A RECORD-breaking year for Worcestershire’s most successful judo players led to more honours at Samurai Judo Club’s annual awards.

After become the first player in the county ever to win thirty medals in a single year, Olivia Turner topped both the medals table, with Luke Mole second and Leah Grosvenor third and the international and national medals table, with an astonishing twelve medals. She also won the highest attendance award.

Leah Grosvenor dominated British judo in her weight and age category this year, remaining unbeaten from September 2015 to November 2016, the longest ever unbeaten run by an active competitor in the county.

During this time Leah won gold at competitions including the British Championships, Scottish Open, Welsh Open, Midlands Open, North-West Open, Heart of England Open.

She was also the only county medalist at the prestigious Flanders Cup in Belgium, and seemed set become the first Worcestershire player to take gold at the Venray International in Holland, until picking up a serious injury in the quarter-final.

Samurai and Worcestershire still gained their first ever Venray gold medalist when Laura Dangerfield won the women’s event.

Leah scooped Samurai awards for throw of the year, contest of the year and groundwork of the year however Nathan Gallacher pipped her to the performance of the year award.

Nathan also won the Rod Lane award, considered one of the most valuable by the Samurai coaches, for his sporting attitude and approach to judo.

The senior achievement of the year award went to Stefan Newbury for gaining his international referee status at a series of major events across Europe.

The young referee award went to Sophie Deeming-Lane after she gained her adult referee qualification aged 15.

Junior achievement of the year went jointly to Olivia Turner and Luke Mole for their gold medal at the European SN Kata Championships, Britain’s first ever international gold in kata.

They had to share the best kata award with Matt and Emma Martin for their performance at the British Kata Championships, where they defeated four black belt pairs to take the bronze.

The club honoured its up-and-coming players. Harley White and Niya White won the male and female best junior beginner awards, whilst Nick Deeley and Emilia Lane took the equivalent best young junior awards.

Dillon Walker and Cerys Jones won the best junior attitude awards, Cerys also won best training partnership with her training partner Bonnie Deeming-Lane.

The parent pair of Matt and Emma Martin jointly won the best parent player, whilst Julie Arnull was named volunteer of the year.

Awards voted for by club members went to Callum Spencer, who won junior male player, Olivia Turner edged out Leah Grosvenor to win junior female player, senior male player was Mike Chamberlain, who won gold at the world masters in Florida and senior female player was Laura Dangerfield (gold medalist at the Venray International, twice gold medalist in other events in Europe and at the end of the year bronze medalist at the British Senior Championships, which gets her back onto the GB Senior Squad).

Cerys Jones edged out Matt Martin as most improved player whilst Emilia Lane edged out Emma Martin as best beginner.

Greg McAteer edged out Julie Arnull for the volunteer award and Stefan Newbury and Sophie Deeming-Lane won best senior and young official respectively in a repeat of the coaches’ awards.

The overall player of the year was Olivia Turner, who won to take the title for the second consecutive year.