PAUL Moss of Kidderminster's Samurai Judo Club has become the first local judo player ever to achieve the highest possible contest grade of all - fifth level black belt.

Moss has travelled all over the country during the last year for contests against other fourth level black belts and having defeated enough of them in competitions, he went to the Midlands grading to complete the strenuous and complex theory requirements.

These involved demonstrating more than 60 techniques chosen by the examiners out of a list of more than 100, plus high standard demonstrations of two katas.

Moss is now entitled to wear the highest grade any competitor can reach.

The Samurai also celebrated a hat-trick of black belt promotions.

Andrew Davies completed the requirements for his second level black belt, while one of the club's longest serving members, Natalie Phillips, gained her first level black belt.

Phillips joined the club at the age of eight and now becomes the Samurai's 14th female black belt, which is a Midlands record.

Rob Dalloway won five contests against black belts, and only just missed out on promotion to second level black.

Stuart Lane moved closer to his black belt with some good wins, and Keith Waldron made progress towards his third level black.

In the lower senior grades, Alex Cooper and Martin Brown, who train at both Stourport Judo Club and Samurai, were promoted to brown belt, while Stourport's Andrew Tolley moved to top blue belt and Chris Evans, another member of both clubs, went to green belt.

In the junior grades, Samurai's Anthony Todhunter moved further up the blue belts, while his clubmate and kata partner Emmy Kimberley moved to top green belt.

This is excellent progress for Kimberley, who only started judo last November and has attended two gradings.