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On Sunday 22 nd April the
Nottinghamshire County Judo squad won 17 medals across two events.
The 22-strong squad hit
the medal trail at the Midland Area Green Belt Senior Open in
Walsall and the Thomas Deacon u20 Championships in Peterborough.
The talent-rich squad was made up from players across the county’s
thirteen clubs.
Nottinghamshire’s gifted
young players won five gold medals, seven silver and five bronze.
Their success was made
even more impressive by the fact that some of the players were
competing outside of their county for the first time.
Jason Dutton, who has been
recently appointed as the Nottinghamshire County Coach, said:
“This is a great result for the Nottinghamshire County Squad,
the coaches and players at all of the clubs have worked hard over
the last year to make these County sessions and events work and
this success is a testament to the effort they have all put in.
“We have more events and
trips planned over the next few months including the Nottinghamshire
Open Judo Competition, Nottinghamshire Youth Games and a Nottinghamshire
Squad Training Camp that is being held at Walesby Forest.”
Thirteen squad members
medalled in Walsall with Fay Hall, William Penfold and Charlie
Young all claiming gold. Sophie Townhill, Harvey Penfold , Kyra-Mae
Leighton and Adam Hill joined Marija Beliukeviciute and Ashton
Butterfield as silver medallists. Bronze medals went to Alexandra
Baker, Dylan Hodgson, Mollie Mellors and James Wall.
In Peterborough, Samuel
Hall and William Humphreys took gold while Joe Young won silver.
Jack Hodgson’s bronze completed the impressive medal haul.
Terri-Ann Elliott, the
British Judo Association’s East Midlands Development Officer,
believes the well-run Nottinghamshire Squad is an ideal environment
for emerging players.
“Nottingham’s judo clubs
have pulled together to create a very successful squad,” she said.
“It’s nice to see so many
young people from across the county getting involved in competitions
and being able to go to events where they have the support of
an enthusiastic coaching team and other players from their area.
“For many of these players
attending competitions has been a lonely experience in the past
as most clubs in Nottingham only have a few competitive players.
By creating the squad, Nottinghamshire Judo has forged bonds between
the clubs and the players and has provided more opportunities
for young people to get involved in competitive judo.”
Elliott sees the opportunity
for players to represent their county as a significant step in
their development.
“The squad members show
pride in being selected to represent their county and their parents
appreciate the funding support that being involved in the Nottinghamshire
Squad has given them. All in all it has proved to be a great
success.”
The Nottinghamshire County
Squad trains bi-monthly at alternating training venues across
the County. The next training session is being held at the Bilborough
Sports Centre on Saturday 22 May from 11.00am – 1.00pm. Any judo
player living or training at a club in Nottinghamshire is welcome
to attend the County sessions.
Further information regarding
the Nottinghamshire County Squad including a full list of judo
clubs within the County can be found on their website www.nottsjudo.org.uk
or by calling 0700 349 6051.
The British Judo Association
is the National Governing Body for the Olympic Sport of judo in
Great Britain.
Media Contact:
Mark Pickering
British Judo
(t) 01509 631674
(e) mark.pickering@britishjudo.org.uk
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