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Welsh win

9/ 4/2008

FOUR Glossop pupils were in action as over 300 fighters from all four home countries descended on Wales for the 2008 British Schools National Judo Championships.

The competition, held at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff, saw Ryan Phillips, Tom Greenough (both St Philip Howard Catholic Sports College), Rhiannon Baldwin (St Andrews CE) and Abi Walker (Glossopdale Community College) facing the best of British.

Baldwin took the glory by winning a gold medal, the 10-year-old emerging victorious in both her fights to come away with overall victory.

Phillips started the day with three convincing victories, putting him through to the semi-finals where he dominated for two-and-a-half of the three minutes until a stoppage for an injury to his opponent seemed to break his concentration.That led to Phillips conceding a seven-point throw in the dying seconds which left him bringing home a bronze medal.

Walker won a silver medal after she won her first fight before being beaten in her and second and final contest.

Unfortunately, Greenhough received a bad draw in his weight category and lost his first two fights to the eventual third and fifth-placed fighters.

Steve Phillips, who acted as coach for the three schools, was extremely proud of their efforts, saying: "All four children seemed to put themselves under a little more pressure because they were representing their schools and not just Glossop Judo Club. They all performed brilliantly, the schools should be proud."

On the same day, Eric Ham and Sam Hall competed in the 40th Berlicum International Judo Championships which saw Ham come away with a gold medal after victories in all four fights.

Hall fought well, winning three of his five fights, but that was not enough for him to be placed.