SOME of Samurai’s black belts were on the mat last weekend for the club’s annual Senior High Grades Open, competing against players from as far away as London and Northern Ireland.

In the brown belts section, Sam Woodward gained ten points towards his first level black, but was not able to qualify from his pool and so was eliminated.

In the first level black belts category, Greg Adams had two excellent wins to get himself 20 points, but this left him just outside the medals in fifth place.

Rob Alloway also had a good go, but the veteran was using the event more as a warm-up for next weekend’s British Masters Championships at the Glades Leisure Centre.

Richard Jones was competing in the men’s second level black belts category, and had three excellent maximum point wins on his way to the final, where he lost to a player from Nottingham and had to settle for silver.

In the third level black belts category, Nigel Tinsdale and Tony Leroux were also both using the event as a warm-up for the British Masters.

Tinsdale was going particularly well with two wins when unfortunately, competing against Tony, the two players collided during a throw and both had to withdraw.

Ben Newbury was fighting well in the fourth level black belts and above category.

Three maximum point wins, including one great throw against a fifth level black belt, earned him the bronze medal as well as more points towards his fifth level grade.

The 24-year-old cannot hold the grade until he is 29, but is aiming to be the club’s youngest ever fifth level black belt, the highest contest grade in judo, and is well on target to do that.

He now has over half of the total points he needs from competition for the grade.

Laura Dangerfield was the only Samurai entrant for the women in the ladies black belt section. Four maximum point wins out of four took her into the final against a Bristol girl, where she was doing well until a little overconfidence on the ground proved her undoing and she had to settle for silver.

Preparations continue for the British Masters Championships on Saturday and the British Championships for 10 and 11 Years on Sunday, both hosted for the second year running by Samurai at the Glades Leisure Centre.