UK Student Archery Association

SEAL 1 vs SEAL 2 [14/Dec/18]

The first two league matches of SEAL have taken place over the weekends of 24/25 November and 8/9 December, with several teams recording yo-yo performances, see the SEAL 2018/19 page.

After the main weekend’s action in match 1, (24/25 November) Southampton and Imperial were virtually inseparable at the top. Southampton ended up four shy of 2100, but crucially they were one point ahead of the Imps, with Stuart MacFarquhar (Southampton) leading his side on 561. London appeared to be on 2063 in third, but in fact the last part of match 1 featuring Brunel, Portsmouth and Dominic Collis (London) was postponed by a few days.

In the highly unusual position of knowing exactly what score he personally needed to ensure that his team finished top - 533 - Collis rattled in 576 to top score in the match. London's final winning total was 2140. The teams from 4th down to 8th were squashed in to the 18 point gap between 2021 and 2003. Sussex were fourth thanks to James Jackson (Sussex) who hit 574. Queen Mary were fifth – their best ever finish in a SEAL leg. Elsewhere in the leg there were high 560s from Jonas Skackauskas (Brunel) and Matthew Sharpe (Surrey).

Match 2 was the last regional league fixture anywhere before Christmas and there was much to celebrate in Norwich. A score of 2174 from East Anglia saw them run away with a surprise victory - their first senior SEAL match win. This was an improvement of 219 points and 9 places against the UEA of match 1. Charis Charalambous (East Anglia) propelled his team into top spot with 578. London very narrowly stayed ahead of Imperial, outdoing their local rivals 2145 to 2141.

33 points may have covered the top 3, but then there was a near 90 point drop to the scrap for fourth. Anglia Ruskin pinched it with 2052. This is ARU's best ever finish in a SEAL match in what is their third season. Portsmouth were fifth on 2050. Both of these clubs were 3 places higher than match 1. In contrast Sussex and QMU went from top 5 (in match 1) to bottom 3 (match 2). Jonas Skackauskas (Brunel) top scored in the match with 581. Nick Wilson (Brighton) missed out on a 560 by a point.

The results left the senior SEAL table after 2 matches with a broadly familiar feel, but the sides in the centre are very close together. London have 29 points, with Imperial on 26 and Southampton on 24. The Anglia clubs are both on 21.

In novice match 1, London and Southampton were well out in front, with London taking the team double on 1361 and Southampton on 1332. Portsmouth and Essex also broke 1200. In match 2, London raced miles clear on 1412. East Anglia's great day carried on as they took second on 1295, with Essex on 1246. Top individual in match 1 was Regina Kapfer (Reading) on 486, with David Metz (Southampton) top in match 2 on 527. London lead the table by 5 points from Essex as the novice table reflects yet more big swings in the rankings.

The next set of SEAL fixtures are scheduled for the weekend of the 16th/17th February to be hosted by Brunel, Southampton, London, Surrey and UEA.