Evesham played host to the 118 archers competing in this year’s 50+ Championships.
Evesham’s wind visited the archers during the event making it tricky at times, but the sun did finally come out and the head-to-heads were shot in some very warm conditions. Almost 120 archers competed, shooting four bowstyles: barebow, compound, longbow and recurve.
Tournament Organiser, Laurence Fletcher, said: “The greatest joy of being a Tournament Organiser is giving people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to do something amazing. The 50+ Championships is a new tournament to Evesham Archery Club, and we’ve loved it. We know that some people were disappointed to not get in this year, but we hope to be able to offer a bigger event in 2025 so that everyone will have a space.”
One of the stand-out performance on the day was from Kevin Macey from Deer Park Archers. A claim will be made for a new longbow UK record for the WA60 round with a score of 410.
For women’s longbow archer Samantha Hookway, this was her first ever national event, and she came away with the bronze medal: “Having never shot at a national event before I was a bit nervous and expecting it to be very formal, but to my surprise it was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere from both competitors and the Judges. I would highly recommend it to fellow archers on the ‘other side of 50’ and look forward to next year!”
The longbow women's podium. Credit: Laurence Fletcher
Category |
Winner |
| Recurve 50+ men | Stuart Wood-Edens |
| Recurve 50+ women | Alison Page |
| Compound 50+ men | Justin Twigg |
| Compound 50+ women | Pamela Duncanson |
| Barebow 50+ men | Alan Holder |
| Barebow 50+ women | Patricia Hotchkiss |
| Longbow 50+ men | Kevin Macey |
| Longbow 50+ women | Judy Krasker |
Gareth Thomas-Prause: “This time I was on the target forming the alternative 'Team GB' (Team Grey Beards) with Shai Qureshi and Ian Clark. Such good fun, competitive, but in a friendly, fun and enjoyable way. Even though my scores weren't the best, I still walked away with a smile on my face and still loving this sport of ours.”
Fourth place compound archer, Ian Clark, told us: “The National 50+ championships is always one I look forward to competing in. A friendly atmosphere with a very high standard of archery throughout the different bow categories. I would really encourage anyone age applicable to come along to a fun event, I am already looking forward to next year!”
Target mates, Gareth Thomas-Prause, Shai Qureshi, and Ian Clark. Credit: Ian Clark
Find all of the scores and results here.
