BUCS Outdoors 2015 took place on Saturday 13th June at Lilleshall NSC in conditions that could safely be described as wet. This year, for the first time, the senior team event was split into separate men's and women's teams of three, rather than a mixed team of four event, meaning two sets of team champions. There were 275 starters, another record for the event, beating the record of 260 from 2006 and 2014.

In the gents team event, Warwick overhauled Edinburgh (who had led early on) to win the title with a team score of 3475. Edinburgh scored 3412 in second place, whilst Birmingham took third on 3342. Positions 4th, 5th and 6th were very closely contested with a score of 3280 giving Oxford 4th spot by only 3 points from Bath, whilst Loughborough scored 3263. The last two BUCS-points scoring positions were occupied by the Nottingham clubs, Nottingham in 7th on 3238, just over 100 clear of Trent. Cambridge and Southampton rounded off the top 10 of the 16 complete gents teams of three, and they were the last two sides over 3000, London just missing out.

The ladies team event proved to be an Oxbridge 1-2, with Oxford, like Warwick, repeating their Indoor team triumph. Oxford's winning total was 3343, with Cambridge their only serious competition on 3267. Birmingham collected their second set of team bronzes, exactly 200 behind the Light Blues, but a mere 5 ahead of fourth placed Edinburgh. 5th to 8th placed ladies teams, winning BUCS points (and out of a total of 11) were Lancaster, Southampton, Loughborough and Warwick.

Direct comparison with previous years' results (in particular with the ladies results) is difficult since mixed teams of 4 perform differently from separate gender teams of 3. Since 2008, Warwick have finished runners up at this event an astonishing 5 times, although they did win back in 1987. This season however, Warwick's trophy cabinet is groaning, with the men's team titles from both BUCS Championships on top of BUTC and the E-League. Oxford's ladies' win means they hold both BUCS ladies team titles. The Dark Blues have half-defended the title they won for the first time (as a mixed team) last year. For Edinburgh, second place is their best senior team finish (mixed or otherwise) at a BUCS event since 2012. Cambridge and Birmingham have both won team medals at BUCS Indoor events more recently, but haven't medalled Outdoors since 2007 and 1996 respectively.

Novice teams were mixed teams of 3 as before, but in a few cases, novices were bumped up into the senior round (the 1440, rather than the Metric) to help fill those teams. The Novice team leaderboard was quite spread out by the close of play. Novice champions were Southampton who won with a total of 3140, with Warwick on 2953 and Loughborough on 2819. Just outside the medals, Lancaster were fourth on 2643, just under 100 ahead of Surrey, who took 5th ahead of Bath 2545 to 2517. There were 17 complete novice teams of three.

Gents recurve proved a tough contest with the lead changing hands several times and six gents breaking 1200 - previously the high was four. Ashe Morgan (Birmingham) eventually took the honours (to add to his BUCS Indoor win) with 1259, but he did it the hard way, with a relatively poor opening distance leaving him in seventh place and 31 points off the lead. However, he top scored at every other distance to eventually (during 30m) haul himself 3 points ahead of Alexander Smith (Oxford), who had led since before lunch. Both Morgan and Smith beat the BUCS/All Unis record of 1253 set last year. The only man to be in the medal positions after each distance, Tom Hall (Warwick) won bronze with a final score of 1247. Remarkably the top three gents finished in exactly the same order as at the Indoor Champs and it is Morgan, Smith and Hall who will be the gents recurves who travel to South Korea for the Summer Universiade at the start of July. Vlado Hurban (Edinburgh) and Robert Gray (Nottingham Trent) were fourth and sixth on 1221 and 1207, having been first and second after 90m. Hurban took the last BUCS point slot, with Alex Hickson (Bath) in fifth on 1207. Arthur Coveney (Loughborough) missed out on a 1200 by 2, whilst Jorge Lindley (Warwick) completed the leading group on 1173, 60 points clear of the chasing pack. A total of 12 gents broke 1100, down from 19 last year.

By the end of the long metric, ladies recurve had distilled in to a two horse race between Maryia Karpiyevich (Cambridge) and Charlie Birch (Oxford). As with the gents, the winning margin was 3 points and it was the Light Blues' Karpiyevich who took the title. She now holds the full set of BUCS individual medals, adding gold (Outdoors 2015) to silver (Outdoors 2013) and bronze (Indoors 2013). Birch won her second successive team gold/individual silver at this event. Madeleine Meatyard (Warwick) survived a late charge from Rebekah Tipping (Aberdeen) to take bronze 1123 to 1122 - Tipping made up 21 points on Meatyard over the short metric. Klara Fay (Oxford) had been third at half way, but slipped to fifth overall. She was the last woman over 1100, with Johanna Meyer (Edinburgh) in sixth on 1092. Alice Cotton (Birmingham) led by 5 after one distance, but ended up at the top of the chasing pack on 1085, one ahead of Amaryllis Barton (Oxford), whilst Sara Rubio (Southampton) hit 1082. Lydia Sinnett-Smith (Cambridge) was tenth and her score of 1079 was the best of the "novice-seniors".

Timothy Jackson (Warwick) opened up a massive lead in the gents novice division (46 points after one distance) but this was gradually whittled away over the course of the day, with the lead in to single digits with 30m still to shoot. Jackson held firm though, to win with 1050, four points clear of Luke Frearson (Nottingham) in second on 1046. Jay Tserkezie (Lancaster) overtook Toby Ross (Warwick) for bronze during 30m, final scores 1035 and 1032. These four were well clear at the top, whilst Ashley Barnes (Bath) and Michael Sessions (Southampton) shot upper 900s.

Abby Slark (Southampton) secured the ladies novice title by 46 points with 1108. The other medal positions changed hands regularly over the course of the day. Catherine Jackson (Birmingham) took home silver thanks to the best novice 30m total of the day (including the gents) to score 1062, overtaking Justina Valyte (Southampton) who finished on 1052. The leading group of novices was made up of Katya Sephton (Surrey) 4th on 1026, Alexandra Brady (Loughborough) 5th on exactly 1000 and Aurelie Hua (Southampton) 6th on 980, 75 clear of the field.

In compound, Thomas Taylor (Coventry) went one better than last year, winning with 1357 and breaking the All Unis/BUCS record by 1 point in the process. Taylor was pursued by Harrison Ooi (Edinburgh) who scored 1353. Taylor's performance at 70m (343 - 9 better than anyone else) effectively won him the title - encouraging for another who will be at Gwangju. Matt Dale (Warwick) was third on 1340 - all three leading gents compounds scored 357 at 30m. Hope Greenwood beat Stephanie Clason (both Edinburgh) - the pair finished the other way around 12 months ago, with Erin Prior (Coventry) reprising her third place. Greenwood scored 1350 to Clason's 1343 with Prior on 1328. Neira Miljkovic (Derby) was fourth on 1325. Top compound novice was Harry Charlton (Loughborough).

Huw Vaughan-Jackson (Edinburgh) and Elizabeth Rees (Bath) won the barebow titles commandingly at BUCS Outdoor - remarkably both enjoyed a winning margin of 178 points. Vaughan-Jackson's 858 won this title for the third year in a row, whilst Rees' 974 beat the BUCS and All Unis record by eight. Mark Ferguson (Exeter) and Jennifer Mankin (Sussex) won the silver medals. John McGrath (Swansea) took bronze on 10s from Harry Dean Lofthouse (Loughborough), both men scoring 620. Jasmine Grosso (Warwick) and Miranda Timmerman (Bristol) were 3rd and 4th ladies barebow. Patrick Corning (Southampton) and Emily Worsfield (Bath) were the top novice barebows.

In longbow, Ian Fleming (MMU Cheshire) scored 447 to pick up the gents title, while the ladies equivalent went to Emily Williams (South Wales) who came from virtually the back of the field after the first distance to score 352 and win.

The biggest ever BUCS Outdoors was also the first experience of an archery tournament for BUCS Event Coordinator Nick Burley. Welcome to the sport! Despite the inclement conditions, three BUCS/All Unis were broken and BUCS Outdoors included separate gender teams of three for the first time. The shoot was once again marshalled by the AFS crew. There was also a H2H event held on the following day to BUCS, which will be reviewed separately. As ever, massive thanks to all those who organised and took part.