UK Student Archery Association

Leagues limber up [19/Oct/09]

Clubs up and down the land are starting to prepare for their opening fixtures, with provisional SUS and NEUAL calendars having been published. Steven Johnson and David Leach take over the hotseats at BUTTS and SWWU respectively, Leach already busy building up his league, whilst Matt Nowicki returns for a second stint in charge of SUS having previously done the honours in the 2004/05 season. Tom Wiblin returns for a second year in charge of SEAL whilst Michael Ward does it all again in NEUAL for an eighth time.

The opening SUS fixture is on Sat 14th Nov and sees last season's SUS League runners up Dundee at home to last seasons SUS Indoor and Outdoor Championship runners up St Andrews with Strathclyde the third team in the match. A week later St Andrews play host to Edinburgh (35 senior SUS fixtures unbeaten... and counting) and Napier, at time of writing still homeless, but about to move to their fourth "permanent" home in five years.

The opening batch of NEUAL fixtures will place over the weekends of the 14th and 21st November. Defending champions Lancaster are away to Roses rivals York, Durham the third team in the match. Bradford host Liverpool, who ran Lancaster so close last season, and Sheffield who won NEUAL in 07/08. In the other match 06/07 champions Keele are at home to Leeds and Huddersfield. NEUAL has produced four different champions in the last four years and it looks impossible to predict yet again.

Last year BUTTS set some incredibly high standards with an average score of over 2100 for six of the seven clubs. Warwick and Nottingham were a cut above the rest though, with averages of 2257 and 2237 respectively. Nottingham led the table for most of the season only be overhauled by Warwick right at the death. The pair even contested the first BUTC final not to have Edinburgh in it, a close match, won 16-15 by Nottingham.

SEAL promises to be fiercely contested this year and as hard to predict as NEUAL. Last year, traditional top two Surrey and Imperial were challenged by new boys Kent, with Southampton improving sharply over the season, claiming bronze at Lilleshall. Look out too for Essex, who nearly won the SEAL novice league on debut and also Reading who will be a much tougher prospect with Julie Chenery (ex-Warwick) and Graeme Anderson (ex-Edinburgh) in the side this year.

SWWU have announced the first league match date - Exeter on 21st November. Although there were only three teams last year, Bath and Swansea did produce a thrilling contest, 13-12 to Bath in the seniors, 13-12 to Swansea in the novices. This year Stuart Whythe (ex-Leeds) is trying to kick start a club at Gloucestershire and it looks as though they will be immediately folded into SWWU competition. Also, the elusive Plymouth are once again being sought to compete - the last time Plymouth competed in a SWWU fixture (excluding where scores from BUCS/BUSA have been used) was May 2004.