TEENAGER Kathryn Taylor swept aside the current national squad to become the Junior Ladies’ Under-16 Champion of Great Britain – four decades after her aunt won the title.
The 15-year-old, who lives in Webheath and is a pupil at Ridgeway Academy, finished ten points clear of her rivals in the competition – her first National Junior Championships – at Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire.
The tournament hosted 260 of the country’s best junior archers, shooting in four age groups at under-18s, U16s, U14s and U12s
In near-perfect conditions, Kathryn shot in the Junior Ladies’ Under-16s Recurve Olympic division and her score of 1,244 out of a possible 1,296 gave her victory.
The trophy, the silver Nettleton Cup, dates back to 1948 and Kathryn’s name will be engraved on it, a few places below her Aunt Sue, who won it in 1972.
This was Kathryn’s first time at the National Junior Championships and her victory took a few people by surpris, leaving all the current GB Squad in her wake.
Kathryn was also part of the Warwickshire team that won the County Championship trophy and the West Midlands Team that won the Regional Championship
She is coached by former GB national team coach Clive Jeacock and her mum and dad, Beverley and Paul Taylor, who are both former GB internationals.
“Kathryn’s performance last Sunday was exceptional,” said her dad.
“We knew she had a big score in her and coming soon, but we’re all still in a state of shock as it was so big and so quick and at the N
