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30th Aug 2014         the Chief Guest Ashi Sonam Wangmo Yugyal presented the Rolling Trophy to team ‘KTP Construction’ for winning the 2014 Team Champion title in the 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament.

The last year’s 2nd Runners Up team, the Pelden Group came in second this year. Till the 12th round, it looked as if Pelden Group would take the title but KTP Construction leveled during the 12th and then added one more in the 14th. Ironically, the KTP Constuction had the lowest team total from among the 3 teams of 39 kareys. Pelden Group hit massive 48 kareys while the 3rd best team of 2014 Yangki Auto hit 42 kareys. KTP Construction players were able to group their hits better.

Pelden Group’s Talop Namgay Wangchuk added 16 kareys from today’s match to his 21 kareys from earlier two matches, winning him the Finals Most Valuable Player title.

All of the prizes were presented during the prize distribution ceremony including the Best Archer titles and their prizes. Tshering (team Tashi Tagay) lifted giant BOB cheque to Nu. 200, 000/- for being the best archer as did Tashi Dendup for Nu. 70, 000/- for being the Best Archer Runners Up and Nu. 15, 000/- by Chundu Dorji for becoming the third best.

The final match began with marching ceremony presided by Dasho Rtd. Col. Rinzin and ended with again Dasho leading the dignitaries to tashi lebay dance.

26th Aug 2014            while Sonam Tshering of Kuzu Mobile was not able to come into any real contention for the Best Archer title, even though he had the highest league total of 44 kareys, he still bagged the highest dobji prize with his 12 dobjis (consecutive hits in a single round) in the ongoing 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament.

The next highest league total holder, Phub Dorji of Tshering Metog was also not able to claim any of the Best Archer title but he came closer by hitting 10 kareys in the Best of Bhutan shootout on the Aug 23rd. And he is still winning the prize to the Best One Day League Score with his first match 18 kareys.

So, the Best Archer title did not go to top two league ranking archer. Instead, it went to 10th ranked Tshering of team Tashi Tagay (Thimphu), who went on full steam from the first round of the Best of Bhutan shootout and missing only 5th round. The Best Archer Runners Up went to Tashi Dhendup of Meri Construction (Phuentsholing) who actually led shootout till the 2nd last round (9th) when Tshering leveled and then added two in the final round, in which Tashi hit one. Tashi Dhendup of Meri Construction came to the shootout with 3rd highest league total of 42 kareys.

This shootout, dubber the ‘Best of Bhutan’ or ‘Best of the Best’, is conducted among the top 15 archers with highest total from the 3 matches of the league, in order to crown the top 3 Best Archers of Bhutan.

All of the tournament’s individual prizes (except for the Finals MVP) are based on the league performance, so that each and every player participating in the tournament gets a shot (!) on them, despite their team performance.

The Paro’s top archer Yeshi Dorji, who was ranked 4th from the league, hit 13 kareys, one karey shy of winning the third best archer title, which actually went to Chundu Dorji of Choglay Namgyal (Punakha). Chundu Dorji hit 14 kareys to become 2014 Best Archer 2nd Runners Up. Yeshi Dorji but still is taking home the highest bull’s eye prize with his 13 bull’s eye hits in the league.

So, all of the top four archers from the league are taking one or other prizes from the tournament. In fact, only Dobji Baakor prize is going to an individual not included in the top 15 list. Phurba Dorji of Ata Boning (Thimphu) has hit 4 dobji baakor (consecutive double hits).

So, all of the tournament individual prizes based on the league has been won and more. The inset competition of the tournament, the Seeded Shootout prize of Seeded Gold, Seeded Silver and Seeded Bronze was won by Wangchuk (NTT Const), Sigay Phub (Zombala) and Namgay (S L Lubricants) respectively. The seeded shootout was shot in classic ‘pchnai’ or ‘Sweep’ style on the morning of Aug 23 before the Top 15 event.The team prize from league, the league champions and it’s runners up has gone to Paro’s Terechen and Thimphu’s Club Remix.

So, only individual prize left is Finals MVP and then there are the three best team prizes. And we will know who will take those after the final match on Sat Aug 30th. We know that it will be decided among the three 2014 finalists of KTP Const, Yangki Auto and Pelden Group. They will be taking one of the improved prizes. They are already winners!

14th Aug 2014              the Aug 8 opening ceremony for the eliminations stage of the 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament at Changlimithang was presided by Rtd. Col. Rinzin, who congratulated the teams that had become part of top 72 teams that had qualified from among the 250 teams that started off the tournament in July. Dasho thanked all for their interest for the national game and the organizers for keeping the interest going.

The opening day matches saw Phajo, Lhachen Industries, S.L Lubricants and Nim Archery win the matches and become 2014 Quarter Finalists. Among the losing teams of the opening day, Tenzin HSS hit 45 kareys assuring them of place among the quarter finalists through wild card entry/ jokers. At the end of the eliminations on the Aug 13th, it was confirmed that the other two wild card entries went to Pelden Group of Companies and United Sikkim. United Skkim had also played on the Aug 8 while Pelden Group lost to Khadel Zorig on the Aug 9th.

Khadel Zorig hit stage high of 52 kareys, which has only been matched by Lhachen Industries in the knockout.

The other winners of knockout matches and therefore the quarter finalists are including Khadel Zorig, are Yangki Auto, Jaffas, Nimdem Const., KTP Const., Druk Shopping Complex, Team Happy, Laya Tours, Druk Lhayul Const., TLC Export, SL Lubricants, ZOmbala, Team Tertons, Jorden United, Nim Archery, Selwai Melong, Sidsum Namgyal, Gencha, Phajo, Drukgyel Wood Work, Methidrang, Kuzu Mobile. 

The maximum number of teams qualifying are from Paro and Thimphu. From the east, Sewai Melong of Monggar and Trashigang’s Methidrang remain. Then there is Nim Dem of Gelegphu, which makes up the three teams that are from outside of Thimphu and Paro.

Lets see teams of which remain after the quarter finals that begin on Aug 18, which ends on Aug 20. All the semi finals are set to be played on Sun Aug 24. The inset competitions of Seeded and Top 15 (Best of Bhutan) shootout have been postponed to Sat Aug 23.

4th Aug 2014                the league of the 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament ended on Aug 3, with last match being played between Khala Mebar, Club Remix and Wamling Medical. And from this match, Club Remix not only emerged as the match winner but also as the 2014 League Champions Runners Up.

The two team prize categories  of League Champion and it’s Runner’s Up is given to the teams from among the non qualifying teams (of league all over) that have the highest and the second highest karey total in their third league match. Club Remix hit 42 kareys in their third match on the Aug 3 when the league ended all over Bhutan. They had tied with Monggar team Eastern Bulls on the karey total but they had less of sa-karey within the total that broke the tie! The League Champion is Paro Team Terechen who hit 45 kareys in their third match.

This Paro team Terechen missed qualifying for the next round of eliminations/ knockout by just one karey. They totaled 103 kareys from the 3 league matches. The lowest total from among the top ten teams from non qualifying lot that received wild card entries was 104 teams. This year, a total of ten teams were eligible for wild card entries. The wild card entry  or ‘joker’ within the Yangphel Open Archery Tournament is based on karey total from non-qualfying teams. The actual qualification is based on either points in the league and game sets won in the knockout. But in order to ensure that deserving teams that could not qualify due to low points for having met equally strong teams ( as opposed to qualifying teams that had weaker teams) to qualify as deserved, such wild card entries has been instituted. 

For example, the last year’s team champion 2nd runners up ‘Pelden Group of Companies’ hit 125 kareys, more than most of the teams that qualified through points, but still could not qualify through points. But they enter the knockout as the “1st Ranked Joker” It shows that they had strong opponents that were drawn against them. And in their league venue of Paro, most of the team were strong, in face many would agree that the venue had the strongest teams (overall-average) from among all the venues. The well documented performance proves it not to mention that eight out of 10 jokers are from Paro venue.

From Paro, through points, the teams that received ‘automatic’ qualification are United Sikkim (in the order of rank from the top), Khadel Zorig, BPC, Druk Lhayul Const., Jatsha Const., Ananpanan and KTP Const.

From Punakha, the teams of Spring Water, Choglay Namgyal, Sanga Choling, United, T-Tara Const. and Dralha Gyab. These are the teams in addition to other teams that have qualified from Bumthang, Monggar, Gelegphu, Phuentsholing, Tsirang, Trongsa and Trashigang. From Thimphu, there were 13 teams each from each of the Babesa and Phakha bachos.

From the Babesa side, Samyued Bhutan topped the lot while from Phaka side it was team Tshering Metog that topped in the points. From team Tshering Metog, Phub Dorji, who many were expecting to break the record of 45 kareys in 45 rounds, was only able to add 11 kareys to his impressive two match total of 33 kareys.

Phub Dorji is ranked second from among the 1500 archers that played the 2014 league, after top Sonam Tshering of Kuzu Mobile. Both Sonam and Phub Dorji would be among the top 15 that would have shootout for the title of Best Archer and prize money of Nu. 200, 000/- on the Aug 17. While there are new names among the top 15 like Chhimi Dorji of Laya Tours or Sikkimese Paljor Thendug Bhutia of United Sikkim, the most being remarked is of some names missing from the top. Notably Jigme Norbu (with the highest average of Bhutan) has missed the top 15 shootout for the first time in 3 years, both 2013 and 2012 Best Archers Sherab Tharchen and Tshewang Dorji have also not made it to the top, three time champion Talop Namgay Wangchuk is also not there. But most of these individuals are playing in the knockout and yet may feature their names among the team winners.

For now, from the league Laya Tours (from Bumthang) emerges as the top ranked team of 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament. Lets see how they do in the knockout that starts Fri Aug 8.

22nd Jul 2014                   the day before Phuentsholing league ended on 22nd Jul, Tashi Dhendup of Meri Construction added 12 kareys to his two match total of 30 kareys, securing the top position among the 1500 archers that are participating in the ongoing 18th Yangphel Open Archery Tournament with his league total of 42 kareys. The next best total is of Yeshi Dorji from Paro team Ananpanan who has 41 kareys. The Thimphu Phaka’s Phub Dorji (playing his third match on 28th Jul) has the best chance to overcome the total. Phub Dorji has already 33 kareys from 2 matches.

But for certain, Tashi Dorji has booked his place among the top 15 in ultimate shootout for the title of the Best Archer on Aug 17. Not only would Tashi Dorji would be shooting on Aug 17 in the Top 15 Best of Bhutan shootout but would also be playing before then during the knockout at Thimphu Changlimithang, since his team ‘Meri Const.’ is among the top six that has qualified for eliminations from Phuentsholing.

Besides Meri Construction, the teams of Tobdhen Dhey, Loden Construction, Lhamoyzongkha, Druk Lhojong and Perfect Boys are coming to Thimphu Changlimithang Eliminations. Tobdhen Dhey has first position from among them with their 18 league points brought about by 104 kareys and 74 team score.

While Tobdhen Dhey has topped the Phuentsholing teams, they would have to be ranked with other qualifying teams from other regions to know who they are playing against. Meanwhile, already the knockout fixture (without the match dates) in terms of whom they are playing against has been announced a week ago by the organizing committee. In fact, such team combinations have been announced till the finals itself.

A total of 72 teams would play the knockout/ eliminations stage beginning Aug 8 at Thimphu Changliminthang ranges.