Tilly Trotter holds the bow she used to split one
arrow with another
BLIND LUCK HELPS ARCHER MAKE ON IN A MILLION SHOT
An archer has achieved a one-in-a-million feat of marksmanship after splitting one arrow with another. What makes the shot even more remarkable is that Tilly Trotter is blind.
The 74-year-old grandmother pulled off the shot, known among archers as a "Robin Hood", at a practice session of the Wellington Bowmen in Somerset.
Tilly Trotter holds the bow she used to split one arrow with another, an extremely rare feat known as a Robin Hood
Mrs Trotter, who has been an archer for two years at the invitation of granddaughter Charlotte, said: "The second arrow made such a noise going into the back of previous arrow I thought I had hit the ceiling or done some expensive damage.
"Then I heard people jumping up and down shouting that I'd done a Robin Hood.
"It was a one-in-a-million shot and a bit of a fluke really."
Mrs Trotter, from Uffculme, North Devon, lost most of her sight following a head injury 17 years ago. "I can see movement but I have no central vision," she said.
Her husband, Tony, is crucial to her success, telling her how near her shots are to the target each time she shoots.
"He isn't allowed to tell me to aim left or right before I let loose an arrow," Mrs Trotter said. "I can only make my own adjustments to my aim before I shoot."
She may dismiss the shot as a fluke, but she also won a gold medal at the British Blind Sports National Championship last year.
Peter Jones, a spokesman for the Grand National Archery Society, said: "It's a very rare feat - like getting two holes in one on the same round of golf."
(Telegraph)
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30/03/08 @ 10:43