JUNIOR players Alex Spencer and Maddi Haywood both had four wins on their way to medals at Samurai Judo Club’s Open Championships for lower grades.

Spencer, in the boys red belts section, lost just one contest to clubmate Lathan Spackman but came back well to win his remaining contests to take the gold.

Spackman finished with bronze and there were also bronze medals in the boys lower grades for Harry Hannon-Homer and Edward Martin.

In the girls lower grades, Sophie Davis was the only Samurai player competing and won a silver medal to add to her growing collection.

She also entered the intermediate grades section and won a further bronze there, finishing the event with a spectacular maximum point throw against a Stevenage girl much more highly graded than herself.

Katy Jennings, just back from a brave performance representing the Midlands at the British National Teams, put in another determined effort to win bronze in her weight category.

The success story for the girls came from Maddi Haywood who won four contests out of four, all by maximum points, to take the gold medal in the last category of the day.

As a result of a number of recent events and also after grading assessments at the club, a number of grading promotions have been announced.

In the senior grades, 15-year-old Jack Walker moves to senior brown belt, whilst Martin Allen and Ellie McAteer, both also 15, were promoted to blue belt.

In the junior grades, British schools champion Jake Ashen moved up to middle blue belt, whilst British national champion Loic Keasey and former British nationals silver medalist Cerys Jones went to top green.

Dillon Walker’s recent successful competition comeback earned him his middle green belt, whilst British nationals champions James Harrison and Harry Ashen both gained their green belts.

In the orange belts, Evan Turner moved to top grade, Maddi Haywood’s gold medal last weekend helped her move to middle orange and four players gained their orange belt : Rhea Turner, Katy Jennings, Harrison Flello and Mateo Allen.

Sophie Davis’s hard work and great attitude earned her a fast track promotion to top yellow belt, where she was joined by Lucy Hickinbottom.

Three players; Isaac Sobolewski, Josh Walker and Meghann O’Sullivan were all promoted to middle yellow belt and moving to yellow belt were two recent gold medallists, Luke Jahromi and Alex Spencer.

In the red belts, the first colour in judo, Anna Baddeley, Sam Darby, Ida Chamberlain and Zac Westwood all moved to top red, whilst Max Baker, Harry Hannon-Homer and Ayla Barratt all went to middle red. Gaining their red belts and their first grade were Olivia Leung, Lathan Spackman, Hannah Palmer, Lewis Floyd, Joseph Morris and Cian Howell.