SAMURAI Judo Club’s good start to 2016 continued last weekend with three golds at the Warwick University Open.

Sophie Deeming-Lane,15, was competing in only her second senior competition. Her first opponent, from Bristol, was probably her toughest, but she used her opponent’s greater strength against her with a neat groundwork move to win.

She then had three spectacular wins with maximum point throws against a player from Warwick and two from Bangor before finishing off the final in just 25 seconds with another neat groundwork move to take the gold.

Ellie Arnull, 16, has had a break from competitions for a few months, concentrating just on training, but looked very sharp on her return and her first senior competition.

She won all of her five contests within 30 seconds each, three by maximum point throws and two by high-scoring throws straight into ground holds, to take her first gold for a couple of years.

Laura Dangerfield had a slightly more difficult run, with opponents from Bath, Cambridge, Nottingham, Coventry and Scotland before also picking up the gold medal for her category.

Mark Allen had a very good win against a Warwick player, but defeats to players from Birmingham and Bristol eliminated him.

Anyone who would like more details about Samurai can call 07761 122977 or visit www.samurai.org.uk. The club are looking to expand their 150-strong membership, so newcomers of all ages over six are welcome.