BUCS Indoors 2017 Finals Review

Tournament Results [PDF 219kb]




2017 saw a major shift in the structure of BUCS Indoor Championships. Following the switch to separate men’s and women’s teams in 2015, 2017 saw the introduction of Northern and Southern qualifying events and a National Finals. The qualifiers were Portsmouths – and indeed were used as regional league rounds, whilst the National Finals used a WA 18m round. Team rankings were extracted from this ranking round, whilst the individual prizes were determined by a H2H, taking in the top 32 gent and lady recurves (16 for barebows, 8 for longbow and compound).

Records show that the WA 18m round was used as the BUCS Indoors round from 1980 to 1982, although teams were mixed 4 person and there was no H2H element.

In the gents team category, Birmingham ran away with the title. The Brummie trio hit 1716 and finished nearly 40 clear of Warwick who took second place on 1677. Edinburgh took third spot on 1641, the Scottish side were the only men’s team in the top 5 from outwith BUTTS. Loughborough were fourth on 1622. Behind the leading group, Nottingham Trent were best of the rest in 5th with 1569. Swansea followed up their BUTC semi-final appearance with 6th place here on 1551 – their best ever BUCS championship placing. Newly crowned SEAL winners London were 7th on 1528, whilst Nottingham took the last BUCS point and were the last team over 1500, albeit by a point.

Birmingham wrapped up a double win in the ladies team with 1622 enough to see off the challenge of Edinburgh who scored 1603. As in the men’s team event, Edinburgh were the only non-BUTTS team in the top 5. There was then a drop to the rest of the teams. Warwick won bronze medals with 1539, with Nottingham fourth on 1515 and Loughborough fifth on 1490. There was joy for hosts Bristol as their ladies team ended the day in 6th place on 1476, just 3 ahead of Southampton. London’s ladies were eighth on 1458.

In the compound team category, a mixed team of 2 event, Edinburgh’s all female duo won with 1160. Warwick were second on 1135. Swansea and Portsmouth were third and fourth on 1119 and 1114.

All 3 team categories establish new BUCS, so congratulations to (deep breath) Birmingham's recurve men (Ashe Morgan, Francis Berti and Christopher Avins) with 1716, their recurve women (Rebekah Tipping, Catherine Jackson, Caitlin McCarthy) with 1622 and Edinburgh's compounders (Sarah Prieels, Hope Greenwood) with 1160. Also establishing new records were the 8 individual category toppers, so congratulations to (another deep breath) recurves Ashe Morgan (Birmingham) 582 and Jaspreet Sagoo (East London) 571, compounds Fraser Chape (Robert Gordon) 573 and Sarah Prieels (Edinburgh) 582, barebows Willie Usher Smith (Liverpool) 483 and Jessica Nilsson (Edinburgh) 485 and longbows Alex Newnes (Aberystwyth) 428 and Jessica Nirkko (Edinburgh) 348.

Francis Berti (Birmingham) won the gents recurve title beating defending Indoor and Outdoor champion Tom Hall (Warwick) in the final. Ashe Morgan (Birmingham) beat Sherman Ip (Warwick) for bronze. In the gents knock-out rounds, there were relatively few surprises in the early rounds, with 9th the highest seed to fall early. Ashe Morgan (Birmingham) beat Guy Matzkin (Edinburgh) to face Tom Hall (Warwick), who had beaten Rob Gray (Nottingham Trent) in the first semi-final. Some remarkable shooting from Hall saw him whitewash Morgan and meant the Warwick man hadn’t dropped a single point in four matches. In the bottom half of the draw, 6th seed Sherman Ip (Warwick) upset 3rd seed Jack Masefield (Derby). In the second Brum v Edin QF Francis Berti (Birmingham) beat Vlado Hurban (Edinburgh) and had too much for Ip in the semi.

Jaspreet Sagoo (East London) retained her ladies individual BUCS Indoors title, beating home archer Rebecca Martin (Bristol) in the final. Lydia Sinnett-Smith (Nottingham) beat Rebekah Tipping (Birmingham) for bronze. The ladies 6th and 7th seeds both fell in the round of 32. In the QFs, defending champion Sagoo eased past Lisa Kompfner (Edinburgh) before beating Rebekah Tipping (Birmingham). Tipping had accounted for Sara Rubio (Southampton) in the other QF. In the bottom half of the draw Neringa Siugzdinyte (Edinburgh) lost to Rebecca Martin (Bristol), whilst 3rd seed Pip Taylor (Derby) went out to Lydia Sinnett-Smith (Nottingham), the 11th seed. Sinnett-Smith’s run came to an end in the semis with defeat to Martin.

In barebow, 16 gent and lady barebows qualified for the knock-out stages. The winners were Samuel Thomas (Loughborough) and Jessica Nilsson (Edinburgh). In the gents QFs top seed Willie Usher Smith (Liverpool) was ousted by 8th seed Will Armstrong (Bristol). Armstrong went on to win his semi against Mark Peart (Loughborough) - the 13th seed and claim the home side's second individual silver of the day. David Priestly (Bath) was the 14th seed, but also made it through to the semi-finals before losing to Thomas. Priestly beat Peart in the bronze match. Ladies barebow went more along seeding lines with Jessica Nilsson (Edinburgh) seeded 1st, beating Sarah Shahzad (Abertay) seeded 2nd in the final. Nilsson beat Elizabeth Miller (Sussex) in that semi and Miller went on to beat Charlotte Wu (Bath) in the bronze match.

In longbow (as in compound) the knock-out phase comprised only the top 8 archers. Defending champ Alex Newnes (Aberystwyth) dominated the gents competition, qualifying over 100 points clear of the field and winning all his matches, including beating Tom Lucking (East Anglia) in the final. The women's event was substantially closer. Emily Williams (South Wales) edged past Helen Woodcock (Central Lancashire) before meeting Jessica Nirkko (Edinburgh) in the final. Nirkko beat Williams in the final to win Edinburgh's 3 individual female title out of the 4 available.

In compound only the top 8 qualified for the knock-out stages - the compounds also did not use the set system but a 15 arrow match. Ciaron Peake (Liverpool), seeded 4th beat Fraser Chape (Robert Gordon's) seeded 1st, in their semi. However Peake could not stop Chris Woodgate (Warwick) seeded 2nd. Woodgate beat Peake in the final, with Chape losing to Thomas Taylor (Coventry) in the bronze match. The ladies compound final between Sarah Prieels and Hope Greenwood (both Edinburgh) was perhaps the most dramatic of the day - not only was it between (gold team medal winning) club mates, but it was eventually decided by a shoot off arrow. Prieels defended her title from 12 months ago, whilst Greenwood picks up a 5th consecutive individual silver. Lizzie Foster (Durham) beat Neira Miljkovic (Nottingham) for bronze.

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