2 Jul 2026
The East of Scotland Team claimed overall victory at the revamped 2026 Scottish Archery Inter Area Championships following an outstanding weekend of competition in Elgin. Hosted by Moray Archery Club from 30–31 May 2026, the newly formatted, point-based tournament brought together regional squads from the North, East, and West to battle for the national title.
Eastern Area Edge Victory in Tight Contest
The battle for the inaugural team crown came down to an incredibly tense two-day tournament. While the West of Scotland squad held a narrow 3-point advantage heading into Sunday, a series of hard-fought matches across all three regions—North, West, and East—blew the leaderboard wide open. In the end, it was the The Eastern Area squad that showed incredible resilience under the championship's revamped structure, delivering just enough clutch individual and team points to edge out the competition and lift the trophy by a mere 0.1 points
World Record Status and Matchplay Clashes
The event served as a major competitive testing ground for both elite international veterans and developmental novices.
The Format: Archers battled through consecutive World Record Status (WRS) 70/50m ranking rounds.
The Pressure: The qualification stages immediately shifted into high-stakes, direct-elimination team and mixed-team head-to-head matchplay.
The Preparation: The rigorous tournament design successfully simulated international team conditions, helping prepare Scotland’s regional squads for the upcoming National County Team Championships and Home Nations tournaments.
Beyond the intense target action, the weekend highlighted the tight-knit nature of the Scottish archery community. The Northern Area hosted a "Social Saturday" BBQ and evening entertainment, providing catered meals that allowed rival areas to bond and unwind away from the shooting line.
Curtis Hirst who was part of the Events Team said:
‘‘The inaugural Inter Area Championships held at Moray Archery Club is a fresh new addition to the event’s calendar in Scotland. Bringing teams of archers together from all across Scotland, it helped prove that archery is not only an individual sport but a team one too. A brilliant weekend of shooting combined with the social aspect on the Saturday evening made this weekend all the more special. We hope the athletes enjoyed the experience and hope it provided crucial preparation for the Home Nations and National County Team Championships later this year.’’
Â
Team Manager for the Eastern Area, Phyllis Pettett shared her reflections from the weekend:
''What an incredible weekend it was! Everyone was so excited, and even though all three areas were battling it out to be the first to have their Area name on the new trophy, the camaraderie and sportsmanship between all the teams was a joy to witness.
Â
There was much chanting and supporting for the areas own teams and lots of friendly rivalry, but also happy to help each other out, no matter which area an archer was from. After day 1 we were only 3 points behind the West, so we knew it was going to be a close call and would have to give it our all, to push forward, get ahead and ultimately clinch the win!
Â
As Team Manager, I was so proud of each and every one of our archers for their commitment, determination and focus when things got tough and the pressure was on. Little did we know how much of a close call it was until Curtis announced there was only 0.1 of a point between the winners and second place.
Â
The tension and excitement of those few seconds till he announced the winner was unbelievable, so you can imagine the elation and screams from us when we realised we’d won, it was a fantastic feeling and something we will all remember with pride.
Â
You all did a fantastic job, so be proud of yourselves for an amazing performance, that ultimately brought the trophy to the Eastern Area.''
James Ross, Team Manager for the West Area added:
‘‘What an unbelievable weekend at the inaugural 2026 Inter-Area Championships! The West of Scotland squad put on an absolute masterclass of grit, precision, and passion, finishing 2nd overall by the absolute finest of margins—just 0.1 points behind the Eastern Area!
We might have missed out on the overall trophy by a hair, but we hands-down won the title for the best team spirit and loudest cheers on the field. Every single archer supported one another and fought for every millimetre in the changing Sunday winds!
A massive thank you to the SAA events team—especially Fiona Hirst, Malcolm, and Curtis—for a flawlessly run event, and to Moray Archers for being such phenomenal hosts.
To the WoSAA squad: thank you for making the trip, lifting each other up, and wearing the West shirt with pride. We have an undeniable target for next year. Rest up, celebrate the success, and let's get ready to take that top spot in 2027!’’
Joshua Phillips, Team Manager for the North Area added:
''The Northern Area put up a good fight both days, multiple top three finishes across the WA720s and very well shot matches. Unfortunately, even with the home advantage the North finished in third place, with the West in second and the East as the 2026 Inter Area Champions.
Next year the championships will be hosted by either the West of Scotland or the Eastern Area.
Even with the slightly disappointing finish for the North everyone had a good weekend, even better that the weather held for most of the weekend.
A few special thank you's must be said, firstly to Moray Archery for hosting and for the, as always, fantastic catering. Secondly, to David Swart for volunteering to cook for Social Saturday. And finally, to David Galpin for not only volunteering to cook at Social Saturday but also for organising and running the quiz.''
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Officials and Volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes and on the day of the event to ensure it was a success!
The full individual score tallies, bracket progressions, and division round robins from the weekend are archived on the official IANSEO Moray 2026 Tournament Portal
Thank you to Sophie Rose for capturing some fantastic images. View the albums for Day 1 here and Day 2 here
