European Junior Championships, Romania

Qualifying for this years Junior European Championships was a real bonus as I was still a cadet. Seventh place at the event might get me selected for the World Championships in Miami later in the year. My earlier results meant I was seeded 8th for the event and received a bye in the first round.

Rok Plesnik (Slovenia) Second Round

Rok is a great fighter and I didn't really expect much. In his first fight he defeated the Turkish fighter who had demolished me earlier in the year. I found Rok's style suited me better and I controlled the gripping scraping through the fight by a penalty.

Joao Crisostomo (Portugal) Third Round

Joao was tall and dominated me from the start. I really couldn't get into the contest getting thrown twice.

Finishing ninth was so close to the seventh place that I needed but looking back I was ending the year on a high.

Heart of England Championships

Although not a ranking event it was compulsary that the European team compete at this event although we could fight out of weight. Most of us moved up a weight and I fought in the Junior -73 section. I wasn't expecting much.

Alex Bright (Patchway) First Fight

A quick start winning with a hold.

Enrico Atkinson (Tonbridge) Second Fight

Rico is a good fighter and I won by the odd penalty.

Connor Hughes (Coventry) Final

It was a tough final that went into golden score before I won with an arm-lock.