BLACKBURN’S young archery champion Charlotte Hempsall has ended the season on a high note.

In her first year as a competitive archer, the 11-year-old Westholme School pupil has shattered a national record, seven county records and several club records.

And she has also gained her Junior Master Bowman ranking.

And Charlotte continued her winning streak at the Northern Counties Archery Society’s Five Counties juniors match when she helped the Lancashire girls’ team to a stunning victory and took the girls’ individual recurve trophy in the process.

At her final outdoor match of the year, in Driffield, she competed against junior archers from Yorkshire, Cheshire, Cumbria and Durham and Northumberland in a competition that lasted most of the day and saw her shoot 144 arrows over three different distances.

Charlotte is one of the Bowmen of Pendle and Samlesbury, who meet at their club in Nab’s Head Lane, Samlesbury, where her dad, Rob, also shoots.

She took up archery nearly two years ago and practices three times a week.

“Charlotte certainly found her sport when she took up archery,” said Rob. “She absolutely loves it and works hard at it and it looks like she has a real talent for it, too.

“We’re all very proud of her.”

Club chairman Di Clarke added: “Yet again Charlotte has shown just what a brilliant archer she is. She’s done incredibly well.”

Other junior members taking part were Sarah Houghton, Lewis Imeson, Will Aubrey and Martha Blinkhorn. The following day saw more success for the county’s archers when it was the turn of the seniors and Lancashire walked away with the women’s and mixed team recurve trophies.

The men’s compound team, consisting of P&S’s John Holmes and Mike Aubrey plus Colin Wallwork - who won the individual men’s compound trophy – were nudged into second place after losing out on points.

Paul Tittensor won the men’s individual recurve trophy while Dale Message took the men’s longbow trophy.

Both women’s teams included P&S‘s Wendy Aubrey, who recently gave Olympic archer Naomi Foulkard a run for her money at the Nottingham Building Society Archery GB National Series finals. Unfortunately, Wendy, who lives in Walton-le-Dale and who has been shooting for just over two years, lost out on her final arrow to give Naomi the victory.