Welcome to Croesoswallt Archers

Croesoswallt archer Alex Hollinshead enjoyed medal success at the Archery GB 2026 Youth Festival, held at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre this week.

The annual four-day Youth Festival is designed to give young archers experience of competing in an event run in a similar way to major international junior tournaments, such as European Cups and European Championships. It provides those taking part with a valuable insight into the format, atmosphere and pressures they could encounter when competing internationally.

On Day Two, Alex was paired with Callie Davies from Neath Archers in the Tier 2 Recurve Under 21 Mixed Pairs competition. After winning a nail-biting quarter-final in a shoot-off, they powered through their semi-final 6–0 to reach the Gold Medal Match. There they faced Rhys Lloyd (Surrey University) and Emily Preston (Nonsuch Bowmen) in a closely fought contest, with most sets decided by only a couple of points. After another tight final end, Alex and Callie secured a 5–3 victory to take the Gold Medal.

A fantastic result for Alex, especially considering it's only this year that he started shooting 70 metres and he only went to the Youth Festival to gain experience.

Congratulations to Alex and Callie on a superb result and a well-deserved gold medal.