JUDO: Samurai Judo Club nearly swept the board with seven golds out of nine categories at the Shuttle Challenge Championships, sponsored by the Kidderminster Shuttle, Times & News.

And there was a medal-winning return to the competition arena from Bewdley Judo Club.

Many players were in their first competition in the showpiece eight-club event for new talent.

Eight-year-old Emily Watson got Samurai off to a good start in the lightest of the girls categories with four maximum-point wins earning her gold.

But Samurai took a clean sweep of medals in the middle and heavyweight categories.

Newcomers Carla Green and Katherine Lloyd-Jones did well to gain middleweight bronzes, while Abigail Muir and Kerrie Pitcock contested the final.

Muir had already beaten one player twice her body weight on the way to the final and soon took a commanding lead but one distraction gave Pitcock a maximum-point score and the gold.

Green and Lloyd-Jones also took bronzes in the heavyweight category with an all-Samurai final between Emma Butler and Lauren Underhill.

Underhill was the gold medal winner, while Butler was later busy as one of the newly qualified junior referees.

In the lightest boys category, Bewdley Judo Club's Jake Bastable made the final but was caught in a groundhold against a Birmingham opponent and had to settle for silver.

Samurai's Steven Wagstaff took one of the bronzes with a great shoulder throw and Louie Miltiardou finished fifth.

Gold also eluded the Kidderminster club in the second section but Callum Lowe and Daniel Spivey recorded five wins between them for bronzes.

Joshua Green and Callum Muir reached the final of the third group with the former pulling out a superb throw to win a tough battle. Ben Hodson returned third place in his first competition.

Charles Woodward came back to win bronze along with Lewis Osman-Moore after losing his semi-final in the fourth group.

However, David Hadley crowned his first contest with five maximum-point wins to take gold, including two victories in less than 10 seconds.

Samurai swept the medals away in group five with Ryan Pitcock winning gold against the impressive Ashley Round in the final with a good counter-attack.

Matthew Lowe and Jonathon Green won bronzes, with Bewdley's promising Ben Bastable ending up sixth.

In the final group, R Pitcock and Jonathon Green both bravely fought hard for bronzes against older players.

The inexperienced Russell Tolley put up a good display to make the final but eventually fell against gold-winning Tom Sandell.

Samurai's 13-year-old Ben Newbury acted as tournament director and seven of their junior referees made their debuts as officials.