We took a small team to the Cimac World cup yesterday. Our 22nd tournament of the year and the last before the summer break.

It took place in Birmingham on a very hot day

Maggie was up first in the light con and secured herself a first place again in a well controlled battle.

Charlotte then took to the mats and fought through several rounds to the final where she won a tense and tight conflict to gain the gold.

Maggs was up again in the heavier points section and once again she got to the final, but lost narrowly 

Charlotte also fighting in a heavier weight made the semi final and lost by a point settling for 3rd this time.

Paige was up next. After fighting for her brown belt yesterday she was feeling a little tired but still fought her heart out.first in the girls section and then after getting to the final of the open weight she had a great battle. Losing by 1 point .

Andy Evans also had a good day beating a far larger and aggresive opponent in the semi finals. Throwing some great counter reverse punches  and side kicks. In the final he was up against a strong experienced fighter who took a couple of points at the beginning, but once Andy got his timing in the fight was quite even. It was too much for him to pull back however. Andy  continues to fight opponents who are more experience and black belts compared to his purple belt. Yet he is closing the gap on them all the time. He  has finally broken his  3rd place habit this year and won the silver. !!!

Liz fought in her usual three sections. Up first was the ladies under 65kg which she won comfortably. In the +65 She had a tough final against a very hard hitter. Liz moved and used her footwork to maneouver her opponent and avoid the punching power. She then countered and blitzed to score. Near the end of the fight a short lapse in concentration saw her opoonent score a head kick which prover the difference in scores at the end. Silver for liz

She was up again for the points section winning through to the final.  Her opponent score first and was happy to let Liz move and stay back looking for an opening. Liz attacked a couple of times, but was not punching straight today and missed an opportunity to level it. Silver again.

George was suffering from an illness and had entered the open weight and -84 categories which were running continuously, so it was constantly running from one mat to the other. George won through a few rounds and was looking sharp considering his condition but the reffing at  the end of a long day and in the heat was becoming rather erratic for all fighters. many points were missed and strange decisions made. George met  fellow sparring partner Brandon in the semi final of both sections and they were both close calls with demonstrations of excellent techniques, countering, pulling and fast attacks. Brandon had the edge on the day and George had to settle for Bronzes this time.

Rossi was his usual kicking self today and did not use his hands enough which resulted in him losing by a head kick in his battle. better luck next time.

Robbie also had a good fight against a strong opponent, but was unable to get the lad and lost a close battle.

Next week there is a tournament in Gloucester that some of the team are interested in 

We also have the 2nd in our Kids BKO league club tournament on Saturday.

Congratulations to Paige who passed her Brown belt today.  After performing her techniques, Defences to the highest skill. 3x3 mins on the punchbag and then the same on the focus pads. 9 points fights and 5 continuous. Plus against the wall defences. in line sparring, Back to line sparring, and more. Hard fighting with lots of stamina and desire were needed to pull her through. But she did it.
Well done Paige!

...and now Tomorrow she fights in the Cimac World cup!

A really hot day at Chessington.
WE took a team of mainly first time fighters to this tournament. It was great that they decided to fight in both points and light con. A great team spirit in there today with everyone supporting each other.

John Ayres fought in a section above his grade and weight as well and showed great skill and fighting spirit.
Mitch had her best fights since her comeback where her reverse punch timing was great.
Jake fought his heart out and demonstrated his good timing.

So many more good performances from everyone. A great day BKO
Princeley 1st
Kat 1st
Gabor 1st, 3rd
Paige 1st
Chris 1st
Jasmine 2nd
Mitch 2nd x2
AJ 2nd
Andy 2nd
Charlie 2nd, 4th
Lee 2nd
Dan 3rd
Jake 3rd
Martin 4th
John 4th
Matt 4th.
We took a lot of first timers to this one and there were some great fights and improvements from some of our seasoned fighters. . Well done team BKO

First tournament for the Grand Slam at Crawley and an excellent, well organised tournament it was.
From the registration on Sport data to the inclusion of Facillitators to help organise the mats, The competition was Excellent. It even started on time........and nearly finished on time as well.
Paige 1st
Liz 1st x2, 3rd
George 1st
Kat 2nd x2
Maggie 2nd 
Rossi 3rd
Robbie 3rd
Andy E 3rd
Adam 3rd
Katrina, Bob, Charlotte and George fought well but no medal this time.
Fighter of the day was difficult to pick But I think it must be Rossi. His first fight was Excellent. LIz's final was also awesome. Her patience and timing was spot on. Paige fighting the girl she lost to in the previous section and then beating her by several points was a great moment. George doing the same. Andy's timing and focus. Robbie fighting hard against a much bigger opponent. Kat's semi final. Adam's kick that Almost hit.
As usual it's great to win trophies, but the improvement is where the long game is and each tournament is showing this whether we win or lose. Great work today team