UK Student Archery Association

And they're off [12/Nov/14]

SSS, BUTTS and NEUAL are off and running for 2014/15. Edinburgh and Warwick took first blood in their all-league fixtures whilst Bradford and Sheffield won their NEUAL matches. Bath pipped Warwick to maximum E-League points.

Edinburgh got their season off to a winning start with a total of 2229. Aberdeen were their only serious challengers, scoring 2184, with Strathclyde a distant third. Janos Peters (Edinburgh) top scored in the match with 570 - in fact his was the only score over 560. In the novice match, Edinburgh won with 1477, including a 519 from Shannon Mackenzie-Cameron. Napier were second novice team, with Aberdeen in third.

The opening BUTTS leg was dominated by big early season numbers from Oxford and Warwick. Tom Hall (Warwick) top scored in the match with 584, helping Warwick to 2289 and a 12 point win over Oxford's 2277 for whom Cipran Zahan scored 575. Nottingham Trent were third, pipping Loughborough 2243 against 2239, thanks to 582 from Robert Gray. Nottingham were fifth on 2228. There were low 570s from Enrik Nako, Jorge Lindley (both Warwick), Alexander Smith, Charlie Birch (both Oxford), Mike Gray (Trent), Arthur Coveney (Loughborough) and Richard Haydock (Nottingham) with a further 7 scores over 560. Birmingham beat Nottingham to the top of the novice match, both well clear of Derby in third place.

Incidentally, Warwick v Oxford was the BUTC 2014 final. BUTC 2015 hosting news is expected within days.

In the two NEUAL matches there were wins for Bradford and Sheffield. Bradford sit top of the table due to a superior aggregate 2146 to 2136. Newcastle also made their long awaited NEUAL debut - they were originally slated to take part in NEUAL 2002/03 - losing to Bradford but beating NE rivals Sunderland. In the other match Sheffield beat Keele, with Curtis Tatner (Sheffield) scoring 574. Leeds and Keele won their respective novice matches.

In the E-League, in senior recurve division 1, Bath and Warwick shot matching 2290s, but Bath took maximum points on hits, 240 to 239. Cambridge took third in the opening round of the E-League which was poorly "attended" even for Round 1, September/October. Napier top novice division 1 after one round. Robert Gray (Nottingham Trent) and Madeleine Meatyard (Warwick) top the individual recurve standings, with defending champions Gareth Fleming (Queen Margaret) and Rebekah Tipping (Aberdeen) second.

This coming weekend, SSS leg 2 take place in Dundee and St Andrews as well as the other half of the first batch of NEUAL fixtures which include a meeting between Liverpool and York, last season's top two.