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One of the most eagerly-anticipated
events in British Judo, the Beverley Price Memorial Team Championships,
will take place at Wolverhampton University’s Walsall Sports Campus,
on Sunday 28 November.
The highly-rated event
is run by Kidderminster’s Samurai Judo Club and sees teams of
three field a lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight judoka
as each trio competes to register the most victories.
The Gold Clubmark outfit
stage the one-day teams showpiece in memory of Beverley Price,
one of the clubs finest ever players, who passed away in 1997
aged 23, having just become part of the British squad.
An accomplished judoka,
Price was also a qualified referee, coach, British Kata Champion
and a noted 2nd Dan.
The club started the
competition in 1998 to remember the under 52kg talent and attracted
former Olympians such as Karen Roberts and Georgina Singleton,
the latter being a long-time foe of Beverley’s. Former world and
European champion Craig Fallon, who recently returned to full-time
judo, is a three-time competitor at the event and could be in
line to make another appearance this year.
Samurai’s 2009 instalment
attracted 97 teams including British international Danny Williams,
once of Samurai, who has since made his inaugural appearances
at the European and world Championships in 2010.
The level of interest
for the upcoming competition has seen the organisers move the
event back a week to avoid a clash with the Under 23 European
Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The move enables exciting young
players such as under 48kg star Kelly Edwards - who took an impressive
seventh-place in her European Championships debut in April - to
compete at both events.
Edwards is expected
to line-up for hosts Samurai Judo Club alongside budding British
internationals Kate Walker and Sarah Biles. Walker, 21, won the
Scottish Open in October and will compete in Bosnia while 18-year-old
Biles finished with a bronze medal at the British Championships
last month.
Samurai Judo Club’s
Head Coach Andrew Haffner said: “There is nothing quite like the
atmosphere at a team competition and this year the event is expanding
onto five mats, a first for the venue.
“In recent years we’ve
clashed with the European U23 Championships, but this time we’ve
moved the event back a week which will also enable Samurai’s own
top stars to compete.”
Tickets will be available
on the door at £3. For more information please contact samuraijudoclub@yahoo.co.uk
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