YOUNG Kidderminster Judo player Olivia Turner is celebrating a big week after winning the Hampshire Open and being declared British number one.

The Samurai Judo Club star is now top of the British rankings in the girls over 70 kilos section and is believed to be the first autistic player to lead the British ranking list.

At the Hampshire event Olivia took gold with some good groundwork to beat a player from London in the final of the senior women’s category, she also gained her first points towards a second level black belt.

The event also had a special needs section and Luke Mole fought in two groups, winning gold in one of them and silver in the other.

A newcomer to the Samurai club, Zac Westwood, competing in his first competition, also took silver in the special needs section.

Samurai's Leah Grosvenor also starts the new judo season with a commanding lead in number one position in the British rankings in the under 57 kilos weight group.

Leah is Commonwealth Youth Games champion and UK School Games champion and has not lost a contest since April.

More good news still for Samurai came from the European Judo Union, who have selected Samurai referee Stefan Newbury to referee at the European Club Championships next month in Germany.

Stefan is the top British referee in the European Referee Ranking list, but still had not expected to get such a prestigious selection this early in his international refereeing career.