LAURA Dangerfield was in good form while competing for Samurai at the Eastern Area Senior Open Championships.

The Redditch-based fighter competed in the open category and returned to the medal rostrum with gold.

She then returned to her usual under-70 kilogram weight group and won a bronze medal.

It was Dangerfield’s first UK tournament since recovering from a dislocated elbow, which saw her out of action since March.

She said: “It was good to be back. This is my first UK tournament since I recovered and I wasn’t sure how well I would do, so I was very pleased with how I did.

“The event was a good standard and already this result has pushed me up the national rankings.”

Her next big tournament is the Heart of England Championships in Walsall on Sunday, September 7.

Rory Gulliver, competing in the lightest men’s weight group, under-60kg, was pleased to get a bronze medal at his first ever national ranking event.

After reaching the semi-final but then losing that to the eventual gold medallist, he beat a Gateshead player by a narrow margin to take the bronze.

Frankie Marston added a silver medal in the senior women’s under-57kgs weight group, to add to the bronze medal she won in the under-18 years section of the same event on the previous day.

Bryony Griffiths and Arran Gulliver both just missed out on medals in the under 18 section, both finishing fifth.

The much younger Jake Ashen continues to show progress.

He had a tough category in the younger players under-34 kilos weight group, but solid wins in the quarter-final and semi-final earned him a place in the final.

He lost this to a Dartford player, but a silver medal was still a good result for him.

l Anyone who wants more details about Samurai can call 07761 122977 or visit samurai.org.uk Samurai medals summary — Eastern Area Open: Gold: Laura Dangerfield (open). Silver: Jake Ashen. Silver: Frankie Marston (seniors). Bronze: Rory Gulliver. Bronze: Laura Dangerfield (U70). Bronze: Frankie Marston (cadets) 5th: Arran Gulliver, Bryony Griffiths.