UK Student Archery Association

BC - Plymouth SWWeep to titles [24/Apr/20]

Editor's note - BC stands for Before Covid-19.

Plymouth won the SWWU senior and novice recurve team titles - both for the first time and both with a clean sweep of 4 wins. Exeter were runners up in both and also won the first running of a SWWU compound league.

SWWU has traditionally had a significant outdoor component and there were set to be several outdoor SWWU matches, culminating at Lilleshall. However corona-cancellations meant that results after the 4th round (extracted from BUCS qualifying scores) ended up becoming the final standings. Match 4 was the season in microcosm, with Plymouth had a little too much in the tank for their rivals. They won by 28 points from Bath, both clubs exceeding 2200. Nearest challengers (in the overall league) Exeter were third. There was strength in depth to this match, with all 7 "main" SWWU teams clearing 2100. There were also teams from Bangor and Cardiff Met.

Plymouth ended the season on 40/40 points, with Exeter on 34 and both Bristol and Swansea on 27. Although match 4 saw Swansea catch up to Bristol, Bristol's slightly higher match aggregate kept them on the podium. Plymouth's match winning margins (20, 63, 20 and 28) show a good match-by-match contest, but with Bath and Exeter splitting the second places between them, Plymouth powered well clear in the overall table.

Despite recording 6 top-5 national finishes in the last 3 years, Plymouth's previous best SWWU league finish was 3rd in 2018 and they are only the 4th different club to be SWWU champions in 19 years. This year Plymouth join Napier as first time regional league champions, alongside veteran league winners Warwick and Imperial.

The SWWU novice title went a very similar way. Plymouth won novice match 4 and the novice title, also for the first time, with 40/40. Exeter were second in the final standings on 32, despite a last leg stumble as in match 4 itself, only 43 points separated 2nd from 5th.

Exeter won the first ever SWWU compound league. This was run along the same lines as the SSS version, mixed team of two and as in SSS, participation levels had a big influence on final placings. Exeter were the only club to field a team of two at all fixtures and were a long way clear as a result. All nine clubs did participate at some level however - Cardiff were second and Swansea (who won 2 of the 4 legs) were third overall.

Results and final standings are available on the SWWU 2019/20 page.