UK Student Archery Association

Napier claim SSS crown [04/Mar/20]

Results from SSS match 5 (15th Feb) and SSS Indoor Champs (29th Feb) were published together, following the Indoor Champs. Napier won match 5 to stretch their lead to a full 5 league points. As a result, Napier won the senior SSS title for the first time. Two weeks later, St Andrews hosted and won SSS Indoor Champs.

Napier needed to finish top 3 in match 5 to guarantee themselves a maiden senior SSS league title, a fairly likely outcome given previous scores. Napier however signed off in style, with a narrow outright win. Napier's total of 2209 pipped the 2205 from outgoing league champions St Andrews. Edinburgh were third in the match, but posted a total of 2115, 90 behind second and 45 ahead of 4th placed Aberdeen (2070), who were themselves exactly 50 ahead of Strathclyde. Yohann Renault (St Andrews) was top scorer in the match 578, ahead of a small group in the low 560s. Renault's team mate Paul Ross (St Andrews) hit 564, there were 563s for Andrew Smith (Napier) and Guillaume Andrieux (Glasgow) and Petr Manas (Edinburgh) on exactly 560.

The result meant that Napier stretched their lead to 5 points, finishing on 73, with Edinburgh on 68 and St Andrews on 66. The result is Napier's first ever senior SSS league title, after having been runners-up 5 times. Napier won three of this season's five matches, all by wafer thin margins: by 6 pts over St Andrews in match 1, by 0 pts/14 golds over Edinburgh in match 4 and by 4 pts over St Andrews in match 5. However such was Napier's greater consistency over the season that even reversing all three of those results, Napier would still be champions. Edinburgh finished one place higher than last season. Defending champions St Andrews were arguably a better team than the one that triumphed last year, but they struggled with consistency, scoring a 2269 in match 2 but also fielding an incomplete team in match 4. In fact all of the top 3 this season had a higher 5 match aggregate than all of the top 3 last season.

Aberdeen were 4th in match 5, but Strathclyde held on to 4th overall, Aberdeen rounding off the top half of the 10 team table. Glasgow fielded multiple archers for the first time and were 9th, whilst Abertay returned to existence this year and were 10th.

Edinburgh's novices were comfortably first in the match 5, with a score of 1544, including 528 from Ilija Ristovski. Strathclyde were comfortably second but back on 1424, with Napier a further 80 or so behind. Mihail Benev (Napier) was best of the rest on 513. That was essentially a copy of the results from match 4 and indeed the overall table, with Edinburgh ending the season top on 71, with Strathclyde third on 69 and Napier on 67. The trio dominated the novice team podium throughout.

Edinburgh won compound match 5, with St Andrews second. Beth Martel (Edinburgh) was top individual on 572. Already 3 points clear, Edinburgh's compounds finished the season top on 74 points from St Andrews 70 and Strathclyde 67. Nine clubs fielded compounds during the season (including UHI) but only the top three teams ever fielded two compounds.

See SSS 2019/20 page for final SSS league standings.

Moving forward to the freestanding SSS indoor champs, this was held in St Andrews on 29th February. For the first time, the round used was a WA 18.

Hosts St Andrews produced a strong performance to romp to the SSS Indoors title. Having been de-throned as league champions, St Andrews claimed the Indoor Champs title which they did not win last season. The Fifers team total was 2122, with Edinburgh a very distant second on 1881 and Strathclyde claiming 3rd another 100 behind. Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Napier were the top three novice teams again. Glasgow also fielded a novice for the first time. Napier picked up the compound team title. Paul Ross and Yohann Renault (both St Andrews) were the top senior recurves on 552 and 545. Ilija Ristovski (Edinburgh) was top novice on 481, with Faye McInnes (Highlands and Islands) top compound on 567.

This has been a good season in Scotland, exemplified by more teams and higher scores. Only the more informal team H2H and Outdoor Championships now remain.