinghoe, Hove Lagoon and Eastbourne. Find out more via www.rya.org.uk

is played widely around the South East.

Petanque can be played by two teams of one, two or three people. The main aim of the game is to throw metal balls as closely as possible to a wooden ball, while standing in a fixed position within a circle.

“Petanque is a wonderful game – it is very social and it can be played at lots of different levels,” said Matt Smeeth, President of the Sussex Petanque Association. “It’s also a strangely relaxing game.

It can be rather frustrating at times if a shot doesn’t land as expected but no two games are the same. Anyone can get involved and at this stage there is a national push from

Petanque England to try and get more young players taking part. It can be a family sport too, there are plenty of couples or parent and children teams across the county.” Beginners are always welcome, and most clubs offer regular coaching sessions. To get involved, find your local club at www.sussexpetanque.org. uk/contacts

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