TOP OF THE FIELD. Ronald Field (left) receiving a trophy from Ollivette Hinds of Rotherley Construction Inc. as a special prize for his 12 arrow high score. (GP)

RONALD FIELD, a relative newcomer to archery, is the new men's recurve national champion.

Field, a LIAT pilot, was in top form at the 2008 national championships held at the archery range at Waterford, St Michael, on Monday, beating a field that included experienced archers Shane DeFreitas and John Annel.

He collected 81 points and outshot Richard Morris' 62 points, for the gold medal. This feat was even more amazing since Morris and Field have been shooting for less than a year. Defreitas won the bronze medal.

Field, having shot a 97-point during the semi-finals, won the special award for the 12-arrow high score.

In the women's final, Central American and Caribbean bronze medallist Angela Jones had to settle for second spot. Compound archer Carin Morris, a former LIAT stewardess, shot 94 points to take pride
of place. Recurve archer Jones shot 84 points to place second.

Other highlights of the tournament were the compound archers winning their International Federation of Archery (FITA) star awards. Morris shot 1 260 points in the FITA round and earned a 1 200 FITA star.

Her score of 1 260 rates among the top women compound archers in the region. Roger Gall, who shot 1 138 points and Edwin Browne 1 114, also won 1 100 star awards with their best scores.

Olivette Hinds of Rotherley Construction Inc. and Glyne Clarkeof the Barbados Olympic Association, co-sponsors of the event, presented the awards at the range after the closing.

The archers will now prepare for the Southern Caribbean Archery Championships in Trinidad and Tobago from May 29 to June 2. (PR)