Sharpshooter Edward breaks long-held archery record

Edward Gray, aged 13, landed the Recurve Boys’ trophy at the annual Cleve Junior Tournament in Bristol this month.

In the junior Windsor round, Edward, who attends Maple Hayes Dyslexia School in Lichfield, scored a record-breaking 958 points – breaking a British record that had been held for 10 years.

The feat was all the more remarkable as he only took up the sport in 2018. The Meriden Archery Club is already being hailed as a potential to represent Great Britain at both junior and senior levels.

Edward's mother, Sharon Gray, said: “I am absolutely over the moon for Edward, he has really excelled at archery since he tried it out and the smile on his face when he realised he had broken the record was beautiful to see.

“His coaches have really taken him under their wing and brought out this real love for the sport and incredible talent.”

His club coach, Philippa Lowe, who is also a talent coach for Archery Great Britain, hailed the achievement as “amazing” and has tipped him as a future star archer.

“It was a very strong record to beat and Edward had a perfect score in one of his distances,” she said.

“I’ve coached a lot of people but he is probably one of the best all-round archers - the whole package. It’s down to his commitment, maturity and dedication.

"He has progressed so much in the past few months, which is all the more remarkable seeing as he had to be coached virtually during lockdown. He is outstanding and I hope he will go on to represent Great Britain."

Edward lives in Coleshill, Warwickshire, but travels to specialist dyslexia school, Maple Hayes, which welcomes pupils from across the West Midlands.

Headteacher, Dr Daryl Brown, said: “We are all very proud of Edward’s achievements. He is a fantastic ambassador for our school and his focus, commitment and ambition is a great example to all young athletes in the UK.”