GREAT ACHIEVEMENT FOR NORTHERN IRELAND ARCHERS!
The British open in Field Archery was shot at the weekend in Wales, in the
Rhondda Valley to be precise. A squad of over 30 archers from Northern Ireland
travelled to shoot in this premier event, the biggest contingent yet! Gerald
Farrell from Pentref Archers, the host club set out a very challenging course
using the slopes of the mountainside to great effect. This tournament was
a prequel to the World Championships which will be hosted here in September
2008. this was also the last qualifying shoot for the British Team for the
European Field Archery Championships in Croatia this summer so archers were
looking for scores to make the team. The weather did not help on day two with
lots of rain and some wind…in fact some parts of the course became very
slippy especially on the slopes. This makes the achievement of three NIAS
archers who qualified for the team all the more laudible.
PETER MULLIGAN QUALIFIES IN TWO STYLES.
PHILIP FITZPATRICK AND MARK NESBITT MAKE BRITISH TEAM.
There was great anticipation when the Selection committee came to announce
the British team which would shoot in the European Championships this summer.
Peter Mulligan [Ballyvally Archers] had a very good year considering he set
himself a very difficult task. He set out to qualify for the British team
twice in two different styles. No other Northern Ireland archer has ever achieved
this and possibly only one other British archer. Peter achieved his final
third score on the steep Kendal course in Cumbria in early May and with two
freestyle scores achieved he was depending on the British open, the last shoot,
to give him his third score…thus the importance of the weather! He got
his third score at the weekend by one point! Who says one point is not important?
Peter had then qualified to shoot for Britain in either barebow or freestyle
and having already two gold medals from World Champiomships in Austria and
Croatia and a silver medal from the European Championships in Slovenia he
opted to shoot freestyle and by doing so he brought fellow club member Philip
Fitzpatrick on to the team as well. Philip had also achieved his three qualifying
scores earlier including an excellent 606. Philip’s skill and dedication
especially over the past year had at last shown dividends as his scores went
up and up until at the difficult Kendal he was second only to Peter Mulligan.
On day one of the British open he was in first place leading the pack but
slipped a bit on the wet day two to eventually finish fourth, but by then
he had done enough to qualify for the team. The third Northern Ireland Archer
to qualify was junior Mark Nesbitt who had shot consistently over the past
year since he moved up to senior red distances. .Mark shoots freestyle and
has beaten the junior opposition from England and Wales regularly this year.
Both being regulars on the NIAS Team, it will be Mark’s first time and
Philip’s first time on the British team Ballyvally club members wish
them all the best in Croatia this summer.
8 BRITISH CHAMPIONS FOR NIAS.
Eight N.I. archers came tops in their sections over the two days shooting.
Nathan Lemon from City of Belfast Club won the boys longbow while Joanne Alexander
from Lough Cuan won the ladies compound barebow title. Ashley Russell-Cowan
from Ballyvally lifted the silver stag as the top lady traditional archer
and she was joined by 5 Ballyvally junior club members who all won their classes.
Mark Nesbitt won the under 18 freestyle boys trophy while Amy Lavery won the
under 18 girls freestyle class. Peter Lavery won the under 15 boys barebow
and Claire Hillen won the under 15 girls compound barebow for girls. .Shannon
Russell-Cowan won the girls traditional class. Lesley McComb [Muckamore] won
the ladies freestyle veteran class.
Silver medals went to Peter Mulligan [Ballyvally] in mens freestyle and Audrey
Needham [Lough Cuan] came second in ladies longbow. Gilbert McClelland [Banbridge]
took bronze in mens barebow in a very tight competition where only 5 points
separated the top 3 archers! There were also near misses just out of the medals
in gents traditional when John Scott came 4th , in ladies barebow when Edel
Mulligan [Ballyvally] came 4th and in gents barebow when Philip[ Fitzpatrick
[Ballyvally] came 4th . Next year the British Open will be shot in the grounds
of Ballywalter Estate and Lough CuanArchers will host the event.
For info on archery in the Banbridge area contact Frank Mulligan on 028406
23748.