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MATCH REPORTS Jul - Dec 2010

3rd July - Northern Home Counties Split Grade Open, High Wycombe

Mason had a good day, winning gold after 4 contests. He managed to learn alesson too, that sometimes being relaxed and confident isn't enough and that effort and a determined attitude are often also necessary. He only just won the final on a split referees decision at the end of Golden Score, but there had been plenty of chances to finish the contest in Mason's favour before full time. He did however, steam through the rest of his fights, winning all by ippon. Allegra also won gold today and with a super effort, very refreshing.

There were silvers for little Blake and Alaniese, who both put in good performances. It was particularly nice to see Blake rise above adversity when an old rival kneed him in the face and Blake's response was to hold his nerve and control the grips in order to win calmly with a neat little yuko throw. Well done li'l man!

Chris won 2 of his 4 contests and took home with him a well deserved bronze medal. Our other Blake had a very off day and has decided to go home and make changes in order to be more focussed for his next event.

4th July - Hampshire Junior and Senior Open, Portsmouth

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There were simply so many medals won that this report has to be in list style. Ibrahim, John, Rohan and Sam also fought and narrowly missed out on the medals.

JUNIORS
GOLD Allegra Inniss
SILVER Blake Gulaidi-Barber
SILVER Christopher Corrigan
SILVER Ali Abdelaal
SILVER Showgo Kimura
SILVER Harkirat Sekhon
SILVER Jamie King
SILVER Daniel Vary
BRONZE Mason Gulaidi-Barber
BRONZE Blake Inniss
BRONZE Luka Kljutic

SENIORS
BRONZE Lyam Quin

11th July - West of England Open, Swindon

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We had a pretty good day at the Link in Swindon. In the Senior section John had a tough run out and finished without a trophy but young Rifqa won a bronze and also her first points towards her Dan grade. Then the Juniors went to town: Mason and George each finished in 5th place in the 34kg boys group. George fought very well but lacked the experience necessary to medal at this event - we are working on it! Mason seemed a little lack lustre and off form. We hope form shall return for his next outing.

Little Blake was excellent, taking silver. He also learned that it is necessary to broaden his range of standing techniques and has vowed to do this in his lessons. Chris and Erik each gave it a good crack and came away with bronzes for their efforts. Little Lucy had a mountain to climb in front of her as her group was combined with the weight above, but she took this on in good spirit and won her first 3 contests by ippon. Only the final troubled her and a silver had to be today's reward. Alaniese also took silver, while Sam wasn't able to switch on early enough to be in the medal hunt on this occasion.

17th July - National Team Championships, Walsall

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Ealing had a good day at this event last year and again this year. Laurence, Akhil and Eliot each won a gold medal in the Cadet boys section, another National title to add to each of their CVs. In the Junior Women's team Rifqa was our representative and she too won gold, her first National medal for 4 years and so a welcome return to this level of competition for Rifqa.

Phoebe, Alaniese and Lyam also it gave it their best in teams that did not medal in today's tough National event.

18th July - Classmaster Friendly event, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

GOLD Blake Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Matteo Russo
GOLD George Rowan
GOLD Christopher Corrigan
SILVER Luke Davies
SILVER Megan Walmsley
SILVER Sofija Bojat
BRONZE Peter Davies
BRONZE Hollie Walmsley
BRONZE Sasha Derkach
BRONZE Niamh Corrigan

Little Peter, Luke and Hollie were also presented with 'Spirit of Judo' awards. It was also Peter's birthday and the whole room sang to him.

30th July - EJC Summer Friendly

Our little event ran so smoothly today, it was excellent. 16 youngsters from two clubs, many of whom had been on the Ealing Judo Club Summer Training Camp all week, came to have a go at this training tournament, to see what competing was all about.

Alexander Legon was fantastic, winning 3 contests by ippon. He not only won the gold but also a special trophy for 'Throw of the Day'. An EJC newcomer also took the event by the horns: young Michael won all of his contests to claim a gold too. Jack Vary made a rare appearance and had a great time, winning all of his fights too, to bring home our 3rd gold of the day.

There great silvers for Erik, Tatsuki, Jack Vaughan and Yoshiki, while bronzes went to Luke D, Ali A-J and Fiona.

14th August - Eastern Area Open Age Banded, Thetford

Congratulations to the unstoppable force that was Eliot Bradford today. He won in great style to take our only gold of the day. Jamie fought in three groups and gained silver in each: clearly one of our most consistent fighters! Harkirat also won a silver .

Chris decided to step on to the mat still asleep and was treated to his just desserts, he has learned a big lesson and will ensure better preparation in the lead up to future events. His sister, Niamh, however fought excellently, more confident than usual and she came away with a bronze for her trouble. There were also bronzes today for Mason and Blake Inniss.

Little Blake GB fought extremely well too to win his silver. It was an excellent and very intelligent performance. Blake was not our only silver medal, with little Lucy earning the same, after some tough contests.

22nd August - Lakeland Open, Kendal, Cumbria

We had a mixed day in Kendal: Phoebe was excellent, bursting back into form to take a silver medal. Harkirat had a tougher day than expected but still managed to come away with a bronze. Jamie fought with great heart but didn't get the results he had hoped for and had to settle for a bronze. Chris was well prepared but lost his head a bit once on the mat and came away without a result.

As well as all of this judo we had a great time with some fell running and conditioning in the hills, some rowing on Lake Windermere and a canal tour in the Midlands on the way home. All had a fun time.

28th August - British Masters Championships, Cardiff, Wales

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EJC had a fantastic day at the Masters, picking up 2 medals from our team of 3. Evelyne repeated last year's performance to bring home a silver. Lyam was on his best form ever, winning his first 3 contests by ippon. This put him into the semi which he lost by not such a large margin. This gave him the bronze. It was a gutsy, natural and determined performance, one I am sure Lyam is very pleased with. He now joins our most prominent fighters on the National medal page.

29th August - Welsh Senior Open, Cardiff

Lyam, still recovering from the battles of the previous day, stepped on to the mat once more! He had 4 tough contests, including one against the eventual gold medallist (Skillcorn of Camberley). He won his last contest with some fantastic transition but earned no podium spot.

5th September - Heart of England, Birmingham, Midlands

EJC had a really tough day. In the senior section Lyam couldnb't match last week's performance. In the B band Allegra took our only medal of the day, a bronze. The D band saw Sam put in some excellent performances, with obvious improvement, but no result. In the C band Akhil's lack of serious training finally took its toll, seeing him finish the day in 5th place. Harkirat also finished 5th. Alaniese, Phoebe and Jamie all finished without a win. It was not a day I wish to repeat and I hope some of the team have learned a valuable lesson about working to meet goals instead of expecting the rewards to drop into their laps.

11th September - High Wycombe Mini-Mon, Buckinghamshire

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Three of our six under 12 fighters today were making their debut and so there were lots of nerves and questions, but all of that was followed by fantastically determined performances. Michael worked really hard, as did Niamh and although neither made it to the rostrum, both fought very well and made immediately visible improvements.

Yoshiki began his day a little hesitantly but soon picked up the pace and he was rewarded with a bronze.Levi also started slowly but warmed to the occasion and after an early oss won the remainder of his contests to win a bronze. Ibrahim was brilliant today, one of his best performances ever. At the end of a tough knockout he found himself in bronze position: a great result. Tatsuki, however, seemed a little over-awed by the event and did not offer the performance I know he is capable of and didn't earn a prize.

At the end of the under 12 group the under 16s began. Tatsuki and Levi both seemed eager to gain more experience and put into practice what they learned in the under12s, so both boys had another go at it. They were rewarded with a silver and a bronze respectively and I was very proud of their attitude and work ethic. Well done to the whole group - EJC had a good day.

12th September - London Area Trials for the British Championships, Dagenham

Some of the guys had to fight for their places and some did not. However the results are below:

GOLD Allegra Inniss
GOLD Eliot Bradford
GOLD Phoebe Harris
GOLD Akhil Bist
SILVER Alaniese Breen
SILVER Harkirat Sekhon
SILVER Rifqa Samad
BRONZE Sam Gulaidi-Breen
BRONZE Daniel Vary
BRONZE Conor Corrigan

All of these fighters have qualified for next months British Championships in Sheffield. Well done and good luck.

18th September - Olen Cup, Belgium

We travelled to Belgium with a small group of fighters whose primary objective was to broaden their experience of competitive judo. The senior member of the team, Harkirat, fought well and won a bronze. Sam, new to Ealing, fought with great heart and had obvioulsy improved since his last outing. He was, however, scuppered by a very poor draw. Sam was in pool 3/4 with the eventual gold and silver medalists. Never mind. Alaniese also did very well, at her first international tournament and came away with a bronze.

19th September - British Championships (age 10-11), Crystal Palace, London

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Well what a great day for Ealing Judo Club! We had ten little monsters competing in the youngest age band of the British Championships. 2 of them had medalled before and all had been working through a specific training programme in the lead up to the event. Of course not everyone had a perfect day but all gave it a good shot.

Erik fell foul of the draw, beginning his day in a pool with the eventual gold and silver medalists. This left him not getting out of his pool. It was a shame as he had the ability to beat both of the bronze medal winners. It was, however, his first National Championships and he clearly has much more to learn and as much to give. Blake Inniss really went for it in his first contest but a narrow loss took the wind out of his sails and his next fight was contested with far less gusto - the lesson being to maintain focus and motivation throughout, no matter what has happened before. Incidentally the boy he lost to in round one became champion at the end of the day. Luka, in the same group came away with one win, two losses, putting him out of the competition. Of course the big occasion nerves can be difficult to handle but when combined with a lack of training through the school holidays, the result is usually the same. It's a real shame that the date of the event was not thought about more carefully - all of the children would benefit from having the National Championships further away from the holidays. However, Luka is a class act and once he realises this and develops confidence to go with ability I am sure we will see the results flying in again.

Levi and Maxime, in the 38s were in a similar situation and will have to aim to step up their training before big events in the future. Let's hope both bounce back quickly.

Ali, who had also been away for the whole Summer, had managed to maintain a minimal amount of aerobic exercise while away and topped this up with attandance at every judo session possible from 1st September. He was so close to the medals, as after 5 great contests he placed 5th, losing out for the bronze in his final bout. It was a good performance.

Little Blake, on his debut outing at National level, performed out of his skin, winning his 1st two contests with growing confidence and strategy. In the semi he came up against a good fighter who beat Blake on just a small score at the end of full time. This left Blake needing one win for a bronze medal and that contest went right down to the wire. At the end of full time it was a yuko apiece and so the boys went into golden score. A couple of 50/50 situations from which no score came... Phew, and then the boy attacked and Blake went for a massive take back counter and the refs called waza-ari! Woop woop! Blake had won his first national medal, a bronze.

A second bronze was won by Showgo Kimura, who placed 5th last year following an outrageous decision by the inexperienced referees on his mat. Showgo looked determined and focussed throughout. He won in the first two rounds to take him into a tough quarter final, which he lost at full time. This left him with 3 very challenging contests for that covetted medal. One by one he dispatched these opponents, tough exchanges notwithstanding. Winning the medal was a long-awaited reward for this talented and hard working little fighter.

Then on to our 2 gold medal winners. Little Lucy was an absolute dead cert' for last year's gold in this event but a split second's lapse in concentration led to an unexpected loss in that final, leaving Lucy with a silver. Since then her eyes have been firmly set on taking this year's title and with that drive to win has come the desire to improve and she has worked very hard to broaden her technical range. This really came to the fore in her first contest today, when her Newburn opponent went up by a yuko very early in the fight. Lucy was left to chase this score and only a mature and focussed fighter would be able to bring the fight back from the brink in this way. Thankfully Lucy has the ability to make mature and appropriate decisions even when under pressure (Sir Clive Woodward of rugby world cup fame talks about the need for elite athletes to TCUP, or Think Clearly Under Pressure) and she chose her attacks wisely putting in great combinations of forward and rear throws, eventually clawing back the yuko and then throwing for ipopon. It was a much tighter first tussle than we had expected but the result was perfect and put Lucy in just the right frame of mind for her second contest. A win would secure her place in the final. Again Lucy went down a score at the beginning of the match but this did not last long and Lucy threw her shocked opponent for two waza-aris. Lucy had lots of preparation time before her final and we hatched a plan, a strategy to combat the opponents strongest attacks, utilising Lucy's tokui-waza (favourite scoring technique). As it happens the plan was spot on and Lucy threw for ippon in her final inside 3 seconds to become British National Champion.

Mason was also out to prove himself this weekend, having lost a bit of faith last year. He sometimes suffers with nerves at the big occasions but today our pre-competition briefing and some targetting warm-up work helped to put Mason in the right frame of mind to do some winning. He has worked extremely hard all year and and his results indicated that he was in with a shout of a medal. We decided on a one fight at a time approach as it can be daunting to focus entirely on a final that hasn't been reached yet! Mason had 5 contests in all and won the first 3 and the final by ippon. Only the semi-finalist took him to time, Mason winning by waza-ari. He was strong, focussed and to be honest unstoppable. He used some jaw-dropping techniques; one of which, the one handed uchi mata for ippon, earned gasps from the spectators. Mason Gulaidi-Barber deserves to be National Champion and is a welcome addition our National medalists page.

Congratulations and well done to the whole club, players, parents, siblings, training partners and coaches - it really was a team effort and we are very much looking forward to seeing what this awesome group of ten fighting monsters can do with their future. Keep up the good work. Xx

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Above - The fantastic four: The happy faces of Blake, Mason, Showgo and Li'l Lucy, at the British Championships.

25th September - Mini Pot Van Olen, Belgium

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We had 5 of our young ones fighting in Belgium this weekend. Tohgo, Li'l Blake, Kiran, Mason and Erik all made the trip to Olen. It is always very friendly, we are given a very warm welcome by the organisers. Highlights include Erik and Kiran winning bronze medals, Blake having 4 tough contests to win a silver and the Mason and Tohgo fought wonderfully to the finish and each finished the day with gold. Well done to the whole team.

26th September - Devizes Annual Tournament, Wiltshire

We had an excellent day today. The team comprised Li'l Blake, Mason, Jezza, Daniel V, Phoebe, Alaniese, Rifqa and Sam. The most noteable highlight was Phoebe's win in her first contest against the girl who knocked her out at the Heart of England - this was a benchmark contest and showed Phoebe that her extra training is starting to pay off. There were medals from: Blake, Daniel and Rifqa each took bronze. Phoebe won a silver. There were golds from Mason and Alaniese (plus a bronze in the weight above).

3rd October - Epping Championships

We love this event! The hosts are friendly, accommodating and hard working. We took a huge group of fighters and all worked hard, fighting from the heart - spirited performances.

Oscar came for his 1st open contest fought well but with no prize and Yoshiki had a similar story, although for Yoshiki a late win gave him a renewed confidence for the future. Bosco had a very unlucky day. He won his first 3 contests by ippon but the last one in his pool was a loss and this unfortunately put him out of the medals. Bosco should be very proud of himself: an excellent performance. Our medals and highlights are listed below:

Under 10s
GOLD Matteo Russo
GOLD Blake Gulaidi-Barber
SILVER Michael O'Toole
BRONZE Niamh Corrigan
BRONZE Luke Davies
BRONZE Jack Vaughan
BRONZE Jack Vary

Under 16s
GOLD Jamie King
GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Alaniese Breen
GOLD Harkirat Sekhon
GOLD Phoebe Harris
GOLD Eliot Bradford
SILVER Daniel Vary
BRONZE George Rowan
BRONZE Jeremy Clement
BRONZE Erik Gee
BRONZE Christopher Corrigan

Seniors
GOLD Mark Scarman (novices)
GOLD Daniel Vary (low grade light weights)
GOLD Eliot Bradford (low grade middle weights)
GOLD Rifqa Samad

Eliot's performance in the senior section was outstanding. Matteo, Blake and Mason each won 6 fights straight. Michael only dropped his final, after 5 other wins, 4 by ippon - and only his 2nd away tournament. Double medals for family Corrigan. Jeremy gets first medal and Jamie gets first gold for EJC... I could go on. Everyone was fantastic. A great day for our fighters and for the club. Well done to everyone.

9th-10th October - British Championships, Sheffield

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We had an excellent weekend. I have to say on the whole that this was probably the most enjoyable 'Nationals weekend' I have ever had. The company was good. The performances were on the whole good. The team spirit was immense and the medals won were a credit to the players, their team-mates and their other supporters.

Daniel V, Alaniese, Allegra, Phoebe and Harkirat all gave it their best shot and although they didn't come away with medals there were some very positive moments: Alaniese fought her best fights ever - strategic, determined and intelligent. Harkirat performed some judo from the Harkirat of old, great combinations and great heart.

Eliot fought as Eliot does, with strength and a huge will to win. He won two contests in the early rounds and made it into the final with ease. His final was not as easy as he was hoping though and he was thrown there for ippon, having to settle for a silver, for the 2nd year in a row. It was still a great performance and he is still #2 in Great Britain.

Akhil, a consistent medal winner at this event, went out ready to do some damage in the Cadet u60kg boys section. He went out hard and secured the early wins needed to get to the semi, including a win over his Scottish long-time rival, Moffatt. Moffatt had been seeded #1 and so this win was significant. Akhil then met Johnson in the semi, who had been to the Euroopean Cadet Championships in 2009 at the weight below. It was a very even contest and at the end of full time there was no score. Johnson dropped a number of times and was penalised but it wasn't enough to give an outright win to Akhil and on the bell the referees gave their decision to Johnson. We and many others believed this decision to be incorrect but it is just one of those frustrating things we have to live with. This left Akhil needing one win for the bronze. The machine in Akhil kicked in and he won the fight convincingly and so remains on the England squad and will be one of the contenders for next Summer's European Cadet championships.

Conor was the big surprise of the weekend, having been unable to compete for much of the year. He fought like a man posessed and won with huge, committed techniques. His perseverance and style were evident; he was a real crowd pleaser, such excitement. He lost only his quarter final, leaving hime needing 3 straight wins for a bronze medal. He worked hard to gain these victories and at the end of the day he stood on the rostrum with a beaming grin. What a superb performance.

I believe that this group and those beneath them at the club now have a clear understanding of what it takes to develop and succeed in the right way and we will build further from here. Well done to all - you were truly wonderful.

16th October - Jacques Henri Memorial Teams, Brussels, Belgium

As always we had an absolute ball at this friendly but tough international team event. This year the team comprised 9 spots, A band and younger, at different weights. I would imagine many clubs would have trouble fielding such a specific range of players, but we managed 8 out of the 9. There were 5 rounds in all and I very pleased to say that little Blake and George won every one of their contests. The rest, Sofija, Li'l Lucy, Pierre, Erik, Mason & Chris all won and lost at strategically helpful points, meaning the team won in every round. EJC were winners again, for the 4th time. This was a particularly good team, including 3 national medallists and I am sure many future national medallists. We enjoyed our day very much and celebrated in the time-honoured fashion, with a meal at the Buffalo Grill on the way home!

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Above: the winning EJC team.
Below: All teams who participated.

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16th October - Kyu Grade Cup, High Wycombe

Our lone ranger, Martin, went along for some compettion practice today. He didn't make it to the rostrum but had a good day.

23rd October - NHC u12 & u16, High Wycombe

An excellent day for the club, with all 11 players winning medals and some fantastic performances to boot. Our 6 under 12 competitors fought first with Lucy K, Mason, Pierre and Li'l Blake all winning gold, Luka taking a silver and Sofija winning bronze.

In the under 16 section there were golds for Phoebe and Jamie, silvers for Eliot and Alaniese and a well deserved bronze for our club captain Daniel.

Highlights had to be Sofija's final contest with the amazing to and fro format, both girls putting everything into it - the whole crowd ended up watching this one and Sofija showed true grit and the real potential she has for the future. There was the double gold in the King household, with Jamie and Lucy doing it on the same day for the first time ever - long may it continue! There was Pierre and his red belt taking on the any grade -42kg group and winning it with some beautiful ippons. Well done to all.

24th October - Salisbury Low Grades Open

This event always deserves a higher entry than it gets: the sections are so plentiful that almost anyone can fight and feel comfortable that they won't get pounded by some random beast who is 3 years older and 4 belts higher grade. It is a great beginners' tournament.

Our under 12 red belts had a mixed time with Michael and Marius both fighting well and learning lots, but not quite in the medals. Hollie fought very well to win a silver, Niamh really put everything into it to take her bronze and Sofija was on fine form again, winning all 4 contests and a gold medal.

Blake and Maxime fought in the orange belt under 12 category with Blake winning gold and a silver for Maxime. Chris was our only u16 orange belt and he also had a good day, winning a silver medal.

In the senior low grade groups Mark won his second gold in as many tournaments. Pleasingly he fought better in each subsequent contest, as he learned from the one before - an excellent performance. Alex had a great debut, winning a bronze in the open weight group and Eliot fought in the blue and green belt group and won all fights to take an amazing gold. Eliot's wins were especially impressive as he is only 14 and he threw big seniors for ippon with some stylish judo. Congratulations to all who fought - an outstanding team effort.

6th November - Slovak Open, Galanta, Slovakia

This is the second year we have travelled to Galanta for the Slovak Open and as with last year we had a good excursion. In the under 11 category Blake and Sofija were both outstanding. Sofija lost her first contest and then battled through four really tough fights to win a bronze. Blake won 2 by ippon early on and then lost out to a tough Slovakian (who was eventually beaten by Sofija for the bronze). He then went on to win 3 contests in the repecharge to win his bronze. He also beat, in the bronze match, the opponent who had beaten Sofija in the first round. Between these two little starts they fought 11 contests and did so with maturity and skill way beyond their years.

In the under 13 group Mason had a much harder day than expected and eventually placed 5th, following a golden score match for the bronze. Erik and Blake Inniss each fought extremely well, winning a bronze apiece. I think it is fair to say that for each boy it is there best ever competitive performance and they should be very proud.

In the under 15 group Allegra narrowly missed out while Alaniese won a bronze with some fantastic ne-waza. And in the under 18 section Alaniese fought again and bettered her earlier result to win a silver medal, with a brilliant comination technique. Phoebe had a horrible run of results with the referees really working against her, but dug in and with true grit won a well deserved bronze.

We then stayed on for the training camp on the Sunday and the whole group trained excellently.

13th November - Red Earth Open, Luxembourg

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Three intrepid travellers made the journey to deepest darkest Luxembourg to the Red Earth Open. This is the 2nd year we had've competed at this event and they have expanded the tournament hugely inbetween. The venue was very impressive right in the capital and the welcome we received was warm as always.

All in the u15 age band, our 3 boys fought well. Chris was first up in the u38kg. He won his first comfortably against the home boy, but then lost out in the semi final. Sadly Chris couldn't get past the French opponent in the bronze medal match and so he had to settle for a credible 5th place.

At u60kg Jamie was on probably his best form ever. He fought with great heart and determination and there was a great intelligence about the choices he made. He went through 4 tough rounds and pulled a bronze out of the hat to add to his growing medal collection.

Eliot was a last competitor of the day, fighting at +73kg. He won the first two matches with little resistance, but the final was a different matter. His hardy French opponent offered strong gripping, making it difficult to get into position to execute Eliot's favourite scoring techniques. Eventually he was thrown for ippon, but should be happy with is silver.

14th November - South Coast Age Banded, Worthing

We had an excellent day in Worthing. Medals were as follows:

GOLD Mason Gulaidi-Barber
GOLD Lucy King
GOLD Sofija Bojat
SILVER Blake Inniss
SILVER Luka Kljutic
BRONZE Alaniese Breen
BRONZE Allegra Inniss
BRONZE Jamie King

There were also good performances from Little Blake, Michael, Daniel V and Jezza.

21st November - 61 Club under 12 Open, High Wycombe

Blake Inniss and Ali Abdelaal went with high hopes and were not disappointed. They both fought excellently and won a gold and a bronze respectively.

21st November - South Coast Red & Yellow Belt Championships, Worthing

Wow! What a fantastic day for our tiny mighties... I was so pleased to have Amir, James, Jonathan and Patrick with us as they have been out of competitive judo for quite a while. They all fought well and showed that they are ready to be back! Another highlight was seeing Niamh gain enlightenment. She grew and grew through the tournament and by the end of the day she had this competition malarky sussed - a brilliant effort and one which should carry her forward to bigger and better things.

GOLD Pierre Maillefaud
GOLD James Sookias
GOLD Sofija Bojat
SILVER Matteo Russo
SILVER Michael O'Toole
SILVER Niamh Corrigan
SILVER Patrick Bambi
SILVER Jonathan Sookias
BRONZE Amir Asgari
BRONZE Marius Maillefaud

27th-28th November - Southend Tournament, Southend, Essex

A weekend of mixed fortunes: Chris, Mark, Phoebe and Rifqa were unable to make it the podium. However, Chris learned lots and is ready to put it into practice on his next outing. There was a gold for Nekoda in the senior section. She had a very good day, beating good quality opposition. Alex and Luka each won silvers and put in good performances to boot. There were bronzes for Daniel V and Conor. Conor had a particularly good day and as always, such a lovely attitude. All events are cheerful when Conor is around!

28th November - Bev Price Teams, Walsall, Midlands

We entered our team in order to get the three lads a few good practices, but it turned out much better than that. There were 14 teams entered in the group and they were split into pools. Our lads had three contests in the pool and came out as the number 1 team. Then in the knockout stage we fell foul of some bad luck and ended the day 5th. Akhil, Jamie and Blake Inniss had a decent day - Akhil's performance was especially mature.

5th December - Classmaster Friendly Event, Kent

GOLD Luke Davies
GOLD Sasha Derkach
GOLD Hollie Walmsley
GOLD Jack Vary
GOLD Tohgo Kimura
GOLD Michael O'Toole
GOLD Ali Salhab
GOLD Christopher Corrigan
SILVER Alessio Martinelli
SILVER Ken Okada
SILVER Oscar Gjesdal
BRONZE Peter Davies
BRONZE Megan Walmsley
BRONZE Niamh Corrigan
BRONZE Vishay Karia
BRONZE Bosco D'Aligny
BRONZE Kiran de Silva

There were some truly amazing performances today, with everyone fighting at maximum effort. Luke showed an impressive array of throwing techniques aswell as some positive ne-waza. Sasha shocked himself by throwing all opponents for ippon. Michael was confident and tried some new throws. Niamh performed brilliantly, using previous knowledge to plan each contest. Vishay overcame some serious nerves to fight with real determination. I could go on - every single fighter can be proud of themselves for an excellent team effort. Well done to everyone.


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