RUSSELL Crowe, as you may know, is currently doing the old ‘redistribution of wealth’ thing in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood.

It’s therefore a fair bet that plenty of people will turn up at their local archery clubs before their cinema seats have even had time to cool.

One of those local archery clubs is Supermarine Bowmen, which is based at the Supermarine Sports and Social Club in South Marston.

When I went to see vice-chairwoman Joan Griffiths, I promised I’d keep the Russell Crowe and Robin Hood references to a minimum, so I thought it best to get them over with as early as possible when I sat down to write afterwards.

Joan is no stranger to people who want to try the sport after seeing it in films, though. Or on television, for that matter, whether a drama or coverage of a major competition.

She said: “You get people who turn up and then discover it’s not as easy as it looks.

“Not everybody realises that, and not everybody has the discipline that you need.”

Those who find archery to their liking can expect to be welcomed into a world populated by the type of enthusiastic and friendly people who are so often encountered in minority sports and pastimes.

Joan said: “If you’re somebody who is not into team sports, and if you want something that’s calming, then this is the sport for you.

“I always say that if somebody upset me at work, all the tension went downrange with the first arrow. If you can’t relax, you can’t shoot well.”

Hearing Joan say this, I decided to try archery for myself, and discovered she was right.

Kitted out with a bracer to protect my left forearm from the bowstring and a leather tab to protect the fingers of my right, I was ready to shoot a few arrows.

As I was a beginner, the target was a mere 10 metres away. Admittedly, such a short distance brought to mind the old simile about something being as easy as hitting a cow’s bottom with a banjo, but I still felt great happiness as the arrows struck home with a satisfying ‘thunk’.

And although it was nowhwere as near as easy as hitting a cow’s bottom with a banjo, I even managed to put one only just outside the gold.

It is indeed a calming and relaxing way to spend time, and one I thoroughly recommend.

The archers’ discipline Joan talks about includes the discipline to listen to instruction and the discipline to concentrate on target, stance, posture and everything else the good archer needs to know.

More importantly, there is the discipline one needs to be safe and make sure others in the vicinity are safe. Bows, like all weapons originally intended for hunting or war, are potentially lethal. Even the most basic bow can pack enough of a punch to drive an arrow several inches into the heavy straw backing of an archery target.

In other parts of the world, where hunting with bows is legal, more powerful bows are used to bring down everything from moose to bear.

Supermarine Bowmen, like many other clubs, uses a system of whistle blows to make sure nobody strays into danger. One blast means its okay to begin shooting, two means its time to retrieve arrows, and a sharp call of “Fast!” means it’s time to stop shooting because of some unforeseen eventuality.

The club meets on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays during the outdoor season, which runs from April to September, and on Mondays and Thursdays during the indoor season, which runs from October to March.

Anybody wanting to find out more should visit www.supermarinebowmen.org.