THE sight of a bunch of men running around in tights is really too good to miss - so when the staff from the Stroud News & Journal were invited to take part in an evening of archery, the answer, especially from the female staff, was a resounding yes.

But after being put through our paces by the Bowmen of Minchinhampton we soon realised just how serious a sport archery is.

It wasn't tights that left us quivering that night. Archery requires strength and stamina and a few of us went home with some pretty spectacular bruises.

"OK, the first thing you need to know is this is not a toy," said Ian Johnson, tournament secretary and 2nd class bowman as he held up an arrow.

"This," he said, running his fingers across the razor sharp steel tip of the arrow "will hit your body at 120 mph if you get in its way."

We all immediately stood back behind the safety line awaiting our instructions.

We were kitted out with suitable bows and arrows. Jokes about Robin Hood and merry men abounded. Senior reporter Sam Bond had even brought along a Robin Hood hat to add authenticity to the occasion.

Then it was time for the moment of truth. Was anyone going to be able to hit the target? "No, no, no, don't aim at the bulls eye," said Ian despairingly. "But...er, isn't that the whole point?" I spluttered.

"Yes, but in order to hit the target you need to point somewhere else - try down there by the stand," he explained. Uh, oh, this was going to be harder than I thought.

My first three arrows were embarrassingly off target. "Fantastic," said Ian. "But its miles off target," I wailed. "Yes but look how close they all are together. Now we can work on moving that little group further into the centre." I was warming to this man.

The invention of the bow and arrow, the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel have all been fundamental in the civilisation of man.

Cave man used the bow and arrow to obtain food and protect himself, therefore elevating himself above beast.

From the crude bows and arrows of the dark ages, the English longbow became established as a military weapon for the English armies between the 13th and 16th centuries.

But by the mid 18th century, archery was found to have a convalescent quality and it was promoted as a healthy exercise, encouraged greatly by the Prince Regent, George, Prince of Wales.

In August the Bowmen of Minchinhampton celebrated their 30 anniversary. The 35 members currently meet every Tuesday and Thursday to practice for competiti ons which are held all over the country every Sunday.

The SNJ was invited along to one of the taster evenings down in Woodchester as a thank you for launching an appeal earlier this year for one of their members, Christine Chandler, a diabetic who desperately needed an insulin pump.

The regular taster evenings allow people to try out the sport to see if they like it. Parties and corporate events can also be arranged.

As the evening progressed, photographer Mark Watkins and Sam Bond had hit a couple of bulls eyes and their competitive natures were being stretched.

Editor Skip Walker determined not to be left behind rolled up her shirt sleeves and we knew she meant business.

Fred Ashworth who has coached archery for Great Britain was well impressed by the skills of SNJ advertising manager Margaret Chandler. "She's such a natural. Look at how easily she connects with the target, he said.

Right, time to take this a bit more seriously I thought. But as hard as I tried there was just something odd about pointing the arrow in completely the opposite direction to the bulls eye.

While we waited our turn, Fred explained how he got hooked on the sport after going along to a meeting of the Bowmen of Minchinhampton in 1976. He started training as a coach in 1979.

"It doesn't matter how often you shoot the target, you are always looking for that perfect shot," he said.

Barry Liles the treasurer saw an ad in a shop window in 1983. He was self-employed and working from home. He was looking for a hobby to get him out of the house. "It was either archery or gliding and gliding looked a bit boring," he said.

The sport is mentally challenging as well as physical and requires a huge commitment. "There's no time for any other sport if you do this," said Barry.

He believes people are at their peak in archery at the age of 25 but sees no difference between men and women in the sport. "The people who shoot well do tend to be strong though." he said.

Over in the corner, the competition was hotting up between Sam and Mark. They were almost neck and neck and each was determined to win. But they were being challenged by Margaret's fianc Paul Fincher.

"If you do a bad shot you can't blame anyone but yourself," said Keith Parsons, a coach who first got interested in the sport after seeing a TV programme on archery. He went along to a session, loved it and has been committed ever since.

Meanwhile Barry was worried about me. "You need a bit of sorting out. Your body and your hands need repositioning," he said. Frankly I couldn't see I was ever going to get the hang of it. But then all of a sudden - bingo. After a few pointers I was hitting bulls eyes but not enough to catch up.

Mark took first place with a score of 308, Paul came second with 305 and Sam was in third place with 304. Skip who scored 284 putting her in fourth place pointed out she was the best of the women on the night and we all agreed - she is the editor after all.

But nothing is without a price. Both Sam and Skip arrived in the office proudly displaying huge bruises on their arms the next morning muttering words along the lines of "all worth it...good fun, must go again."

It was a good evening out. Sam is tempted to take it up as a sport. But me? I was relieved to have hit the target at all so I'll quit while I'm ahead.