Archery knock-outs underway

Wednesday 12 July 2023

The Island Games archers are midway through their competitions with the knock-outs underway at Port Soif from today.

There's already been medals awarded in earlier competitions with three silver and two bronze for Guernsey.

Lisa Gray won silver in the Single WA 1440 Recurve A140 while Zoe Gray won the Compound bronze. Lisa was on the team which won silver in the Single WA 1440 Recurve too, while Zoe was in the bronze winning compound team.

When it came to the team compound knockout event Jersey defeated Guernsey by 142 to 139.

The Jersey compound team included GB Senior Team archer Lucy O'Sullivan.

She is hopeful, but not confident of winning more medals.

Pictured (l-r): Mollie Perret and Lucy O'Sullivan.

"I'm actually quite nervous coming into this competition," she said. "I was quite nervous because I'm shooting against a former GB friend who's from the Isle of Man. So I knew that it was going to be really tough competition because they're just such the dark horses, those those all of Isle of Man people!

"In the Jersey games (2015), I think she beat me in one of the events, so yeah...yesterday getting a gold, it was good. It was my comeback."

O'Sullivan said she's also wary of the Faroese archers who she knows are very good.

"The Faroes have one of the guys that he's been on the World Cup circuit. He's going to be going to his 11th world championships, he is their team captain and their coach. So when I found out that he was coming and he was the coach for the Faroes, it was again an unknown, you know, an unknown squad. They've done really well as well."

Fellow Jersey archer Mollie Perret is at her first Island Games.

"It's just an absolutely unforgettable experience. I've learned so much and made so many new friends.

"As a team, we started training last September, but personally goals wise, I've been training for this for four or five years, so it's just great to finally be here."

Guernsey's Ellen Bonner is the youngest archer competing this year at just 14-years-old.

"I think I've done quite well this morning (Tuesday)," she said. "Being at the same distance for a long period of time is always quite tough, because if you have a bad end, you still got to go back to that same distance. But it's been quite nice."

Bonner has already competed in the Mixed Compound Head to Head Team Knockout - which she won a team silver, to Jersey's gold - and the Single WA 1440 Compound Team, for which she won bronze with Jersey and the Isle of Man winning gold and silver respectively.

She's now competing in the knockout competition, which is a first for her.

"This is actually my first sort of experience that I've never done one like that before. This is actually my first Island Games as well, but I am enjoying it.

"I started three years ago, and since then I've been away a couple of times to England for competitions and done a couple of home competitions. I always was quite interested in it, like the Castle Cornet events with the archery, I just really got into it. I was actually too young to start it but because I was quite tall and mature for my age, they decide to let me try it."

Pictured: Manx archer Joy Goff.

At the other end of the age scale is Joy Goff from the Isle of Man. At 72-years-old she is the oldest Manx team member and the oldest archer.

"I started in archery in 1991. My first games was 93 and this is my 30th anniversary, and this is my 10th games as a competitor.

"I'm a coach and I've been assistant team manager for two of the games when he has been in the game."

Goff said she devotes two days a week to training sessions as well as all day every Sunday.

"You've also got to be relaxed and learn to deal with your emotions. I enjoy it, and I like coaching and bringing the kids through that. That's a great feeling. Seeing the youngsters come through.

"We do 'have a go' sessions and things like that. We have got two beginners sessions each year, and they come from age nine upwards, so we have from nine to whatever. As long as they can hold the bow and pull the string back, they can do it!"

The Isle of Man team are considered a strong group in the archery, having so far won silver and bronze team medals.

"My team is brilliant," said Goff. "I'm holding the rest of them up at the moment because somebody has to be the foundation stone. But I'm going to enjoy it."

LISTEN

Archery features in our Island Games update: Day 3 podcast: