He was the first archer to hit the centre black spot on the target in a contest for the Antient Silver Scorton Arrow held in the Yorkshire town of Harrogate.

Allan becomes the latest champion in a lineage which dates back 350 years.

John Pawson of the Valley Bowmen of Huddersfield hit the red ring with his first shot of the competition to win the silver bugle, which carries with it the position of Lieutenant of the Arrow for the next year.

The Scorton Arrow is organised on a voluntary basis by the Society of Archers and has taken place annually since 1673.

"Archers come for the experience of the whole day," Society of Archers captain Clive Roebuck, winner in 2022, told insidethegames.

"It is just the friendship and the camaraderie, the way people join in and enjoy the archery." 

The first recorded competition was held in the Yorkshire village of Scorton in the reign of King Charles II and won by Henry Calverley Esquire.

The prize arrow, presented in 1673, is therefore probably the oldest sporting prize in the world. 

It is kept at the Royal Armouries in Leeds and only brought out for the day of competition.

The 2023 event, the first in the reign of King Charles III, attracted around 80 archers who were asked to register in a special ledger made of parchment.

Before the tournament began, the bugle was blown by current Lieutenant of the Arrow Ian Marr to summon competitors.

Competition was over the traditional distance of 100 yards and was open to the traditional long bow and modern recurve bows. 

"Without the recurve this competition would not have survived the 1970s and 1980s because people didn’t shoot long bows in those days," Roebuck admitted.

"Nowadays as you see on the shooting line today, the predominant style is longbow and that's good to see, but the bows are a bit more up to date than a single strip of wood."

Archers regularly change ends during the competition which makes it much harder and are also responsible for recording their own scores under an 'honour' system.

"We always shoot two arrows up and two arrows down, this is an uncommon shoot," Roebuck added.

"It is one of the very few archery events where this is so, when you come onto the archery field you are gentlemen.

"We still have a swear box, most people at the beginning of the day just put a pound and hope the judges don’t follow them around anymore."

The tradition was established in the original 17th century regulations.

"For as much as the exercise of archery is laudable, healthful and innocent, it is hereby declared that if any of them should swear or curse, he shall forthwith pay down one shilling and so proportionately for any oath," the rule said.

In earlier years, the competition was advertised with a call to "those wishing to encourage that ancient and manly exercise".

In 2024, the event is expected to be held in late May, although no decision has yet been made about the venue which is to be nominated by this year's winner.

Women do not shoot for the Scorton Arrow but have competed in a similar event for the Ascham Arrow since 1976.