SAMURAI Judo Club head coach Andrew Haffner hailed a quartet of gifted youngsters who have achieved their brown belts.

Teenagers Nathan Gallacher, Leah Grosvenor, Matt Hemer and Darcie Hancocks have all achieved the highest grade possible.

The quartet started in the club's Gremlin Squad two years ago but have since progressed and achieved considerable success at national and international level.

Gallacher, 15, was a British silver medallist and an England squad member.

Hancocks, 13, is a double national champion and also British Kata winner as well as one of only two homegrown players ever to win both the Nationals in contest judo.

Grosvenor, 13, was Hancock's partner in the British Kata and also her opponent in the final of the nationals, while Hemer is current British Schools medallist and winner of five contests at the recent Venray International.

Haffner said: "This is perhaps the most talented foursome of players I have worked with in nearly 40 years, but they combine it with excellent attitude and dedication. Talent is great, but without the right attitude it doesn’t get you to the top. ”

Meanwhile, Hetty Tinsdale, Ellie Arnull and Toni Poulsom, were all promoted to blue belt.

The three girls all met at the club and have since become close friends as well as top judo players.

Tinsdale is the current British Schools Champion, although Arnull beat her when they met in competition recently, while Poulsom won the Western Area Schools Open and was bronze medallist in Belgium three months ago.

European Special Needs Champion Olivia Turner, and another pair of inseparable friends, Sophie Deeming-Lane and Lauren Fletcher, known as the “Green Goblins”, were also promoted to middle green belt.

Double British National Champion James Hemer, who is Matt's brother, along with Sophie Pollitt and Jake McAteer, gained their green belts.

Ellie McAteer moved to middle orange while Luke Talbot, Callum Fletcher and Spencer Benton all gained their orange belts.

Below that, there is quite a group of promising players coming through.

Callum Spencer, Sam Hewitt, Dillon Walker, Evan Turner, Daniel Hickinbottom and Jamie Silwood were all promoted to top yellow belt, while Lily Deeming-Lane, Martin Allen, Alfie Lye and Charlotte Silwood all moved to middle yellow belt and Bonnie Deeming-Lane and Aiden Maguire, after some impressive recent competitions, gained their yellow belts.

Alannah Martin, Ben Hewitt, Cerys Jones, Teigan Newbury and Stuey Main were all promoted to red belt, while Lola Grosvenor moved to middle red and Zach Main, Mateo Allen and Dominic Jones all gained their first judo grade.

Some of these, particularly Cerys, Stuey and Lola, have already been making quite a name for themselves in competition.

Last week, in the senior section of the club, Laura Dangerfield gained her third level black belt and Becky Hobby moved quite some distance towards her black belt.

Over the years the club has produced over a hundred black belts, including to date one sixth dan, four fifth dans, three fourth dans and seventeen third dans.

For details about starting judo and perhaps also getting eventually to black belt, call Haffner on 0776 1122977 or visit the Samurai website on www.samurai.org.uk