MATCH REPORTS Jan - Jun 2011

3rd January - EJC New Year Knock Out

Wow! What a fantastic kick start to 2011 for our tiny mighties. Their enthusiasm and performances were awesome. They enjoyed a short seminar on competition scoring, rules and etiquette, followed by a group warm-up, led by GB international Nekoda Davis, before taking to the mini arena to do their stuff. Results were as follows:

GOLD Luke Davies
GOLD Katya Thomas
GOLD Elmo Toosey
GOLD Jack Vary
GOLD Ali Salhab
GOLD James Sookias
SILVER Peter Davies
SILVER Aisha Shariff
SILVER Ken Okada
SILVER Michael O'Toole
SILVER Tohgo Kimura
SILVER Sasha Derkach
SILVER Salim Salhab
SILVER Freddie Hughes
BRONZE Amir Asgari
BRONZE Oscar Gjesdal
BRONZE Marius Maillefaud

Congratulations to Amir Asgari (top left in photograph) for his extra award at this event: the Spirit of Judo' trophy.

8th January - Donderslag International, Meeuwen, Belgium

EJC had 2 fantastic girl fighters competing in Belgium this weekend. Both did the club proud, displaying great composure and pro-active fighting styles. Nekoda was rewarded with. Gold in the seniors and Phoebe took bronze in the cadet section.

15th January - Fundamental London Youth Games Feeder Event, East Ham, London

Above: Our red belt tiny mighties with Olympian Winston Gordon.

We had a great day at this newly established event - with echoes of the old Willesden Red Belt Rumbles this was a fantastic development competition for aspiring young players, many of whom were out there for their debut. The event was smoothly run, with sympathetic application of the rules and to top it off the medals were fantastic!

To add a little sparkle to the already very enjoyable day, all medals were presented by Olympian Winston Gordon - this truly is how to inspire our young athletes.

EJC's day was a good one with Aisha and Tohgo winning outstanding golds. They were in the red belt section, as were Freddie and Michael who won silvers and Niamh, Oscar and Marius who won bronzes. We also had Sofija in a gold medal winning performance and Pierre with a hard fough bronze, both in the yellow belt group. Aisha was invited to participate in the yellow belt group, despite only being a novice, as she had done so well earlier in the day. She was happy to offer a lone yellow belt girl a contest and so was rewarded with an extra and unexpected silver medal.

16th January - South Coast Green Belt & Below Championships, Worthing

We had another very good day at this friendly event. There were gold medals from little Blake, Mason, Erik, Alaniese and Daniel V. Luka won a silver and bronzes were won by Sofija, Remigiusz, and Blake Inniss. Chris had one of his best performance days ever but just missed out on the medals. Special mention for Alaniese who displayed fantastic sportsmanship today, while Sofija once again showed us all why she deserved the EJC annual bravery award last year. Well done to all.

22nd January - British Junior (u20) Trials, Sheffield

Akhil fought well today and although there was no medal this time Akhil used the event as a motivational tool, to spur him on into the next year's training.

Hats off to Nekoda Davis who was tipped to win the event, seeded number one and handled that pressure beautifully. She won 5 out of her 6 contests by ippon, displaying some excellent judo. Congratulations to Nekoda who now sits as British Junior Champion.

29th January - IAPS Championships, High Wycombe

Li'l Lucy was the seasoned professional at this event, winning her contests with concise groundwork to take an expected gold. Well done.

30th January - Midland Age Banded, Walsall

In the A Band (under 12s) Lucy overcame a tough start to win a great gold. She made mature choices and fought with conviction. Luka also had an excellent day, taking a silver. Mason and little Blake were not in the medals this time.

In the C Band (under 17) Remi was fantastic, fighting with enormous energy. He had 3 contests but didnt medal. Jamie and Akhil also had a chellenge in front of them at this ID event. Both gave it their best and are looking forward to their next outing, having laid firm foundations here. Daniel, although losing his opening two contests, in his new weight category, fought as well as he has ever fought. I was very proud to see the improvements he has made in recent months adn can only put it down to his hard work and diligence. Eliot then won a silver in the -90kg group.

12th February - Falcon Red Belt Championships, Hatfield, Hertfordshire

We had an excellent development day at Falcon's small but friendly event. Our ten tiny mighties, 3 having their debut, performed and behaved superbly and were cheered on by club-mates from the intermediate classes. Thanks to Mason, Blake and Daniel and their families for making the trip.

Salim, Damien and Kenta, all at their first event, fought with their eyes wide open, ready to learn. Their reward was 2 silvers and a bronze, respectively. James S, Yoshiki and Amir displayed some great determination and good throwing ability to win their 3 golds. Young Michael and Jack each won silver. Niamh and Tatsuki each earned a bronze.

Highlights for me were Amir showing the over 12s that the under 12s weren't so easy to beat, James making the audience gasp with admiration at his koshi guruma and Michael being presented with a unique 'Spirit of Judo' award; he was selected by the organisers from all of the participants. I have never seen Michael with such a broad grin.

Well done to everyone. Eight of our tiny mighties are shown below with their prizes.

13th February - Northern Home Counties Senior Open British Ranking Event, High Wycombe

We have had a fantastic day with 3 of our youngsters having a crack at some senior judo. Harkirat won the 48's and although she was beaten by the 52s, in a combined weight group, she fought well. Conor had a tough day 66s, but still learned a lot and is eager for his next tournament. Rohan was on fine form, despite having not competed for a few months. He had a bye in the first round, then a win put him into the semi. There he lost to an experienced player from the Midlands, before moving into the bronze medal match. In a fight almost too close to call Rohan eventually won on hantei at the end of a very challenging golden score contest. Beating a Pasralympian of Darren Harris' standing was very satisfying for young Rohan. The ranking points earned will also be very useful in Rohan's hunt to break into GB senior judo.

Above: Rohan with his medal.

17th February - Merchant Taylors' v. Harrow Interschool Team Match, Harrow, Middlesex

David Sookias represented Merchant Taylors' at this Friendly Team event. David won both of his contests by ippon and overall his team won 7-5, giving David and his team-mates each a gold.

19th February - Herenthout International, Belgium

Above: the whole motley bunch at dinner.

Never have so many laughs been had on such a short jaunt. We had a ball! The 5 EJC competitors all fought superbly: Mason and Blake GB gold, Eric silver, James S & Kiran bronze. The group, including the parents, displayed amazing team spirit throughout the trip. I can't wait to get this group together again.

20th February - Northbrook Green Belt and Below, Swanley, Kent

We had a pretty good day in Kent. In the under 12 section we had bronzes from little Blake, Sofija and Ibrahim. There were also silver medals for Showgo, Erik and Ali. In the over 12 section David was on superb form winning the gold with ease, taking all 4 fights by the maximum score of ippon.

Below: 2 of EJC's National medallists with their Northbrook medals and their smiles - well done Showgo and David.

24th February - EJC February Fight Off

GOLD Mihailo Bojat
GOLD Nicole Landazabal
GOLD Sasha Derkach
GOLD Aisha Sharif
GOLD Patrick Bambi
GOLD Damian Wolodkiewicz
GOLD Ibrahim Abdelaal
SILVER Alessio Martinelli
SILVER Luke Davies
SILVER Woody Coombs
SILVER Niamh Corrigan
SILVER Hagar Larbaoui
SILVER Cherif Larbaoui
SILVER James Bartle
SILVER Amir Asgari
SILVER James Sookias
BRONZE Peter Davies
BRONZE Freddie Flowers
BRONZE Stefan Ganzovski
BRONZE Alexander Hudson
BRONZE Ahmed Sharif
BRONZE Herbie O'Keeffe
BRONZE Salim Salhab

26th February - Micklefield Red Belt Championships, High Wycombe

An excellent performance from some of our least experienced competitive members. Oscar and Jack worked super hard, didn't make it to the podium, but gave it 100% and enjoyed their day. Jerard was with us for his debut tournament. He was hardworking and positive and learned a lot from his day with us.

Micahel and Salim each had good wins, but dropping one contest left each with a bronze. Aisha had another fantastic day too, fighting girls of different weights, due to a low entry, but won 3 out of 4 contests and won her own weight-group outright, to win a well deserved gold medal. Well done to the whole team.

Below: Oscar in full flow.

27th February - Ipswich Senior Open, Ipswich

We had 3 bronzes from Rohan, John and Lyam in the open Dan grade section. In the Novice to orange belt group Mark and Alex each won gold.

5th March - IAPS Championships for Boys, High Wycombe

The lone ranger, David Sookias, had an excellent day, as seems to be his way at the moment. He won his first 3 contests with little test and went into a close final. There he just got caught for a small score in the golden score period of extra time and had to settle for a well earned silver.

5th March - Samurai Women's Open, Kidderminster, Midlands

We had a superb day at the Samurai, with 4 of us fighting in variouos groups. Little Sofija was up first in the lightest girls' u16 group. She won her first by waza-ari but was then warmed up and ready to go. She won her next 3 contests by ippon and took the gold. Phoebe then took to the mat in a large round robin pool. She had 5 contests and won all by waza-ari or better to take oour 2nd gold of the event.

In the senior section Lucy made a return to competitive judo after a lay-off of 16 months. She won her first 4 fights by ippon, winning 40 points towards her Dan grade. The final was just a step too far but Lucy and the whole team are very happy with her performance.

Then in the Veteran women's section Jo took to the mat herself and won all 4 fights to take a gold. What a great day... 4 fighters, 4 finals and fabulous team spirit. Well done everyone.

Above: EJC Ladies Jo, Lucy, Phoebe and Sofija

12th March - Ingelmunster International, Belgium

We had a very enjoyable trip with some excellent judo too. Jamie fought brilliantly in the Cadet boys -66kg section. He showed great composure, maintaining his strategy even when faced with rough opposition. Jamie earned himself a bronze and can be proud of his performance. Daniel also fought well in a very tough group and just missed out on a bronze.

We took a visitor with us on this trip, from High Wycombe Judo Centre, Blixa, and he had a superb day. He won early rounds against experienced competitors and as this was Blixa's first international tournament this was fantastic. He found himself in the final, which was a great battle. Blixa finished his day with silver. Well done to all 3 lads.

13th March - English Junior Open, Crystal Palace, London

Above: Phoebe and Nekoda with their prizes from the day.

Nekoda only had two fights, but against tough opposition. Beating them both to take gold has cemented her place as GB u20 number 1. For Phoebe it was a harder task today, but she rose to the challenge and won two rough contests to get into the medals. Despite her young age Phoebe has now shown that she is ready to make strides into the u20 age band.

Conor and Rohan also fought today and both are looking forward to using what they learned in their next competitive outing.

19th March - Thuringia Ladies International, Germany

Nekoda travelled to Germany with the England Team, for this very tough International Junior event. She fought well but narrowly lost her first fight to the strong Belgian, Rigo. Nekoda then made the most of the training camp there in preparation for next international journey.

20th March - Southern Area Senior Open, Crawley

We had an excellent day in Crawley, with a couple of our younger players really rising up to the senior standard. Harkirat was the only senior woman in her group so she had to fight up a weight. This may have been a little daunting at senior level but she was outstanding, beating 2 out of 3 of her opponents. She took gold for her own category and 100 important senior ranking points. She also won her first points towards her dan grade. Lucy also had a fabulous day, winning the +78kg women's section. She won her contests by ippon and coimpleted her points for her black belt as well as picking up 100 senior ranking points.

Rohan had 4 hard fights in his pool but did not make it to the semi-final stage this time. Lyam found himself in a similar situation. However in the Kyu grade section Mark did very well to win himself a silver. Well done to all, it was a great day.

26th March - Falcon Mini-Mon, Hatfield, Hertfordshire

An excellent day for the tiny mighties. Niamh, Matteo, Damian, Tatsuki and Pierre all just missed out on the medals. But Sofija was in a league of her own, winning each contest by ippon to take a comfortable gold.

Little Michael won silver in the tough 30kg boys group, with young Ali, just turned 8, taking bronze in the same category. Simon, Salim, Amir and James S all won hard-fought bronzes. Particular congrations should go to Salim who battled through 6 fights to win his medal and to Amir who, despite being the youngest in the group, fought as though he had the heart of a lion beating in his chest.

Well done to the whole group. You make me proud. Also, thanks to the club members who came along just to support, even though they weren't competing themselves: great team spirit.

26th March - Portugal Junior European Cup, Coimbra, Portugal

Nekoda Davis was selected to represent Great Britain at this high level u20 International tournament. She won her first 3 contests against Swiss and Portuguese opponents but then lost her semi-final to a strong Spanish Athlete. Nekoda then won against another Portuguese girl to take the bronze. A medal at this level of event is an important marker and Nekoda is looking forward to a fruitful Junior career.

3rd April - Samurai Senior Kyu Grade Open, Kidderminster, Midlands

We had a day of little goals being reached, with Harkirat taking 20 more Dan grade points and a bronze in the senior women's section, despite being the smallest there. Also Jezza won his first senior medal, having only tuned 16 in the new year. Cedric also had a good day at his first ever tournament. He managed to get out of his pool but lost his semi final. This gave Cedric an excellent bronze - he is now hungry to compete again.

9th April - Lommel International, Belgium

Amir and James S were the dynamic duo on tour for the Belgian Lommel International tournament. They both fought excellently in tough groups and were rewarded with bronze medals.

The judo was good but I have to be honest... the food was the highlight of the trip. James has a cousin who runs a fine Italian restaurant in Brussels and we were treated to some outstanding fayre and hospitality. So, congratulations to James and Amir and many, many thanks to Raz in Brussels.

10th April - Pinewood Invitation Training Event, Berkshire

GOLD Yoshiki K.
GOLD Michael O.
GOLD Jack V.
GOLD Damian W.
SILVER Bosco D.
SILVER Matteo R.
BRONZE Peter D.
BRONZE Alessio M.
BRONZE Luke D.
BRONZE Nikita R.
BRONZE Niamh C.
BRONZE Luke P.
BRONZE Eivinas D.
BRONZE Jerard O.
BRONZE Aisha S.
BRONZE Bradley N.

17th April - Srdjan Jankovic Memorial International Tournament, Belgrade, Serbia

Little Sofija fought in this tough international event against some of central Europe's best tiny mighties. She fought through several rounds until the final came. Despite Sofija's best efforts she lost the final on flags to win an outstanding silver medal.

17th April - High Wycombe Ne-waza Championships, Buckinghamshire

Lyam had 4 tough contests in this unusual judo event. He won 3 out of the 4 and earned himself an excellent bronze. Well done Lyam.

23rd April - Blanc Mesnil Open, Paris, France

This was a very friendly tournament, attached to a very warm training camp, just outside Paris in France. We had a great time with the judo and also eating crepes under the Eiffel Tower on the Friday evening!

At the tournament, in the under 13 section little Mason and Blake performed like professionals and both won gold. Then in the under 15 section Chris fought 3 tough contests but missed out on the medals. Daniel also had a hard day, missing out on the bronze by one little tiny win! Blake and Mason each fought again and Mason placed 5th, a credible result. Little Blake, however, was on fine form and despite his young age won himself a bronze in this very tough category. Well done to the whole EJC team.

24th April - Thomas Deacon u20 Championships, Peterborough

We had a good day in Cambridgeshire at this long established annual event. The crew put in excellent performances, with results as follows:

Under 12
GOLD Blake Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Luka Kljutic
SILVER Ali Abdelaal

Under 16
SILVER Daniel Vary
BRONZE Christopher Corrigan

Under 20
BRONZE Phoebe Harris

Ibrahim and Sam also fought well today, narrowly missing out on medals.

30th April - Pinewood Invitation Orange Belt & Below Training Event, Berkshire

This was a very enjoyable training experience for the whole gang, topped off by a nice collection of souvenirs to bring home. Well done particularly to Niamh, who really honed one of her throwing techniques - visible improvements!

GOLD Sofija Bojat
SILVER Tohgo Kimura
SILVER Blake Gulaidi-Barber
BRONZE Niamh Corrigan
BRONZE Michael O'Toole
BRONZE Jack Vary
BRONZE Kiran De Silva
BRONZE Ibrahim Abdelaal
BRONZE Bekkaiyr Zholmukhanov
BRONZE Christopher Corrigan
BRONZE Simon Kostin

1st May - Goole u19 Championships, Goole, up North!

EJC fighters were outstanding in Goole today. Results were as follows:

Under 12
GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
BRONZE Blake Gulaidi-Barber

Under 16
GOLD Alaniese Breen
SILVER Phoebe Harris
BRONZE Daniel Vary

Under 19
GOLD Phoebe Harris
GOLD Nekoda Davis
GOLD Joe Thorpe
BRONZE Sam Gulaidi-Breen

2nd May - EJC Bank Holiday Bundle, Ealing, London

Our beginners were marvellous today, showing us what little people really can do. The medals were as follows:

GOLD Luke Davies
GOLD Michael Rice
GOLD Mateusz Grochowski
GOLD Oscar Gjesdal
GOLD Micahel O'Toole
GOLD Matteo Russo
SILVER Mihailo Bojat
SILVER Paige Bartlett
SILVER Marius Maillefaud
SILVER Cullen Allain
SILVER Jack Vary
BRONZE Peter Davies
BRONZE Nikita Rybalka
BRONZE Sasha Derkach

7th May - Antwerp International Open, Belgium

We were made very welcome at this championship, especially as we were again the only British team in attendance. Our 5 competitiors each put on a good show and all came away with prizes for their efforts. Blake G-B, Mason and Sofija each won gold, while Pierre and Marius won a bronze apiece. Blake gave a display of maturity like never before, a real step forward and while all team members deserve congratulations, Blake deserves an extra pat on the back.

On the way home we stopped for a kick around on the beach in Calais and some lovely fresh mussels. The Barber boys even tried snails (escargot) and actually quite liked them!

Above: the whole group on the beach in Calais, Ivan taking photographs on the beach (wearing a warm mac in the blazing sunshine!) and Mason eating escargot.

8th May - 61 Judo Club Junior and Youth Open, High Wycombe

With only a small team we managed a fantastic day of judo. Chris was brilliant in the u42 Junior section, winning his first 3 contests by ippon. He narrowly lost his semi final but won a fabulous bronze to add to his collection. Daniel fought like a young man possessed: winning his first two contests and easing himself into the final. There he lost but he rreallyearned his silver and should be proud of his achievements. EJC newcomer Joe fought very well too and won a silver in a large group.

Akhil, one of our resident England squad members, made a return to competition having been recovering from a niggly injury since January. His performance was clean and decisive, winning every match by ippon to take the gold. Having won the Junior section he then fought up in the u20 group and won that too! 2 golds in one day isn't bad by anybody's standards. Well done to all.

14th & 15th May - British European Cup, Crawley

Above: Ashley McKenzie warms up Nekoda and Bacup JC's Olympian, Sophie Cox.

With 450 competitors representing 24 different countries, this highly charged international event was always going to be a challenge for our two fighters. On the Saturday Lyam put in a very positive performance, representing his native South Africa. No result, but lots to move forward with. On the Sunday Nekoda drew a horrible quarter, beginning with French National Team member Huber. Nekoda fought excellently for more than 4 minutes but finally got thrown for ippon. Huber, being an experienced and determined player, fought her way through the knockout to the semi-final, pulling Nekoda back into the reperchanrge. However, there she met Sophie Cox, fellow Brit and double Olympian. Nekoda looked strong and well prepared but will have to wait another year to contest for medals at this Euroipean Cup.

21st May - Marcq-en-Baroeul Friendly, Lille, France

We had a great time in France. Along with the judo we also enjoyed a BBQ and party with Ealing's European Twin Town young athletes. This was a multi-sport weekend and a great opportunity to meet new friends in the sporting community. The Mayor of Ealing was impressed with our club spirit, as he was on the trip too.

GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Alaniese Breen
GOLD Blake Inniss
GOLD Eliot Bradford
SILVER Showgo Kimura
SILVER Phoebe Harris
BRONZE Damian Wolodkiewicz
BRONZE Allegra Inniss
BRONZE Erik Gee
BRONZE Christopher Corrigan
BRONZE Jerard Ocitti

28th May - Northern Home COunties Mini-Mon, High Wycombe

We had 6 fighters out on the mats today and all performed excellently. Sofija and Pierre each stormed to gold in their respective groups, winning each contest by ippon, and with some considerable skill. Bekkaiyr and Tohgo were so very close to gold themselves, but after only tiny mistakes in their semis, each had to settle for a hard-fought bronze. James and Ali gave it their best shot too, but finished just outside the medals. Well done to this fantastic group of young athletes.

3rd June - EJC Junior Ne-Waza Championships, West Acton, London

This turned out to be the ssurprsie success of the year, in terms of club events. There were just sooooooo many people there. The skill with which all the participants fought was admirable. Results were as follows:

3rd Mon & Below
GOLD Patrick Grochowski
GOLD Peter Davies
GOLD Luke Davies
GOLD Monica Hemmerde
GOLD Fearghal Jeffreys
GOLD Damian Wolodkiewicz
GOLD Nikita Rybalka
GOLD Ali Salhab
SILVER Joshua
SILVER Michael Rice
SILVER Ciaomhe Earles
SILVER Mihailo Bojat
SILVER Salim Salhab
SILVER Luke Polmear
SILVER Woody Coombs
BRONZE Tyrone
BRONZE Zacharia
BRONZE Mateusz Grochowski
BRONZE Sasha Derkach
BRONZE Lorcan Jeffreys
BRONZE Paige Bartlett
BRONZE Oscar Gjesdal

4th - 12th Mon
GOLD Sofija Bojat
GOLD Blake Inniss
GOLD Alaniese Breen
GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Blake Gulaidi-Barber
SILVER Bekkaiyr Zholmukhanov
SILVER Luka Kljutic
SILVER Eoghan O'Flanagan
SILVER Christopher Corrigan
BRONZE Amir Asgari
BRONZE Niamh Corrigan
BRONZE Allegra Inniss
BRONZE Daniel Vary
BRONZE Erik Gee

4th & 5th June - London International Open, Greenwich, London

1999-2003
GOLD Blake Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Luka Kljutic
SILVER Showgo Kimura
SILVER Erik Gee
BRONZE Mason Gulaidi-Barber
BRONZE Sofija Bojat

1995-96
GOLD Conor Corrigan
SILVER Daniel Vary

Senior
BRONZE Lucy Chamberlain

Masters
SILVER John Hough
BRONZE Lyam Quin

We had a fantastic all-round weekend. We should also say well done to those who fought but didn't manage a medal this time, as the whole team was very positive. Well done to James S, Davis and Chris. Also, John and Lyam fought in the seniors as well as the masters and Conor gave a great performance in the u20 section.

photo

5th June - Austrian Junior European Cup, Liebnitz, Austria

Nekoda was selected to represent Great Britain at this very tough junior international tournament. She lost her first round contest to an experienced German competitor and has gone on to train at the attached international training camp for the week.

11th June - Bedminster Junior and Youth Championships, Bristol

Above: Chris with his superb silver medal.

Well, I can say that the refereeing was absolutely inadequate to deal with even the under 12 mini-mon children. Some of the poorest ever! However, the team kept its collective chin up and the organisers did their best to smooth over the awful situation. They apologised for the appauling refereeing decisions and vowed to change the line-up next year.

Little Blake, Mason, Erik, Joe and Sam each showed flashes of brilliance today - great performances despite a lack of medals.

Chris had a blinder, winning his first 3 contests with massive ippon throws, losing only the final, in ground work. His silver was validation for all the hard work he has been putting in. There was a silver also for Alaniese in the under 20 age band, following the gold she won in the junior section. David, too had a good day, picking up a bronze in the u66kg group.

12th June - Nottingham Junior Open, Midlands

In the under 12 age band little Blake dusted himself from the day before and worked hard to get into today's final, where he settled for a silver. Sofija, too, won her pool and semi and came unstuck in the final, but a great display of judo given.

In the under 16 age band saw Mason fight as well as he has ever fought - no medal but an amazing attitude and skill level shown. Phoebe and Daniel each won a bronze and Alaniese took a silver to make her medal haul for the weekend quite impressive. Well done all.

18th June - London Youth Games, Crystal Palace

As always EJC had a large group of youngsters competing at this annual event, but for 3 different boroughs. Results follow:

EALING - Erik Gee placed 5th, Daniel Vary placed 7th and Ali Abdelaal, Jeremy Clement & Remi Biernat were also part of the team.
SILVER Chris Corrigan
BRONZE Patrick Bambi
BRONZE David Sookias

BRENT - all 6 members of this group got into the medals: an excellent day for each and every one of them. The Brent boys placed 5th overall and their girls were 7th! Out of 32 boroughs invited, this is a fantastic result.
GOLD Allegra Inniss
GOLD Alaniese Breen
GOLD Eoghan O'Flanagan
GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
BRONZE Blake Inniss
BRONZE Sam Gulaidi-Breen

HOUNSLOW - 5th place to Luka Kljutic.

19th June - Samurai High Grades Open, Kidderminster, Midlands

We had Phoebe fighting in the 1st Kyu women's section, where she won a bronze medal and her first 24 points towards her Dan grade. She then fought in the open women's category and won another bronze.

Lyam competed in the 2nd Dan men's group where he picked up 20 points towards his 3rd Dan but didn't quite make it to the rostrum. However, he then went on to fight in the men's open where he won a bronze and a further 10 points.

Akhil, another of the club's youngest seniors was also in action. He had a superb day, winning bronze in the 1st Kyu men's group. He also won 50 points to push his total over the required 100 and so he is now a 1st Dan. Massive congratulations to him.

25th & 26th June - Kent International, Crystal Palace, London

We had a very busy weekend with 18 of our mob competing at the Crystal Palace, the home of British Judo. In the Junior yellow belt section Sofija kept true to form and stormed through the girls u32kg group, winning in each round by ippon. She took a comfortable gold medal, looking formidable along the way.

Above: Sofija with her gold medal.

Also in the yellow belt group Tohgo placed 5th after 5 tough rounds. James S, Pierre and Simon all won contests but no medals for them on this occasion.

In the orange and green belt section Blake Inniss started very well but lost momentum before the medal contests. Daniel won a bronze in the heavyweight group. Chris put in yet another superb performance but finished just outside the medals, as did David. Showgo won his first two but in the enormous u38kg group couldn't quite get to the rostrum. However, Remi had his best day of judo ever, learning in each round and getting better as the day went on. He had 5 contests, losing his first, giving him the long path to the bronze. He won all subsequent fights by ippon to win the bronze convincingly.

On Youth & Senior day Harkirat was our only medallist, winning a silver. Phoebe, Joe, John, Lukasz, Michal and Akhil all had a challenging time, but all are looking forward to their next outing. Well done to the whole team. Overall we had better results than last year and some very positive performances to boot. This event has become our club's nemesis, but we are slowly beating it! Onward and upward!