MARK Rudd may not have planned for his bid to reach the World Archery Championships to ever really get off the ground but now the Wiltshire bowman finds himself at the head of the queue to represent Great Britain in Copenhagen this summer.

The 49-year-old compound archer, from Beechingstoke, travelled to the Lilleshall National Sports Centre on April 27 for the first day of British trials and was forced into a mad scramble for a place to stay overnight after finding himself in third place following the first day of competition.

Rudd’s upward curve continued and he ended up joint-first, earning a place at the final selection shoot back at Lilleshall on June 27-28, where the top three archers will make up Great Britain’s squad for July’s showpiece in Denmark.

The Devizes Bowmen club member has never trialled for the worlds before and is hoping that the beginner’s luck he’s enjoyed with his new bow can continue when he returns to Shropshire in June.

“I took a break through the winter last year to rest and then I got myself a new bow,” said Rudd.

“You need time to get used to the settings – it’s a bit like a snooker player and their cue.

“My first competition back was in Chippenham a few weeks ago and then I went straight into the trials. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling that confident, so I didn’t book myself a hotel on the Saturday night.

“I ended up finishing third and had to rush around to find somewhere to stay. Then, after the second day, I was joint-first.

“It was a real war of attrition. You had seven matches in the morning and seven matches in the evening on both days.

“The second day was really windy but I’m quite suited to shooting in those conditions, rather than being the most technically-gifted.

“The top four from the trials have been picked for the second stage of the World Cup in Turkey (on May 26-31) and that will be my warm-up before I try and get in the squad for the World Championships.”