2016

6th WUKF World Championships 19th June 2016

A long weekend in Dublin for the WUKF championships and our sole competitor James, supported by Mike and Karen and Sensei Moira.

Over 2000 competitors over three days and 12 tatami, all video streamed online. The opening day set the tone for the event with delays soon creating a backlog of events. James' first category was not called until 2200 on day two so he had been waiting all day to step onto the mat in the team kumite category for cadets. He won his first fight and the team progressed to round two only for one fighter to suffer a disqualification and lose the tie. The other three categories were delayed until Sunday morning.

James was soon in action in the cadets weight category against a Romanian fighter - however he went out after a 6-1 defeat.

Next up was the Cadets open weight and the same Romanian fighter. This fight was closer but James was on the wrong end of a 5-3 scoreline.

Finally Team Rotation Kumite versus the USA. James' time on the mat saw him connect with a chudan mawashi geri that was scored by one judge but the main judge went the other way. Final score was 6-0 to the USA but the fighter James connected with told him after that he thinks he has broken a rib!!!!

AMA Southern Open 11th February 2016

Cadet weight category - James Frewin - Gold

Cadet open weight category - James Frewin - Gold

TKA Open, Clacton 7th February 2016

Team Kaichou Kai went to the TKA Open last weekend and returned with more experience and a few medals;

Team Kumite - Rory Armstrong-Smith and Jaden Young - Bronze

Team Kumite - Wade and Mason Humphrey - Bronze

Individual kata - Leo Green - Silver

Individual kata - Alexa Marston - Bronze

Individual kata - Nila

Kumite - Senior female - Alexa Marston - Gold

Kumite - Male cadet - James Frewin - Silver

Kumite - Senior male - James Frewin - Bronze

Kumite - Female cadet - Beverley Jones - Bronze

Kumite - Childrens - Kayal - Bronze

Kumite - Childrens - Leo Green - Bronze

2015

UWK England Open, Sheffield November 2015

Well done Team Kaichou Kai; whether you medalled or not it was great having

you in our squad. You have all gained experience to keep moving forward.

Bev Jones won a bronze in her kata category and then Jaden Young followed up with another bronze, this time in kumite, James Frewin then took gold in the cadet +65kg kumite category and followed that up with bronze in the open weight category. Finally Josh Harris took bronze in the 18+ under 65kg category

Unfortunate for Rory who was unsettled by a sudden and unexpected change
of plan. Being one of the first out he had no time to get his head around it
but well done for giving it a go.

Luke, has now stepped up to senior level and so will need a period of time
to adapt but with determination he will no doubt progress.

It was good also to have the other EUKF coaches around to support everyone

It's all about team work and that really showed on Sunday with Mike doing a
great job officiating all day too. We need representation in all areas as
this all helps our competitors.

Thanks also to all the parents who took their children to the event and those who travelled up early Sunday morning to support you all; much appreciated everyone.

TKA Open, Clacton 26th April 2015

Rory – 3rd kata

Jayden – 2nd kumite

Alexa – 2nd kata, 1st and 2nd kumite

Harry – 3rd kumite

Josh – 3rd kumite

Beverley – 3rd kumite

Team kata A (Wade double act) – 3rd

Team kata A – (Rory and Jayden) 3rd

2014

Club Competition 15th November 2014

The club competition was held today and honours were shared amongst the students. Everyone did their best despite some nerves and performed well.

Lower grade kata

1st Harry Colyer

2nd Jelani Addo

3rd Azim Abbas

Middle grade kata

1st Harry Spong

2nd Wade Humphrey

3rd Chester Attreed

Higher grade kata

1st Rory Armstrong-Smith

2nd Jaden Young

3rd Beverley Jones

Dan grade demonstration

1st Ryan Peermamode

Lower grade kumite

1st Samuel Gjelaj

2nd Leo Green

Lower grade kumite additional category

1st Mason Humphrey

Middle grade kumite

1st Sonny Masters

2nd Terry Spong

3rd Jelani Addo

Higher grade kumite

1st Jaden Young

2nd Matthew Dennis

3rd Ben Phoi-Onta

Finally, for his efforts in both kata and kumite, Terry Spong was awarded competitor of the day.

Karate England Nationals 17th March 2014

Just  James and Rory traveled to Loughborough for this event as it was at short notice. Rory put up a good display in kata and kumite and was by far the lowest grade in his categories but was not overawed and showed that he is definitely going to go places if he keeps up his training. 

James was competing for the first time in a year and this was his first event at cadet level. He also showed his class as he conceded only three points across all his fights to claim gold.

TKA Open17th March 2014

Kaichou Kai are back - one competition, 7 golds, 1 silver and 7 bronze medals. An outstanding display from what is a new squad in our first competition outside Rainham dojo for some time.

In Individual Kata there were golds for Rory, Alexa and David and bronze medals for Jayden, Jamie and Rhiannon.

Team kata saw Rory & Jayden and David & Jamie both take gold and Ben & Beverley and Albie & Sonny both take bronze.

Individual Kumite saw gold for Alexa, Silver for Ryan H and bronze for Jayden and Matthew.

Finally Ryan H and Matthew and Ben took gold in team kumite.

An excellent all round effort from everyone who competed. We are sure that this will be the beginning of many future successes.

Thanks to Sensei Martyn and Sensei David for the coaching on the day.

2013

Club Competition 2nd November 2013

Shikon Open 30th June 2013

A small squad went to the Shikon Open in Harlow today and all showed good spirit and effort. A couple of students were unlucky not to medal but we did bring home two bronzes in kumite for Josh and Ryan. Well done everyone and thanks for all those who went along to support.

2012

Shikon Open 1st July 2012

Kaichou Kai sent a small squad to Harlow today to compete at the Shikon Open.

In kata Holly Freeman was our only medalist and she won gold in her category. In kumite, James Frewin also brought home a gold whilst Ryan Peermamode and Luke Frewin both won Bronze.

Seni Open 7th June 2012

Ryan Peermamode was our only competitor at the Seni Open in East London at the weekend . Competing in kata, he performed Seienchin to claim a bronze medal.

Karate Sport England 15th April 2012

Our first competition for some time saw a squad travel to Loughborough. We travelled up the before in preparation for the early start on the Sunday morning, apart that is from Beverley who made an early start on the Sunday morning to drive directly to the event.  This was her first tournament outside of the club & she gave a very strong performance.  She was in a tough category but held her own.  She had to perform two katas, one of which she only learned the week before but it was obvious she had practiced it a lot.  This was very pleasing to see and shows a great deal of potential.

Ryan Peermamode did well in both kata & kumite but unfortunately was beaten by more experienced competitors & a bit of bad luck too.He will benefit from the experience though and now has a better idea of what to aim for next time.  On the medal front, Tayla was a very determined fighter & her attacking strength won her a bronze.  Luke, was unfortunate in kata, just missing out on a medal but came back in the fighting with a courageous performance that won him a bronze.  James, had a further opportunity to compete by making up a team for another club, he fought well in these bouts and was also rewarded with a bronze. 

Finally, our youngest competitor Jaden won a well-earned silver medal in his kumite category.  Considering, we had little time to prepare for the event & training was interrupted by the Easter holidays, the result and overall performances of all competitors was very pleasing.  This proves that provided you train regularly all year round you will have a chance to hold your own amongst other karate-ka.  All the students who competed rarely miss a session & attend all extra sessions when available and this is why they were able to go out & do us proud.  Well done to all & thank you to the parents for their support.

Results as follows;

Kata     Luke - Bronze

Kumite Tayla - Bronze

Kumite Jaden - Silver

Kumite James - Bronze

Squad Luke Frewin, James Frewin, Ryan Peermamode, Tayla Young, Jaden Young and Beverley Jones.

2011

Association Competition  14th January 2012

At today's competition the following students competed well and achieved the following results;

Lower grade kata

1st Billy Gannon

2nd Albie Fowler

3rd Terry Spong

Mid grade kata

1st Jaden Young

2nd Tayla Young

3rd Rory Armstrong-Smith

High grade kata

1st Luke Frewin

2nd James Frewin

3rd Holly Freeman

Boys kumite - small

1st Terry Spong

2nd Albie Fowler

3rd Billy Gannon

Boys kumite - medium

1st Jaden Young

2nd Matthew Dennis

3rd Ben Phoi-Onta

Boys kumite - large

1st Luke Frewin

2nd James Frewin

3rd Ryan Harkins

Girls kumite

1st Charley Stringer

2nd Holly Freeman

Well done to everyone who took part.

London International Open 20th March 2011

At todays London International Open, kata gold for Luke, silver for Holly and bronze for Ryan  Harkins. Kumite gold for Tayla Young and Jaden Young and bronze for Luke followed by a trip to minor injuries. More details will be updated when available.

BUCS Championships 20th March 2011

Sophie competed at this weekend's British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS) Karate Championships held at Pond's Forge Sports Centre in Sheffield. In her first competition for almost two years to the day, she reached the final and came away with a silver medal for Bournemouth University.

As this competition is only open to University students, the competitors were mainly all new to Sophie although a few familiar faces were around the mats.

After a first round bye, she won her first fight 4-1 including a chudan mawashi round her opponents back to start off with. She followed this up in the semi final final with a laboured 2-0 victory as the two years off the mat began to catch up with her. This set up a final against a current England International who had scored 19 unanswered points in her fights including 6 uramawashis.

In the final Sophie only allowed her opponent a single jodan kick attempt which she blocked and frustrated her opponent throughout the three minute fight. However three gyakus settled the contest 3-0.

 2010

Club Competition Sunday 5th December

Todays club competition took place despite the cold and snowy weather and was well attended despite the problems in getting to the dojo for some. As always there were some new faces taking part in competition for the first time but everyone demonstrated that they had been practising.

The results are as follows:

Junior kata up to 6th kyu 1st Ellie Freeman 2nd Samuel Dennis 3rd Rory Armstrong-Smith Junior kata 5th kyu to 3rd kyu 1st Tayla Young 2nd Ryan Harkins 3rd Jaden Young Junior brown/black belt kata 1st Luke Frewin 2nd James Frewin

Senior/junior black belt kata 1st Jamie Brown 2nd Luke Frewin 3rd James Frewin

Junior kumite up to 6th kyu 1st Mathew Dennis 2nd Jaden Young 3rd Samuel Dennis

Girls kumite 5th kyu and above 1st Holly Freeman

Boys kumite 5th kyu and above 1st Luke Frewin 2nd James Frewin 3rd Ryan Harkins

Senior kumite 1st Martyn Le Breuilly 2nd Mike Frewin

Special mentions go to Sonny, Terry, Ryan and Jamie for taking the heaviest blows and still carrying on. Well done everyone.

SENI Karate Championships Sunday 30th May

Luke, James, Holly and Ryan P made the short trip up the A13 today to take part in the SENI Martial Arts Exhibition Karate competition at London's ExCel Centre. No report as such but in junior kata, Holly managed a bronze, whilst Luke and James were unlucky not to medal in their respective categories. Ryan P also brought home a bronze in the senior event. In kumite, James made it through two rounds but went out in round three. Luke opened his event with a 5-2 victory against a much bigger opponent but was unable to continue as a result of a blow to the throat. Holly and Ryan were also unsuccessful in their categories.

Overall 2 Bronze

EKF English Championships Saturday 24th April

James, Luke, Sophie and Ryan P travelled to Sheffield for the EKF championships this weekend. James and Ryan were competing in kata and kumite, Luke in kata only and Sophie in kumite only. All travelled up on Friday so were well rested for the Saturday events.

First up was James who performed Jion but was unlucky to lose out one flag to two. Next Luke performed Jion as well and despite another strong performance could not gain a flag from the judges. Finally Jion was performed again by Ryan in the senior male category but continued to be unlucky for us as he also failed to gain a flag after a first round bye.

By this time we had discovered that Sophie would not be competing as even though she had made the weight, the organiser's insistence that Gis be worn at the weigh in meant she was over the limit.

James was our only kumite competitor on Saturday and set about the task with a 3-1 win in what was a very sluggish performance. In the next round he fought a continuous bout that went to extra time. With 8 seconds left he managed to land a punch that secured a 1-0 win. Next up was a better quality opponent who scored first and proved to be an elusive target. Once again, James left it late but landed a chudan mawashi round the back to secure a 2-1 win and a place in the semi-final. This fight was against the current English champion and by this time, James was exhausted but kept going. Unfortunately for him, the other fighter was just too strong and he ended the fight 1-5. However it left James with a fight off for bronze which was his when his opponent failed to make the mat due to an injury he received in his previous fight. Bronze medallist for the second year running - well done James.

Ryan's kumite category was on Sunday and in his first national senior event he finished his opening fight 2-8. His victorious opponent got to the semi finals but went out at that stage meaning that Ryan did not get back in through repecharge.

Sensei Moira was in attendance in a refereeing capacity at the event and the students were supported by family and Kerry. 

TKA Greater London Open Sunday 14th February

Seven students attended the TKA Greater London Open at Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham today in which was the club’s first competition for some time.

Tayla and Jaden were making their debuts in competition outside the club and took part in the individual and team kata events. Both performed Pinan Ich but did not medal. They then teamed up in the team event and performed the same kata but once again were not successful in medalling. Well done both though in your first "outside" competition. 

Ryan H then took part in his event, performing Pinan San and Holly performed Empi in hers but both also did not medal.

Luke was then called in the boys black belt event and performed Empi - His points total of 21.3 was enough to secure first place and our first trophy of the day.

Our final kata competitor was Ryan P and his performance of Bassai Dai in the novice to 1st Kyu category secured 2nd place.

Our first kumite competitors were Luke and James who were in the same category.. James opened up with a 5-3 win in extra time after finishing normal time at 2-2. At 2-1 up with 10 seconds left, his opponent decided to stop fighting and just stood still, whilst James continued to bounce around him. As a result, the referee decided that James was backing off and awarded a penalty point to the other fighter. James kept his nerve though and outscored him in the subsequent 30 seconds.

  Meanwhile Luke started hus kumite competiton with a 7-5 win against a equally matched competitor and scored all his point with gyakus.

Round two saw James win comfortably 5-0 without being troubled. Luke then took part in a gritty fight which ended with him on the end of a 5-7 defeat despite looking equal to anything his opponent threw at him.

The next round saw James bow out 0-8 after taking an early blow which seemed to sap his confidence. Both boys looked good and can take some consolation in the fact they both lost to the eventual finalists, both of who hold national titles.

Holly next, in which was her first fight in a year. In a cagey bout, she managed to score the only point of the fight to advance to the next round. In this next fight, both fighters tried to score but could not do so in normal time or the added on extra time. The decision went to the referree who flagged for her opponent as she had been the more aggressive fighter. However, Holly took bronze for her efforts.

Finally, Ryan P went to the mat. Ryan has not competed at this level before and some of his opponents certainly had the edge on him weightwise. However he won his first fight 1-0 and continued where he left off in his second fight by using his speed to win 4-2 in extra time to reach the final. This final was against the category's biggest competitor and with 5 seconds left on the clock, Ryan pulled off a chudan mawashi to level the scores at 5-5 and take the fight to extra time. Unfortunately, he went off the mat too many times and penalty points left him defeated at 5-8. However, an excellent display and a second trophy on the day

Finally the TKA made some awards in respect of the 2009 event series and Sensei Moira was awarded the Best Referee trophy.  

As Sensei Moira was involved in refereeing at the event, Mike took charge of coaching duties and was assisted by Sophie who travelled home from University just for the weekend.

OVERALL 1 GOLD, 2 SILVERS, 1 BRONZE, 1 BEST REFEREE

2009

Club Competition Sunday 6th December 2009

This years club competition took place at the Rainham Hombu today and brought together students from the Rainham, Grays and Ockendon clubs. As always, there were some students competing for the first time together with some familiar faces. There were also a few faces missing due to injury and university.

Added to this years event were senior categories for the older students to take part in and a team kata category. Sensei's Moira, Martyn and David took charge of the officiating and prize giving with help from the club's blackbelts.

There were two junior kata categories - beginner to 5th Kyu and 4th Kyu and above. In the lower grade category Tayla Young came first, with Jaden Young second and Callum Parkin third. All three performing Pinan Ich.

In the higher grade event, Holly Freeman took third after performing Pinan Yon as her tie breaker kata. Ryan Harkins performed the same kata to take second behind James Frewin's Empi.

The senior kata event saw Jamie Brown perform Gan Kyaku to take first with Harry Richardson and Ryan  Peeramode filling the second and third spots.

Team kata saw four teams of various grades perform their chosen kata. Amber, Ryan and Harry performed Empi to take first ahead of James, Ryan and Holly in second and Tayla, Beverley and Jaden in third.The junior kumite event was also split into lower and higher categories. The lower grade event was a round robin affair with a few bruises and only one young lady taking part. All the fights were well controlled and ten bouts later Harry Morgan was declared the winner. Tayla Young did well to take second despite injuring her hand and Joseph Biggs took third. Well done also to Jaden Young and Callum Parkin who took part, Callum for the first time.

The higher grade event was a conventional competition that ended with Holly Freeman and James Frewin meeting in the final. James  controlled this from the start and Holly could not find a way to score until the last seconds. James taking first with Holly second  and Ryan Harkins taking third following a third place fight off with Ryan Jones.

The senior kumite event saw Michael Frewin win all his four fights to take first place. Ryan was close behind winning three of his fights but losing to Michael for second and Harry came third. Harry is not officially a senior for another week but stepped up to take part in this event. Well done to Dennis Morgan and Jamie for putting on their mitts as well.

Thank you to everyone for coming down to support the competitors and to Kerry Barber and Luke Frewin for helping out with the officiating.

BKF Championships Sunday 6th September 2009

This years British championships were held at the weekend in Edinburgh , a change to the normal Sheffield venue. As a result, only Sophie attended as the childrens events were not held until Sunday meaning that the first day back at school would probably be too much for some. Sophie and Sensei Moira flew to Edinburgh on Saturday morning and met up with our IKF friends at the Meadowbank stadium.

Sophie was competing in three categories, the ladies under 55kg, ladies open weight and ladies team.Due to the fact that Sophie had been studying for A levels and preparing for university, this was her first senior event (and first competition for some time). 

In the under 53kg category, she was in the bottom half of the draw and had the current European silver medallist and the current England incumbent to fight. In the first round she was up against the England international and was soon 0-3 down as she aclimatised to this level of competition. However, she fought back to 3-3 with 20 seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately, she then conceded a penalty point and, in going after the point to draw level, conceded another point as time expired. She did not get back in through repecharge.   

In the Open category, Sophie had a first round bye. In her first fight she once again found herself behind at 1-2 when both fighters punched simultaneously. Her opponents innocous looking punch caught Sophie under the arm and dislocated her shouder sending her to the floor in agony. After a short delay, during which time Sophie popped her shoulder back in, she decided to go back onto the mat. She then landed three consecutive gyakus to win 4-2. Unfotunately, the injury meant that she effectively had to fight one handed in the next round against another England competitor. She only lost 0-1 though with the point being score in the last ten seconds. Following this Sophie elected not to fight in the team event.   

Overall it was a brave display despite the defeats. The injury means that as she heads off to uni, she won't be training for a few weeks but we hope to see her back in the dojo soon.

England Karate Kan Open Championships17th May 2009

This was probably the longest day that any of us can remember when attending a competition. Either the Tolworth Recreation Cenre was not big enough to cater for the competitors and spectators or the event was vastly over subscribed. Whatever the reason, the kata event was still taking place at 4pm and our youngest kumite competitor did not get on the mat until gone 6pm having arrived with the rest of the squad at 9am.  

Our first challenge was to find somewhere to sit with only one bank of seating available and that was already full. Credit to the stewards though who did all they could to find additional seating and we managed to set up camp in a corner. 

Luke was up first in the 13-15 years kata and having just turned 13 he was one of the youngest and up against a 15 year old competitor. His Jion was well performed bu th extra strength from his opponent put Luke out 0-3.   

Jamie was our only other kata competitor - in the 16-17 years category. His frst kata was Empi and saw him through 2-1. He then performed Gojoshiosho (sp?) but this time the score was reversed 1-2. It was enough, however, to secure bronze.   

We then settled down for a long wait and the wait went on, and on, and on and then at 6pm when we were just making an executive dcison to depart, James' category was called. At 10 years old, James had been waiting since 9am to fight and was now not really in the mood. He was persuaded by Sensei Moira to compete and at 1-1 with 20 seconds left he scored a jodan mawashi that his opponent could not pull back. 4-1 to James. His next fight was equally as impressive. Having received a heavy blow to the stomach, James rose form the floor to find himself down 0-3. He then pulled out a perfect uramawashi to tie the score at 3-3 and take it to extra time. However, on this occasion, he was beaten to the first punch and went out 3-4.   

During James' fight, Luke was called and he aso decided to fight despite the time. He was the smallest competitor in his category but won his first fight 2-1 during which he had to use lots of energy to avoid his opponents numerous kicks. 

This put Luke in the quarterfinals against a Welsh opponent and the fight was 1-2 against Luke when his opponent committed his first penalty, 2-2. This then set the tone for the rest of the fight as Luke’s opponent twice hit him after Yame and the medical staff had to come onto the mat to treat Luke for injuries received. Luke’s first medical treatment seemed to spur him on and he managed two punches in quick succession, which put the score to 4-2. This, in turn, upset his opponent whose subsequent attacks were deemed excessive and the score was 6-2 in Luke’s favour when his opponent was disqualified prompting some heated words on mat side.

Luke was unable to continue as a result of this fight and so did not come out for the semi-final. He did secure bronze though as a result of another very brave performance.

It was now 9pm and Sophie’s category was still some time away so we left without her taking to the mat in what would have been her first 18+ event. She was not the only one leaving at this time, obviously the delays and the time contributing to people’s decisions to do so.

OVERALL 2 BRONZES

Squad – James Frewin, Luke Frewin, Jamie Brown, Sophie Richardson with Sensei Moira. 

EKF English National Championships 22nd March 2009

Why announce your debut as an association at a regional club competition when you can do it at the National Championships – That’s what Kaichou-Kai did this weekend when the team travelled to Ponds Forge International Arena in Sheffield bright and very early on Saturday morning for two days of competition.

The whole weekend was very different to what we had experienced before, with hotel accommodation being more upmarket than the norm, new tracksuits and badges and new friends in our fellow IKF teammates. Sensei Barber was in attendance in her capacity as referee, but with an eye out to see how her students were doing.

We arrived at 0900 after a three-hour drive and it wasn’t long before Luke was up competing, being the only kata competitor in the squad. This was his first kata competition at national level and he started with Jihon going through to the quarterfinals on a split decision 2-1. It wasn’t long before he was up again and this time he performed Kanka-dai. Unfortunately he went out 1-2 but was only 1 flag away from medaling. Well done though Luke.

Emma was our first kumite competitor of the day and looked very assured in her first fight, controlling it 2-0 when her opponent failed to return to the mat after what looked like a very innocuous gyaku to the stomach. However this punch then caused controversy and a 45-minute delay as the question as to whether chest protectors should be being worn. Emma then had to return to the mat and face her first opponent again for the last 45 seconds of the fight but finished the job with a further 3 points to record an overall 5-0 victory.

In her next fight she opened up a 2-0 lead and again looked comfortable against an opponent who could not pick up any points with her many kicks. However with 0 seconds left on the clock one final kick looked like it had fallen wide but the referee scored it and Emma had gone out 2-3. It was very dubious decision as other closer kicks had not been scored and the block certainly looked like it had been in place. Unlucky Emma, but very well fought in your first English.

Next up was another debutant at National level - James had been waiting to explode all day whilst waiting to fight and he did not disappoint. In his first fight he traded punches to take it to encho-sen. Under the new rules, instead of first to score, the extra 30 seconds is a brand new fight and James landed another gyaku to win 4-3. This put him in the quarter final and this was a much different fight with no stoppages at all until the end of the 90 seconds. However James then scored two gyakus in encho-sen to win 2-0 and secure a place in the semi final.

James obviously wanted to make the most of his time on the mats as this fight also went to encho-sen. James was swept by his opponent but was not scored by the technique and then pulled off an audacious back leg sweep of his own much to the delight of the supporters but this was also not scored. At 2-2 at the end of encho-sen it went to judges decision and although he had the flags 2-1, the referee had gone against him and he went out of the competition. As he walked off the mat he was very disappointed but hadn’t realised he had medalled and the disappointment turned to delight as the message got through. Job well done, James – Kaichou Kai’s first ever medalist.

He then fought in the team event and won his fight 3-0 but the Kazen –Kai team were unable to progress further.

We then came to Luke – He was in the 12-13 year old under 50kg category so was obviously the smallest competitor there by far. He was carrying an injury to his ankle and he would have been within his rights to decide not to compete – but that isn’t Luke’s nature. In a category of 50 fighters he opened up with a 1-0 win, using the mat to avoid his very useful opponent’s punches and kicks. Luke then continued where he left off and secured a 4-1 win in the next round using the same techniques to avoid his heavier opponents attempts to score on him. By this time, several people were asking who he was as he was obviously making an impression on the spectators. This put him in the quarterfinals where he came up against an opponent who was much taller than him and who used this height to his full advantage. Luke was swept twice as his opponent made sure he was down before getting in close and he was unable to get close enough himself to score. Despite going out Luke had made the last 16 of a big category and was giving away 20kgs to some of the other competitors. Once again very well done Luke.

That was the end of day one and we retired to our hotel for a well-earned meal and a semi-late night!

Sunday was senior’s day and Sophie was our only competitor. She waited until 1400 before her first category was called, the 16-17 under 53kg event. As is the norm, she started off sluggishly, coming from behind to win her opening fight 2-1 with both points in the last 20 seconds. She then lost her semi-final 2-3 but repecharge applies at this level and she secured bronze by winning her next fight 3-0.

In the 16-17 open weight event she looked more assured and won her opening two fights 4-1 and 6-1 mixing up her techniques to score her points. She was getting better with every fight and in the semi-final it looked like it was going to encho-sen with the scores tied at 1-1 with 2 seconds left. However her opponent launched herself off the line and Sophie sank in a gyaku to secure a final spot with a 2-1 win. Some believe she may even have shown some emotion when that point was scored!!!

To the final and a well known and respected fellow England International opponent – Sophie kept the fight close and at 2-2 with 13 seconds left it looked like this was going to go the extra 30 seconds. However a fast gyaku caught Sophie and as she went after the tying point she was caught again to end the fight 2-4 and silver.

Finally Sophie took part in the team fighting with a Kazen-Kai teammate. There were only two in the team but luck was on their side as they drew another two-person team meaning that progression would be based entirely on fighting results. Sophie was first up and knowing that “points make prizes” she won her fight 9-4. Her teammate, Nicole, lost 0-1 but the aggregate score gave them a final place.

This was against a three-person team so they had to forfeit the first fight 0-8 and win both their fights. Once again Sophie was up first and secured a 5-2 win. Unfortunately Nicole was unable to secure the win needed for gold but they went away with silver for their efforts.

A very enjoyable if tiring weekend but we were noticed. One of the main topics of conversation around the arena was about Senseis plans for the club and how noisy the supporters were! Our students performed and were unlucky not to come away with more medals for their efforts.

Thanks must go to the club supporters – Ian, Su, Harry, Mike, Karen, Debbie and Peter and to Martyn and Kerry for their input and influence.

Special thanks to Sensei Simon Kidd and his team of coaches who worked the corners and to the Kazen-Kai supporters who made us feel very welcome.

OVERALL – 2 SILVER, 2 BRONZE

Squad – James Frewin, Emma Fisher, Luke Frewin, Sophie Richardson

TKA London Open 15th February 2009

The first competition of 2009 right on our doorstep at Goresbrook Leisure Centre took place today. We had three kata competitors in Holly, James and Luke and all three would also take place in the kumite alongside Sophie and our newest club member, Emma. Sophie provided the coaching on the day as Sensei Moira was part of the refereeing team.

Kata first - this was decided on points so each competitor had to give their all with one kata to have a chance of a place.

Holly and Luke and James were in the same category. Holly performed Pinan Gor, James performed Pinan Yon and Luke performed Empi. All three scored above 21.0 but Luke was closest to a medal, being edged into fourth place.

In the kumite Luke and James were once again in the same category. James took a punch to the nose in his opening fight and found it difficult to get going after conceding the first point. He was unable to progress.

Obviously the Frewin boys had a side bet going as to who could take the most punches to the face as Luke was caught three times in his first bout on the way to a 9-1 win. He was on the floor again in his quarter final but still managed a 4-1 win. In the semi-final he found himself 2-5 down and had rceived two blows to the ribs that had stopped the fight for good few minutes for medical attention. However, this seemed to spur Luke on as he dug deep and fought back to win 6-5 to reach the final. The semi final was probably one of the best fights we have seen from Luke. The final was a subdued affair compared to the previous fights and in a very closely contested fight, Luke lost out 2-3.

Emma was very unlucky to lose her individual event 1-2 after several of her punches were not scored despite appearing to be well on target.

 Holly then won a bruising encounter 1-0. She scored early and managed to hold on despite taking a kick to the face that stopped the fight for five minutes. Unfortunately she did not feel up to competing in her next fight but had secured bronze as a result of her win.

Sophie took part in the Junior (16-17) category and the Ladies Open. In the Junior category she opened up with an 8-0 win but secumbed 8-2 in the next round to the recently crowned European silver medalist.  In the Ladies event, she managed a 6-5 win in extra time but met another fellow England competitor in the next round and lost 5-3.

For the first time in a while we also had a female kumite team in Holly, Emma and Sophie - two juniors and a senior. Our juniors were very junior compared to the other teams but with four teams in this event, they secured bronze with the two juniors fighting and Sophie missing out.

OVERALL 1 SILVER, 2 BRONZE

Squad - Emma Fisher, Holly Freeman, Luke Frewin, James Frewin, Sophie Richardson