JUDO: Samurai Judo Club's senior beginners made an impressive competition debut, clocking up seven medals.

There was also an excellent gold medal in the junior girls section for Amy Evans.

Rod Lane's Friday night beginners group is developing rapidly under his patient tutelage and he entered seven players in the competition.

Danielle Kelly, mother of a junior beginner, started with an excellent win against a higher grade and three further victories took her to the final.

But Kelly lost to a much more experienced green belt player, while Annabel Webb worked her way steadily towards a bronze.

In the men's lightweights, Matt Davies and Paul Clarke worked hard from the start.

Clarke gained a bronze after a fine groundwork win and then possibly the best throw of the day.

Davies finished with a silver, displaying good opportunistic groundwork and winning a contest against a green belt with a maximum-point throw.

In the middleweights, Neil Mullis was unlucky to get both the gold and silver medallists in his pool but the club predict he could be a future star.

Matt Wakeman and Gary Harper both contested the heavyweight section with the former winning a bronze after a fine victory over a green belt.

But there was no stopping Harper who armlocked Wakeman and held two green belts for maximum points to reach the final.

Harper threw his opponent from Derbyshire for maximum points with just half-a-minute gone.

He also had a shot at the open category and did well to reach the final before his only defeat of the day against an experienced brown belt.

The improving and more confident Evans was the Samurai club's only entrant in the girls section.

A series of maximum point throws swept her into the final which she won in just ten seconds to take her first gold medal. For details about starting judo, call Pam Whiteside on 01299 822347.