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Hosts' gold rush
A HUNDRED wrestlers from across the UK flocked to the Dales last weekend for Middleton and Wirksworth Freestyle Wrestling Club's fifth annual Derbyshire Open.
And a packed Wirksworth Leisure Centre may just be remembered for the emergence of a few future champions on the wrestling circuit for years to come.
The host club’s youngest competitors, Charlie Pidcock (23kg), James Colebourne (20kg) and Brandon Harrison (33kg), all six years old, took gold in their respective categories with some very grown-up wrestling.
Close behind them was the duo of Owen King (26kg) and Lewis Brown (20kg), who narrowly missed top spot, but showed the right calibre for future rewards.
Also joining the pair with silver was Harriet Phillips (23kg), the second place all the sweeter because Harriet had to wrestle in the boys group.
She stood her ground well and gave all the lads a very hard time.
Completing the ceremonies for the rest of the minis were Thomas Phillips (20kg) and newcomer 28kg Jake Heath, both of whom were exhausted after battling hard all day and unfortunate not to get a higher reward than bronze.
Setting a high standard again were M&W’s established wrestlers and leading from the top before leaving for the Commonwealth Youth Games in India this week was 58kg Ben Bellamy, who took a comfortable gold.
Jack Lawley (40kg) emulated Ben’s gold and proved why he has been selected to represent Britain in France next month.
Sister Abbi (34 kg) and 33kg Daniel Watson continued their year-long good form with a pair of golds.
It is hard to recall how long it has been since the duo failed to come home with gold from domestic and international competitions.
Jack Bellamy (35kg) made it three golds for the Bellamy/Pidcock household with another faultless performance, and 50kg Katy Colebourne had to settle for silver after a gruelling final.
Rookie teenager 50kg Aden Baker missed out on the silverware with a fourth place in a very competitive and tough weight category.
A haul of eight gold, four silver and two bronze medals was an excellent return for the Dales squad, who have plenty more in the ranks close to making competition standard.
These are exciting times for the club, now in its sixth year since its rebirth and starting to look as strong as it did in the late 1980s when the club boasted a world champion and a third of the GB squad came from the Dales.
But this has only been possible with support from local businesses and the dedication of the coaches and families.
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Weather for Bakewell
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
