On Sunday 12th June 2011 two members of John Tomlinson’s’ Grimsby Strike Team made the Journey to Manchester to compete in the WKC British Open Championships2011.
It was a tough competition with a very high standard of fighter. First to step onto the mat was Evan Balch (8) in the kids -35kg semi-contact. Evan made excellent use of his legs but unfortunately his much older opponent was quicker off the mark and Evan lost.
Daniel Balch (12) was supposed to be in the kids -45kg semi-contact category but due to the lack of fighters at that weight Daniel had the option of taking home a gold medal without a fight or stepping up to the kids -50kg semi-contact. Daniel chose to earn his medal as he said it doesn’t mean much to be a British Champion if you are the only one in the category! Daniel fought hard and found himself in the final of the
-50kg semi-contact section. It was a close fight point for point right until the buzzer! Daniel was quick off the mark and kept the pressure on with fast reverse punches and blitz techniques. As the buzzer went Daniels opponent scored leaving Daniel to take the silver medal. The score was 5-4 to his opponent.
Daniel also fought in the kids -45kg light continuous category. This was tough with some very experienced fighters. It was soon the semi-final and Daniel put pressure on his opponent right from the start. He used good, strong, clean techniques and it was too much for his opponent who tired easily. At the end of the round it was a unanimous decision from the judges and Daniel was in the final.
The final started and again Daniel took control of the fight from the start. He would get close to his opponent with a front kick and then follow with a strong jab cross. Daniel managed to either side step or block many of the punches and kicks which came towards him. Time was called. Had Daniel done enough to be crowned British Champion 2011 or was he going home with another silver medal? It seemed an eternity before the centre ref asked for the judges’ decisions. Again it was a unanimous decision and Daniel was awarded his gold medal and crowned WKC British Champion 2011.
On Sunday 13th March 2011 8 fighters and 10 spectators from the Grimsby Strike Team headed to Birmingham for the WKA England Team qualifiers.
First up to fight was young Ethan Noton in the -25 kg semi-contact. Ethan soon found himself in the final after some very impressive preliminary rounds using his timing to perfection and connecting with strong reverse punches. At the end of the 1st round Ethan was on top form with his movement and was winning 3-1. The clock started for the second round and Ethan started to use his fast blitz technique which earned him a well deserved gold medal winning 5-4. Ethan also fought in the –25kg light continuous. Ethan took a fight in the heavier category as there was no one available in his own and started with good hand and kicking techniques. His heavier opponent was throwing in powerful round kicks as Ethan threw fast straight shots. Narrowly missing out on the win but gaining valuable experience Ethan won the gold in both categories and an invitation to the WKA World Championships 2011.
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Six junior fighters and one adult fighter from the Grimsby strike team travelled to Boston with a number of supporters to compete in the first tournament of 2011 and came back home with a total of nine trophies and two medals! In the pee wee points section was Leo Collins who fought extremely well through his first two rounds to get into the final where he met a seasoned fighter from sleaford gym, Impact. Collins put up a great fight and came away with a 12-7 final count giving him the second place! Bailey Colbeck and Ethan Noton were up next in the -4ft 4″ points category where the competition was very tough. Colbeck came away with a runner up position after being narrowly beaten in the first round. Noton was fast off the mark with his blitz techniques to the head which scored a lot of points and once he started to use his legs to attack he went straight through to the final where he took the gold convincingly. Evan Balch fought in the -4ft 8″ advanced points section for the first time and after the nerves settled he started to fire in his side kicks to score following up with some nice backfists which took him to the final and continuing to score over his opponents with his leg techniques and eventually winning the gold.
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