South Brent Judo Club members had a busy day earlier this month, with judoka competing in Harlow and others training in Bideford.

Seven judoka made the long journey to Harlow for the North­ern Home Counties Championship on June 6.

The competition attracts experienced players as it is a ranking event for England. First on to the mat were Adam Vosper and Josh Shipp, both competing in the U38kg weight division. Adam won gold and Josh won bronze, which is a remarkable achievement for Josh as it was his first time in a new weight group.

Tom Smith and Davy Grey both fought well in the U46kg division, where Tom won gold. Kolya Schwinge (U60kg) also won gold in a strong field.

In the afternoon it was the cadets' turn: Lewis Widdicombe and Adam Whitfield (U73kg) fought in a very tough group and both came away with 25 valuable England ranking points.

Success does not come without hard training, dedication and commitment; South Brent's younger players showed they have that in abundance.

On June 6 they at­tended a four-hour pre­paration for performance (P4P) session to develop their skills and learn from the best where Tom Reed, GB Commonwealth silver medallist, taught them some new skills.

Visit the website southbrentjudoclub.

weebly.com for more information on the club's activities.