Indian archers to be seen in action at Lord's

MUMBAI: After its cricket team's appearance in the first Test against England, it's the turn of the Indian archers to be seen in action at the Lord's in London on August 6.

The country's leading men and women archers, led by 2004 Bangkok Asian Grand Prix winner Tarundeep Rai and 2006 Commonwealth women's champion Dola Banerjee, would compete with the British and Chinese in the first-ever triangular tournament to be held at the famous cricket ground.

The other members of the Indian squad, to be seen in action at the venue of the 2012 London Olympics archery event, are Rahul Banerjee, Somai Murmu, Chekrovolu Swuro and Bombayla Devi, a release from the ground's owners, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) said on Wednesday.

The Indian archers will be up against strong teams from China and Britain, with the hosts' women's team including Alison Williamson, a bronze medallist at the Athens Olympics in 2004, in the npower International Archery Challenge for the MCC Cup, it said.

MCC's Secretary and Chief Executive, Keith Bradshaw, said, "We're looking forward to welcoming all the archers to Lord's for this truly historic event. It's the first international archery tournament to be staged at Lord's in the ground's very long and distinguished history.

"The Indian community always gives its cricketers truly tremendous support; we hope its archers will be very well-supported, too," he observed.

The archers would be competing over a full 70-metre distance.