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Copyright (C) by Shuhari-Kai Karate Club 2003-2009

      

TKA Essex Open Championships    A small squad of five ventured to Clacton on Sunday 4th July and celebrated by coming home with eight medals, 1 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze. There was some good performances from the squad and had they got the breaks, more of the medals would have been gold. As ever the Kata events were first and this time we had two entrants in the Dan grade category. Up against the points system for a single Kata display, Jodie Miles performed an outstanding Seipai Kata but strangely only finished fourth overall. Our next Dan grade competitor was Alex Sell who impressed the judges with his display of Chatanyara Kushanku Kata to take Gold.     The 3rd-1st Kyu category saw Luke Bannister and Sophie Roberts both compete. Luke performed Kushanku whilst Sophie performed Seienchin Kata. Luke didn't make it into the medals but Sophie had tied for third place and had to play off. Sophie performed Bassai-Dai for her play-off Kata but lost the judges decision and had to settle for 4th. Alex, Jodie and Sophie then joined forces for the team Kata event and claimed a Silver medal for their Seienchin Kata performance.     On to the Kumite events and up first was Luke Bannister. Luke took his opponent into extra time in his first round fight but was just pipped to the punch and made an early exit. Next up was Alex Sell and like Luke before him he made a first round exit. Unlike Luke though, Alex was disqualified for excessive contact after catching his opponent on the nose with a jodan kick. Meanwhile all the girls picked up medals in their individual events and were unlucky not to come away with golds. Jodie Miles picked a Silver in her event after narrowly losing in her final fight in a round-robin event. Jodie won her first fight convincingly but let a lead slip away in her last fight and couldn't regain the lead again. Sophie Roberts also competed in a round-robin event and after winning her first round fight she tied on 7-7 in her final fight. On count-back, both fighters tied on wins and on points but Sophie's opponent got the decision as she had scored with a jodan kick. Tough break for Sophie who would have much preferred a fight-off. Last up for the squad was Amy Roberts who isn't a usual participant at these events and hasn't seen action since the WIKF National Championships back in April. Amy was a little rusty but did well in her event but bowed out in the semi-finals picking up a Bronze for her efforts. Amy then entered the Women's Open event and picked up her second medal of the day after claiming another Bronze after bowing out in the semi's again.     The girls then teamed up for the Girls team Kumite event and lost out in the semi-finals. Jodie up first was disqualified from her fight after excessive contact warnings whilst Sophie felt robbed after losing to her opponent. With two loses, the other team progressed to the finals without the need for Amy to fight. This left the girls team to fight it out for Bronze. Jodie was up first again but this time kept a cool head as she stormed to a 8-0 victory. Sophie up next once again lost out on the decision in a close contest that she felt she should of won. This left Amy with all the pressure. Amy did fantastically well landing two jodan kicks to counter her opponents Gyaks. This left the match drawn at the end but on count-back, Sophie and the rest of the team didn't fall foul of the rules this time as they had accumulated the majority of the points and secured the Bronze medal.  The boys team of Alex and Luke also picked up a Bronze although in less dramatic style. With only two fighters, their chance of gold was gone when Luke lost his fight in the semi-final round meaning the team couldn't win against three man team.      It was good to see Amy Roberts back in action after a break and showed what she's capable of. Let's hope she turns out for more competitions. Sophie was unlucky in both Kumite and Kata and could come home with Gold if she had the breaks. Jodie was unlucky not to get Gold too and how she missed out on a Kata medal is a mystery. Luke was unfortunate to lose his Kumite bout in extra time whilst his Kushanku Kata was one of his best displays. Alex did well to take Gold in the prestigious Dan Kata event but was unfortunate being disqualified in Kumite. Big thanks to Paul Beeson for coaching the fighters and supporting the squad. Very much appreciated.   Squad: Luke Bannister, Jodie Miles, Amy Roberts, Sophie Roberts and Alex Sell.

 

For further information email us at info@shuharikai.co.uk or call Chief Instructor Richard Burridge on 01708 737125 or 07850 253998   Copyright (C) by Shuhari-Kai Karate Club 2003-2009