UK Student Archery Association

Enter the E-League [15/Jan/15]

Over the last year or two there has been a concerning trend of some clubs not entering scores to the British Universities Archery E-League, dropping out of the competition, one relegation at a time. UKSAA heartily recommends the E-League - it is a really worthwhile competition, with a format that is widely replicated outwith the student bubble. It may lack the drama and glamour of BUTC or the lucrative BUCS points, but the E-League is the largest and longest student competition of the year. Every 7th April, it provides another chance to win a national student title, rewarding consistency of performance.

The E-League is no stranger to the photo finish either (particularly in 2012 and 2014) and is the only realistic way for geographically distant clubs to compete with one another in a league format. From the start of the 2011/12 season onwards, the 17 contested E-League rounds have had six different winners, with three different champions in the last three years.

Even as numbers for the E-League have dipped, BUTTS League Organiser Adam Peers created a "for fun" spreadsheet showing how the first legs of BUTTS, NEUAL and SEAL would look combined, effectively recreating the E-League from first principles. Any team with no score for an entire season face automatic relegation, so even though the year is moving onwards, get your club involved. Entering scores on the website is very simple to do and you can always email the organisers if log in details have been lost in the mists of time.

After Round 2, November, of the 2014-15 E-League, Warwick and Bath swapped places at the top, after Warwick took maximum points. Bath are second, level on points but behind on Average. Cambridge, London, Southampton and Aberdeen finished 3rd down to 6th for the second month running. Liverpool are the best placed A team in Division 2, whilst Exeter A and Nottingham Trent A lead Divisions 3 and 4. London's second second place puts them top of Novice Division 1, with Napier and Bath hanging on to second and third.

Individually, there are some fascinating and competitive battles, particularly both gents and ladies senior recurve divisions. Full results are in the E-League website. Round 3 of the E-League cuts across December and January combined. Submit your scores by 5th February - results on the 7th.

View the E-League Website (external link) and E-League info on UKSAA.

Entry deadlines for the other nationals have all now been announced and they are as follows:

BUCS Indoor: Thursday 22nd January, qualifying score needed

BUTC: Thursday 5th February, or Thursday 29th January to be eligible for possible B team spaces

BUCS Outdoor: Tuesday 26th May, qualifying score needed

Also, some SSS calendar updates. Venue problems mean that match 3 (scheduled for 24th January) has been cancelled altogether, whilst match 4 (31st January) will now be hosted by Dundee and St Andrews.