UK Student Archery Association

E by Brum [05/May/17]

Results from Round 5 of the E-League, covering March, have belatedly been published. With this round's scores now added in, the E-League season has come to a close.

Birmingham have won the E-League title for the first time. They won Division 1 for March to make it a 2nd, followed by 4 1sts and 49 points out of a possible 50. Birmingham became the eighth different club to ever win a E-League round. As so often this season, local rivals (and defending E-League champions) Warwick came the closest to stopping the Brummie juggernaut. In Round 5, Warwick slipped to 4th, but placed comfortably second overall on 44 points. Loughborough (who were second in Round 5) were third overall, finishing on 40 points. The E-League podium mirrored the BUTTS league equivalent, a measure of in particular these three teams.

Southampton and London finished fourth and fifth in the table, with Southampton gradually overtaking their SEAL rivals over the season. In the bottom half of Division 1, Cambridge, Liverpool and Napier will all live to fight next season, but Bath and Aberdeen finished in the bottom two. They should be replaced by the top two A teams in Division 2, Swansea and Exeter, who overhauled Nottingham Trent. Trent won the first two rounds in Division 2, but then entered no further scores.

In Compound Division 1, Swansea won the overall title on 48 points. Southampton and Warwick were second and third. The compound league is using team of 3 and only these 3 clubs were truly contesting.

In Novice Division 1, Southampton were very comfortable winners on 42 points, well clear of the competition. Cambridge's novices had led after three rounds, but were second heading in to Round 5. However Cambridge stumbled and saw their seven point lead over third placed Loughborough evaporate in Round 5. Only match aggregate kept the Light Blues in silver, both teams on 34. Birmingham were a point behind on 33, with Warwick fifth on 30. As in the seniors, Swansea and Exeter ended as the top two A teams in Division 2 and should taste top flight action next season.

Francis Berti (Birmingham) scored 93 points came from two 3rds and three 2nds. Ashe Morgan (Birmingham) was second gent on 80 points, with no score in round 1, followed by 4 maximums. Sherman Ip and Tom Hall (both Warwick) were next on 79 and 73. Hall had been second, but entered no score in the round. Arthur Coveney (Loughborough) overtook Ben Quigg (Teesside) to take fifth.

Becky Martin (Bristol) won ladies with 98, but had to fight off stiff competition from treble defending champion Rebekah Tipping (Birmingham). Tipping finished on 94 (1st, two 2nds, two 3rds), with Sara Rubio (Southampton) unable to make back the ground she lost in round 1 in third on 89. Behind the leading trio, Catherine Jackson and Caitlin McCarthy (both Birmingham) finished dead level on 72 points and an average of 558.8, the pair having overtaken Jessie Slater (Leeds Beckett) who entered no score in round 5 to place 6th.

Lukas Bastow (Southampton) pipped Toby Beasley (Loughborough) to the gents novice win, whilst ladies novice was closer, with Vera Jackisch (Imperial) top of the pile and Trixie Schimek (Birmingham) second. The gap from 1st to 5th was only 9 league points.

Top barebows were David Cunningham (Teesside) and Juliet Spedding (Liverpool), whilst William Shackley (Swansea) and Abbie Hall (Southampton) were top compounds. Longbow winners were Thomas Dunlop (Swansea) and Emily Williams (South Wales).

The presence of heavyweights Birmingham, Warwick and Loughborough at the top of Division 1 shows that the competition is working. However, the credibility of the E-League is something to be considered, with some big names taking no part. Nottingham and Oxford were relegated from Division 4 last year whilst Edinburgh and Lancaster followed them this season, having entered no scores for years. The cross-league results (constructed by Adam Peers) have always been interesting and comment-worthy. As the regional leagues flourish, hopefully the E League can too.

A teams likely to gain promotion: Swansea and Exeter (from Division 2 to 1), Teesside (4 to 3), Bristol and East Anglia (Conference to 4).

See E-League section of the UKSAA site and on the E-League website, the final 2016/2017 E-League tables.