The successful Carmarthen judo team.

A small team of competitors from local school recently competed in the British Schools Judo Championships in the West Midlands.

These annual championships always attract the cream of young judo fighters from the UK and this year was no exception.

The team of five boys and one girl all train at Carmarthen Judo Club with senior club coach Louise Beard, who was on hand to give tactical advice during these major championships.

The only girl in the team was Catrin Davies, attending her first major tournament. She seemed quite at home and began her schools career with a fantastic result, bringing home the British title to Carmarthen, the first girl to ever do so in this age and weight group.

Jonathan Earle, a member of the Junior Welsh squad, found his weight group to be very tough with several internationals in the line-up. Jonathan battled though the early rounds with skill and determination. The final was a titanic struggle as both fighters showed their mettle, Jonathan being narrowly beaten and returning to Carmarthen with a well-deserved British silver medal.

The other team members, Christopher Butler, Christopher Wyatt, Jay Bartlett and Tom Wood, all narrowly missed out on a final top four position but showed excellent skills proving how close they are to the very top of British Schools Judo.

They fought against current and past British internationals and were beaten by the narrowest of margins.

Club coach Louise Beard said: “All these young people put up a terrific performance and proved they have the ability to compete at the top echelons of schools judo.”

Carmarthen Judo Club, the competitors and their families wish to thank the local schools for their continued support, which allows these youngsters to compete at these and other championships.