IAN Finlay’s arrows flew true as he saw off top quality international competition to win bronze at the World Firefighters Games in Liverpool.

The 40-year-old was in a field of 24 for the two-day archery event at Merchant Taylors’ School in Crosby and at one stage even led.

“I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the scores, particularly while I was shooting,” said Finlay, of Little Sutton. “I just tried to stay focused.

“I knew the site because I had shot there before and I read the gusts well on day one which put me among the leaders.

“After that it was all about staying there.”

Father-of-two Finlay, who works as a fireman in Deeside, North Wales, has been training for months for the Games and it finally paid off when he took third place by just one point from his French rival.

It came down to Finlay’s final arrow. He didn’t know it, but he had to score in the yellow section, a nine or 10, to take third. Anything less and the Frenchman would beat him on count back – but Finlay hit the nine and took his place among the medallists.

Although all the competitors were members of the fire service in their respective countries, the gold medallist Rob Allworth, second-placed Austrian Hermann Haberl and the French competitor Finlay squeezed out have all earned full international honours.

“I was so proud of myself,” said Finlay.

“I worked so hard and had so much great support and this is the result – a medal.”

Finlay only took up the sport four years ago. Displaying a natural aptitude, he joined the Chester-based Cheshire County Bowmen and has come on a lot in that time.

Supported by his family, including wife Paula, his club and the EFPD organisation which secures charitable funding for firefighters, he equipped himself with the hardware and mental strength to win a medal.

“I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me,” he said. “Paula has put up with me avoiding jobs around the house because I had to practise.”

In the competition, Finlay had support from Fiona German-Lloyd, assistant-head of Whitby High School and a fellow member of the Cheshire County Bowmen.

“She kept an eye on the score but didn’t tell me,” said Finlay. “She just made sure I retained focus and remembered everything I had to do to post my best score.”

This year’s World Firefighters Games came to Liverpool as part of the city’s 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations.

Featuring 60 sporting events over a period of 10 days, the Games attracted in excess of 5,000 competitors from all over the world.