The BBS Archery Indoor Championship took place from 4-6th April and was kindly sponsored by The Worshipful Company of Fletchers. The weekend saw 15 archers take part (the highest number since 2014) in three different rounds.
Saturday was the main event of the weekend, with competitors shooting a WA 25m round in the morning followed by a UK Record Status WA VI Indoor round in the afternoon.
Each round consists of 60 arrows on a 60cm face with the WA 25m being shot at 25 meters and the WA VI Indoor shot at the shorter distance of 18 meters.
The Sunday saw a slightly less formal 'club competition' where participants took part in the Stafford round (72 arrows on an 80cm face at 30 meters).
The weekend showcased a strong field of visually impaired archers across multiple categories, with spirited performances, notable improvements, and several record-setting scores.
Saturday Results: WA 25m and WA VI Indoor Rounds
Top Performers
- VI-1 Category:
Clive Jones (Blind Veterans UK) took the top spot with a combined score of 406, followed by Roger Rees-Evans (Neath Archers) with 326 and Trish Gracesmith (Walsall CoA) with 189. - VI-2 & VI-3 Recurve:
Marie-Alix Bonny (Cardinal Mercier Archery) dominated with 683, ahead of Bethan Guiver and Eleanor Hudson. - VI-2 & VI-3 Compound:
A close contest saw Steve Prowse (Wolverhampton COA) narrowly beat Nick Thomas (Archery GB), scoring 997 to Thomas's 990. - VI-Open Category:
Debora Wright (Wellingborough Open AC) stood out with a commanding score of 1077, setting a new BBS Archery Section record with her 567-point afternoon round. - Non-Classified:
Dominic Rosher (Lancaster University AC) posted an impressive 944.
Records Set
- Debora Wright set a BBS-AS record in the WA VI Indoor (B4 Lady Compound) with 567 points.
- Terry Piper (Bowmen of the Deans) broke two BBS-AS records: 493 in the WA 25m and 531 in the WA VI Indoor, both in the B4 Gent Compound category.
Thomas Trophy – Most Improved Scores
- Marie-Alix Bonny achieved the greatest improvement with a 152-point increase over her previous year's score.
- Other notable improvements came from John Wilkinson (+125), Terry Piper (+76), and Clive Jones (+64).
Sunday Results: Stafford Round
Archers returned on Sunday for the Stafford Round club competition, with two categories: Blackout and Handicap Adjusted.
Standard Results Highlights:
- In the Blackout division, Clive Jones again led with 206.
Handicap-Adjusted Results:
- Phil Tranter (Sheffield Blind Archery) claimed first in non-blackout with a huge adjusted score of 1,532.
- Close behind were Andrea Thomas (1,458) and Debora Wright (1,457), underscoring tight competition.
Team Results
Our club competition includes a team competition, which pits the top VI archers against the top sighted archers.
The VI Team secured victory over the sighted team with a total adjusted score of 2,860, narrowly edging out their opponents by 55 points.
Conclusion
The 2025 BBS Indoor Championships highlighted the resilience, skill, and competitive spirit of archers across all visual classifications. With records broken, personal bests shattered, and inspiring performances across the board, the event was a testament to inclusive sport at its finest.
Thanks once again to The Worshipful Company of Fletchers for their continued support of VI archery and our championships.
For more results, records, and information, visit: www.bbsarchery.org.uk
The next Tournament will be the Outdoor Tournament on Sunday 14th September at Lilleshall National Sport Centre.
