Archery Premier League: Chero Archers make it three wins in four matches

Chero Archers bounced back from a narrow defeat to beat local franchise Kakatiya Knights 6-0 in the Archery Premier League. Led by Atanu Das, the team secured its third win in four matches to strengthen its early title credentials

Hyderabad: After losing by the narrowest of margins a day earlier, Chero Archers bounced back in style to beat Kakatiya Knights 6-0 and maintain their strong start to the second season of the Archery Premier League here on Sunday.

Led by Atanu Das, who has been in excellent form, Chero Archers registered their third win in four matches and emerged as early contenders for the title. For local franchise Kakatiya Knights, the result left them with two wins and two defeats.

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The Knights made a significant change to their starting XI, with Austrian compound star Nico Wiener making way for Shivshankar Landkar. Landkar was in good form alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam. However, Chero Archers had Das in terrific rhythm and a strong compound squad, with world No. 1 Mathias Fullerton shooting ahead of Sahil Rajesh Jadhav. The Dane was the highest scorer of the match, recording 59 points from six arrows.

In the first set, Casey Kaufhold’s low score of six with the final arrow did not hurt Chero Archers, as their first seven arrows yielded an impressive 69 out of 70. In the second set, Atanu’s remarkable arrow, which landed in the X-ring at the centre of the target face, was the highlight as Chero Archers maintained a comfortable lead.

The third set was a thriller, with both teams tied at 38-38 after four arrows each. However, the Knights felt the pressure as they needed to win the set to stay alive in the match. Atanu hit another 10 to bring the score to 67-67, before Kaufhold stepped up and hit another 10 to close out a high-quality set and seal the win.

“Last year was tough for us. This time, we have a super-strong team and we are managing the time really well,” Atanu said after the match.

Speaking about the time pressure, Kaufhold said, “I just see it as fun. When I look at the clock and it says 11 seconds, I am like, you know, let’s go. What else can you do other than step up and shoot a good arrow?”