Competition Reports and Results

October 2011 - World Championships Malaysia

Ishinryu's Emma Lucraft has won Bronze for Kata in the world competition. Following a bye, Emma beat Syria, France and Mexico. A loss to Japan in the semi-final was followed by a win against Germany for the Bronze.

Seen here along with fellow competitors and proud Ishinryu Instructor and Coach Jonathan Mottram

A brilliant victory for England and Ishinryu!

November 2011 - Cardiff Grand Slam

Aaron Swales helped the England team to the Grand Slam title - without dropping a match.

England claimed the crown in emphatic style by winning all bouts and another great performance from Aaron.

The women's team also claimed the crown - making it a clean sweep for England at the event in Cardiff.

Well done Aaron and well done England.

September 2011 -British International Open

An Ishinryu trio entered the British International Open and came away with gold, silver and bronze.

EAST Durham's Aaron Swales pulled off a fantastic performance to claim gold at the event as nations from across Europe gathered for the Open at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall.

Aaron, 24, stepped up a weight category for the event and aimed for glory in the U-84kg Kumite. And he didn't disappoint - breezing through the earlier rounds against his European counterparts - before smashing his way into the final with a 7-1 victory.

He then faced fellow England international Barry Meanwell. Both fighters showed some signs of tiredness - but it was Aaron who came out on top – eventually winning 4-0 to take the gold.

Liam Conroy who picked up a bronze after losing his semi-final bout to a Scottish opponent in the U-68kg junior 16-17yrs and Barking Abbey's John Gardiner had to settle for silver in the male senior Kata. After wins over France and Sweden to make the final, a slip a slight stumble cost him the title. He was very unlucky.

Three Ishinryu entrants – three medals.
But the day belonged to Aaron – well done!

2011 - British Championships

ANOTHER stunning performance from Ishinryu saw us take seven gold, two silver and six bronze medals at the British Championships.

And the men's team took it's first medal at the event for many years - a bronze to follow a like performance at the EKF championships. It was among many highlights of the weekend - which also saw some disappointments.

Ishinryu once again showed its Kata force on the first day of the tournament at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. A depleted squad, but nevertheless the team showed strength in depth, claiming it's first gold in the boys and girls 10-13yrs team of Dahni Maisuria, Devini Patel and Kira Munns-Charlton.

And then it was a one,two, three in the girls 10-13yrs kata with Kira claiming gold, and the performance of the day from 10-year-old Toni Shering in her first outing in the age group to claim silver. Devini Patel took the bronze. The golds continued, with Melissa Williamson taking the honours in the cadet 14-15yrs without dropping a single flag and Connor Chatfield in the cadet male, while Kieran Nunkoo took bronze in the same category.

Aimee Sell stormed gold in the female junior 16-17yrs kata, with Katinka Ernst claiming bronze. Navin Patel missed out on the medals in junior male 16-17yrs Kata this time. Aimee Sell then went out in senior female Kata - but came up against our own Emma Lucraft in the semi-final and had to settle for bronze, while Emma charged ahead for gold - claiming the title five flags to nil. Cornelia Nae missed out on the medals.

Then came a bizarre episode in the senior male kata, sensei Jonathan Mottram appeared to slip on the last punch in kanku-sho - but held it enough to get through to the final. With a heavily strapped foot he claimed the title once more - taking all five flags ,while John Gardiner took bronze. But his stumble came at a price. It transpired that a plastic bottle top had been left under the mat, which raised it slightly and caused sensei Mottram to trip, and it led to a severe knee injury. We wish sensei Mottram a speedy recovery.

Toni Shering, Dahni Maisuria were unable to get among the medals later in the day.

Day two saw the men's team take to the floor and a changed draw sheet saw us against title holder WKU. It was a tough match with some close calls - but we eventually lost. Disappointed, the team had to pull around for reperchage. An injury to Alex Sell's shoulder forced him out of the line-up - with Liam Conroy drafted in Alongside Tony Smith, Aaron Swales, Alan Evans and Steve Karwacinski. And it was Steve who stepped up to take the final honours to claim the medal - the first British men's team medal for some years.

In the individuals, first up was Liam Conroy in the junior 16-17yrs, U-61kg category, who missed out on bronze in the reperchage due to what I consider to be a dubious referee decision. He was penalised at the end of the bout for avoiding his opponent while he was ahead on points- only for it to happen again in the extended minute, once again 1-0 up. The decision then went flags - but the referee went against the majority flags and gave the decision away from Liam - even though his opponent had never scored a point throughout the bout! I say no more. He will learn from the mistake.

Kate Karwacinski had to settle for silver - but should have taken gold in the junior female 16-17yrs U-59kg category. But a heavy knock in her bout saw Katinka Ernst lose out in +59kg section. A huge load of controversy over wrong referring decision in Steve Karwacinski's semi-final in junior 16-17yrs U-68kg category was eventually ironed out with a one-minute fight off which Steve lost - but came back through to claim a well-earned bronze. His hearing is starting to improve slightly - Kate needs to work on hers!!!!!!!

With Alex Sell out through injury, Tony Smith, Aaron Swales and Alan Evans went off in the U-75kg men's event. Tony went out in the second round in what was a disappointing performance for him on the day. Alan showed a lack of stamina which saw him fall out in the early rounds of the reperchage. Aaron fought consistently well throughout the rounds - improving on his team performances, but he narrowly lost his quarter-final bout and was left to fight it out for bronze. In the reperchage final it was a close fight - but Aaron went down 2-1 - having led and controlled the bout early on.

All in all it was a pleasing performance across the two days - with some great result. But we always want more and the squad will work even harder to try to bring home more medals for Ishinryu. Well done to all who competed. Ishin!

June 2011 -Austrian Junior Karate Championships

Eight Ishinryu students from Barking Abbey Ishinryu flew to Salzburg to take part in the Austrian Junior Karate Championships. Nearly 1,100 athletes from all over Europe made this the largest Junior Championships to date.

Most of the Barking Abbey Ishinryu squad registered Friday evening in readiness for the next days competition which was for the 14yrs to -21yrs individual and team events. Having over the last 6 years seen this competition grow from 500 competitors to now over 1,000 competitors and extend to two days, I was quite surprised at the mixed standard this year in some of the categories as a few did not seem to be to the same high standard as in the last few championships. Having said that, some categories did look extremely hard.

Nevertheless it's a very good tournament and having the chance to compete against other international competitors brings invaluable experience.

Girls Under 12 years Kata

Toni Shering competed in the Girls U12yrs Kata category. 10 year old Toni, another rising star from the Barking Abbey Club, started off well winning her opening round 5 flags to 0. Toni performed Bassai-Dai over her Italian opponent, Palazzo's own Bassai-Dai. In the 2nd round Toni faced Segurado from Portugal. Toni performed Seienchin Kata but the judges determined that her foot was out of line on one move and disqualified her, leaving her opponents Heian Sandan to take all flags. Given the round wasn't compulsory Kata's it was a strange decision that left one of the favourites out in the early rounds. Nonetheless, at such a young age, experiences like these, and international competition experience, is far more valuable than medals.

Girls Under 14 years Kata

Both Kira Munns-Charlton and Devini Patel competed together on the Girls U14yrs Kata category. Both girls are another two rising stars of Ishinryu with Kira having just been selected to represent England in the Team Kata event in Malaysia in the forthcoming Junior World Championships.

Devini faced Austria's Astorina in her opening round as both performed Bassai-Dai against each other. Devini's was judged better as she won the round 5 flags to 0. In her 2nd round, Devini faced Galetová from Slovakia. Devini performed Unshu Kata but her opponent performed a very strong Tomari No Bassai Kata which took all the flags. Galetová went on to the semi-finals where she lost to her Slovakian teammate leaving Devini out of repechage.

Kira received a 1st round bye putting her straight into the 2nd round where she faced Italy's Tassan. Kira performed Bassai-Dai Kata against Tassan's Empi with Kira securing a 5-0 win. In the 3rd round Kara faced another Empi Kata, this time from Austria's Mierkalne. Kira performed Annan Kata and took the decision 4 flags to 1. The 4th round semi-final pitted Kira against another very good Slovakian, Pešková. Kira performed Unshu but Pešková's Kanku Sho proved too strong as Kira lost out 5-0. Pešková went on to the final and won leaving Kira in the repechage final where she faced Holland's Kim Van_Es. Kira performed a strong Gojushiho and beat her opponent's Jion Kata 5-0 to secure Bronze.

Both girls gained a lot of valuable experience at this competition against some excellent competitors in the U14 year group. Both girls were impressed by the Slovakian girls that beat them and after having their photos taken with them, they've become their new target to aspire to.

Boys Under 14 years Kata

Dahni Maisuria a consummate all-rounder, was competing in both Kata and Kumite events. Dahni started his campaign in the Boys U14yrs Kata event. The 1st round saw Dahni face Austria's Gratzer who was an intimidating foot taller than Dahni. Gratzer performed Bassai-Dai whilst Dahni performed Empi. An excellent performance saw Dahni win 4 flags to 1. The 2nd round saw Dahni face another Austrian opponent. Lucca Röck. Dahni performed Kanku Sho against his opponent's Jion and a narrow 3-2 victory saw Dahni progress to the quarter-finals. The 3rd round Quarters saw Dahni face a giant of a 13 year old, Antonio Pavan from Italy. Pavan performed an impressive Chatanyara Kushanku Kata with Dahni performing Unshu, but Dahni was beaten 5 flags to 0. A great experience of high level Kata for Dahni who continues to improve with each tournament.

Boys Under 14 years (under 165cm) Kumite

Dahni later went on to compete in the Boys U14yrs, U165cm Kumite event. After receiving a 1st round bye, Dahni faced Gregor Dertnig from Austria. A hard fought match saw the scores deadlocked at 0-0 even after 1 minute of extra time. The decision went to the judges to vote and unfortunately Dahni was unlucky to lose the vote to bow out early. Unlucky.

Male Under 16 years Kata

The Male U16yrs Kata event saw Kieran Nunkoo in action. Kieran faced Schablinger from Austria in the 1st round who performed Jion against Kieran's Bassai-Dai. The newly selected England representative in the Cadet Kata event for forthcoming Junior World Championships in Malaysia showed his class as he won the round 5 flags to 0. The 2nd round pitted Kieran against Swiss's Weibel. Weibel performed Kanku-Dai with Kieran performing an excellent Seienchin Kata that secured another 5-0 win. Facing Roman Lux from Germany in the 3rd round, Kieran performed Gojushiho against the German's Kanku-Dai. Another impressive performance saw Kieran seal another 5-0 win. The 4th round saw Kieran perform Unshu against Rösch's Goju Shiho Sho, but it was Kieran that secured another impressive 5-0 over his Swiss opponent. Now in the semi-final (pool final), Kieran finally dropped a flag to Ufimtsev from Russia as Ufimtsev's Unsu lost out 4-1 to Kieran's Chatanyara Kushanku Kata. The final saw Kieran face pool 2 winner, Nurra from Germany. Nurra performed Seisan with Kieran performing Suparinpei Kata. Kieran performed his Kata extremely well and secured a 4 flags to 1 win and Austrian title which puts him in a good position for the Junior Worlds.

Female Under 18 years Kata

The Female U18yrs Kata category saw Aimee Sell in action. This was to be Aimee's first official event as a Junior having turned 16 years old just two days earlier. Aimee started well facing Evers from Holland in the 1st round. Evers performed Kanku-Dai with Aimee performing Bassai-Dai and winning 5 flags to 0. The 2nd round saw Aimee facing Austrian Koorbekian who performed Empi Kata against Aimee's Nipaipo Kata. Aimee won the round with another 5-0 win. The 3rd round Aimee faced Mayerhofer from Austria. Mayerhofer chose to perform Seienchin with Aimee performing Annan and Aimee claimed another 5-0 win. The 4th round was the semi-final (pool final) and Aimee faced Valerie Will from Switzerland. Will is an excellent competitor, one of Switzerland's best and represented Switzerland at the European Junior Championship. Will performed Unsu Kata whilst Aimee performed Chatanyara Kushanku and it was Chatanyara that won the round 5-0 for Aimee seeing her safely into the final. The final was held on Aimee's mat against the other pool finalist, Ena Otkovic from Croatia. Otkovic performed Unsu with Aimee opting to perform Unshu. Aimee did drop her first flag but won the match 4-1 to gain her 5th consecutive Austrian title.

Like Kira and Kieran, Aimee has been selected to represent England in Malaysia in the forthcoming Junior World Championships in the individual Junior Kata event so this was a good start to her Junior career.

Male Under 18 years Kata

Competing in the Male U18yrs Kata event was Navin Patel. Navin is another one of England's top competitors having also been recently selected to represent England in the Male Junior Kata event at the Malaysian Junior World Championships so this was a great chance to gain some additional international experience. Navin faced Austria's Erlenwein in the 1st round and his Jion Kata was no match for Navin's Bassai-Dai Kata as he stormed to a 5-0 win. The next round was a lot closer as Navin faced De_Boer from Holland. De_Boer performed Goju Shiho Sho Kata with Navin narrowly sealing victory 3-2 with his Jion Kata. The 3rd round saw Navin back in business as he secured a 5-0 over Meylan from Switzerland as his Unshu Kata out-performed his opponent's Jion. The 4th round semi-final (pool final) saw Navin uncharacteristically make a mistake as he jumped back in his Chatanyara Kushanku Kata performance. His Danish opponent, Rohde_Skotte, also performed Chatanyara Kushanku and a faultless display put him into the final with a 5-0. This left Navin in the repechage final going for the bronze medal. Facing Czech's Slávik, Navin performed Suparinpei Kata with Slávik performing Goju Shiho Sho. Navin clearly justified his England selection as he secured a 4-1 victory and Austrian Bronze medal coming back in style.

Female Under 21 years

Emma Lucraft, yet another England international doing what the other Ishinryu England internationals do best, medalling. Emma competed in the Female U21yrs Kata event having secured gold two years ago in the U18yrs. Emma faced Germany's Beinvogl in the 1st round with Beinvogl performing Jion against Emma's Annan Kata. Emma performed well winning 5 flags to 0. The 2nd round saw Emma face Schweizer from Austria. Emma performed Bassai-Dai aginst Schweizer's Goju Shiho Sho Kata and once again secured another impressive 5-0 win. The 3rd round saw Emma perform Suparinpei Kata against Mazzucato from Italy who performed Unshu. Emma's simply outclassed her opponent winning 5-0 once again. A tough 4th round semi-final draw saw Emma face European U21 Bronze medallist, Liptakova, from Slovakia. Emma performed Unshu but Liptakova's Chatanyara Kushanku was too good beating Emma 5-0. Emma was left facing Holland's Sousa in the repechage final as both girls aimed for a podium finish. Sousa performed Unshu but it was Emma's Chatanyara Kushanku that won the match beating the 2009 Junior European runner-up, 4-1 and with that bronze medal.

Out of eight Ishinryu students, the Barking Abbey squad came away with 2 Golds and 3 Bronze medals between them and a huge bundle of experience.

2011 - Selections for the 7th WKF Junior World Championships in Malaysia

It was a very rigorous selection process for the forthcoming 7th WKF Junior World Championships taking place in Malaysia in October later this year. There had been two previous selections over the last few months prior to this final selection held in Ripon on 12th June 2011.

The final selection consisted of selecting athletes being grouped into their perspective age groups and in pairs perform a number of different Kata for a 6-round tournament, from compulsory right through to final free choice Kata.

Following on from the Kata requirements, the England National Coach, Jonathan Mottram, aided by assistant Ady Gray, tested the athletes on technique, speed and balance drills.

Barking Abbey Ishinryu had six students chosen to represent England The day was long and draining for the athletes but finally culminated in the Junior World Kata squad being announced.

• Kieran Nunkoo was selected as the Male Cadet representative. Many months of hard work had paid off for the current English National Champion as he earns his first England badge.
• Navin Patel was selected as the Male Junior representative. Navin, English National runner-up, was pushed all the way for the spot but Navin's hard work this year bore fruit as he also earned his first England badge.
• Aimee Sell was selected as the Female Junior representative. Aimee, English National Champion and Female Cadet European Silver medallist moved up from Cadet to Junior level.
• Emma Lucraft was selected as the Female U21 representative. Emma has represented England at Junior, U21 and Senior level on previous occasions and is currently Senior English National Champion.
• Kira Munns-Charlton and Melissa Williamson both were selected as part of a three-man Kata team. Both girls were also selecting for the individual spot but after missing out were just as excited to be selected for Malaysia as part of the team each collecting their first England badges too.

National Kata Coach, Jonathan Mottram, said the decision had been very hard in some of the categories but believed the best possible squad of athletes had been selected to represent England on the World stage.

2011 - USA Open and Junior Olympics

Some great results in from Ishinryu Australia who recently attended the USA Open and USA Junior Olympics.

Both events were very good for Ishinryu, with seven competitors, three on the National Team, and the rest representing Ishinryu. Over 2000 competitors from many countries were present. Results were as follows:

• Dean Hollowood - 2 Gold and Silver
• Bruce Hyland Gold +55 years
• Liam Dix - Silver
• Ethan Saks - 2 Bronze
• April Saks - Bronze
• Stephanie Williams - Bronze
• Colalie Stuart 2 4ths
• Ryhse Linnet who trains with Ishinryu each Wednesday - Gold and Bronze

Thanks to sensei Bruce Hyland (6th Dan) for passing on the results and photos from these events.

EKF English Championships 2011

WHAT A HAUL - Ishinryu bagged a staggering 22 medals at the EKF English Championships - with every member of the squad picking up a gong.

We once again completely dominated the kata on the first day of the tournament at Ponds Forge in Sheffield - taking eight gold, three silver and six bronze.

Golds came in the girls 10-13yrs team, of Abbie Cook, Devini Patel and Kira Munns-Charlton, who also took a one, two, three in the individual event- with Kira claiming gold, Devini silver and Abbie bronze.

Dahni Maisuria took a super silver in the boys 10-13yrs and then it was one, two, double three in the boys 14-15yrs - with Kieran Nunkoo taking gold, Navin Patel silver and Chris Karwacinski and Connor Chatfield the bronze.

Aimee Sell continued her excellent form with another gold in the girls 15-15yrs.

It was then the turn of the Karwacinski twins in kata, with Steve claiming gold in the 16-17yrs and Kate the bronze in the female 16-17yrs.

Paul McNamee then claimed a well-earned bronze in the veterans kata.

The seniors were up next and Steve Karwacinski took a bronze to add to his gold, John Gardiner missed on a place in the final and then lost his bronze match - and it was over to sensei Jonathan Mottram to once again to reinforce his position as the best kata man in England with a 4-1 win in the final.

Emma Lucraft then took gold with a 5-0 win the female senior Kata - a great performance throughout the day.

With no opposition for the senior men's team kata for Ishinryu, it was left to sensei Mottram, John Gardiner and Steve Karwacinski to give the crowd a show with their performance of kanku-sho with bunkai - and pick up their gold before heading off for the European championships in Switzerland.

A truly memorable first day!

Day two of the championships saw a fresh five-man team keen to chase the medals of Tony Smith, Alex Sell, Aaron Swales and young Steve Karwacinski and Liam Conroy.

There was an electric atmosphere in the early rounds and some superb fighting saw Ishinryu into the semi-final.

But after tough matches we went down 3-2 to Higashi, leaving us to re-group for the fight off for bronze.

And it was three straight wins against Shindo-Kai for the medal. Our two youngest members did themselves and their association proud - as did the whole team.

Unfortunately, injuries in the team put Steve Karwacinski out of his individual event, and Liam Conroy also had to retire from his semi-final injured.

Aaron Swales was forced to retire from the fight of for bronze in the male U-75kg, with Tony Smith going out in the quarter-final of the same event in unusual circumstances.

Alex Sell made the final - but didn't have enough on the day to take gold and had to settle for a silver against Alton Brown.

Emily Kelleher took bronze in the female 16-17yrs, before Kate Karwacinski lost the gold in the same age group U-59kg event after contact warnings!!!!

And the girls 16-17yrs team also picked up a bronze.

The medal tally was eight gold, five silver and nine bronze - and second on the overall medal table - a fantastic achievement by all.

Sensei Donovan said: “This was a fantastic achievement by the squad. What made it extra special was that every member of the team picked up a medal."

“It was great to see the men's team in action once more, some great fights - great to watch."

“I would like to say well done to all. This once again shows Ishinryu going from strength to strength on the competition circuit. There's no stopping us now!

“I would also like to say thank you to the coaches Jonathan Mottram and Gavin Foster for their hard work.”

Sensei Donovan would also like to point out that Jonathan Mottram and Gavin Foster have been named as official Ishinryu squad coaches.

Serbia 2011

A great result for Ishinryu from the 38th European Karate Federation Cadet and Junior Championships and Under 21 Cup which were held in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Alex amd Aimee Sell, Kate, Steve and Chris Karwacinski, Emma Lucraft, Rebecca Birch and Conor Chatfield were part of a team of 30 that competed as part of the National England Team.

Wonderful achievements by all with Alex reaching the quarter finals but losing 6-5 and just missing out on the bronze medal, Emma Lucraft placing 7th overall in the female under 21 Kata with Steve and Chris doing well in the Kata events too. But the honours go to Kate who won a bronze in the -59kgs female juniors thereby winning an European Championship medal at two consecutive Junior Europeans.

Aimee Sell became the first English female to reach a final in kata for England in over 25 years and only the second ever female to do so since Helen Raye who represented team GB back in the mid 80's. Aimee is also the first female to medal at two consecutive Junior Europeans Kata events ever.

Congratulations to all the Ishinryu students making Ishinryu and England proud.

October 2010 - WKF World Karate Championships

GOOD luck to Ishinryu's Sensei Jonathan Mottram and Emma Lucraft who hold the nation's hopes of picking up a medal at the forthcoming WKF World Karate Championships.

The pair will fly out to Serbia for the event which will take place in Belgrade, from October 27-31.

Sensei Mottram has placed joint 5th in the last two World Karate Federation Championships which were held in Tempere, Finland and more recently in Tokyo, Japan and is hoping to go one step further to get among the medals.

Emma has been previously selected to represent England at Junior level at both European and World Championships - but this is her first outing as a senior - a huge pressure.

It is a fantastic achievement for Ishinryu to have the country's only two senior kata representatives for the championships. And we wish Sensei Mottram, Emma and the rest of the England squad all our good wished for the championships.

September 2010 - British Championships

ISHINRYU proved once again its strength on the competition circuit by bagging 19 medals at the British Championships - including nine golds.

It was a small contingent that entered the event this time around - but once again we dominated the Kata categories. Sensei Jonathan Mottram took goals in the men's event, claiming his 10th British crown - a superb achievement. Also taking gold in kata were Chris Karwacinski in the 15-15yrs category, Abbie Cook in the 10-11rys group, Kieron Numkoo in the 12-13yrs event and Aimee Sell in the girls 14-15yrs category. The pair's team kata 10-13yrs was won by Abbie Cook and Kira Mumms-Charlton and then Abbie took an amazing third gold at her first British Championships in team kata alongside Kira and Devini Patel. Hunisha Patel also claimed gold in the women's 18-20yrs category.

Steve Karwacinski took silver in the kata, while it was bronze for Connor Chatfield, the boys pairs kata of Kieron Numkoo and Dahni Maisuria, junior team kata of Connor, Steve and his younger brother Chris. It was also silver in the individual events for young Navin and Devini Patel. And Chris Wilson crowned off the Kata medals with a well-earned bronze in the veterans.

In the kumite, the third Karwacinski, Kate, took gold in the 16-17yrs category. And it was almost gold for Alex Sell and Liam Conroy who had hard-fought finals too and missed out on the top prize by the narrowest of margins in the senior male U-75kg and open weight junior 16-17rys respectively. Steve Karwacinski also had to settle for silver - losing out in the final of the junior 16-17yrs heavyweights. Aaron Swales just missed out the medals in the open weight also. In the U-75kg he went out in the second round, but put in a much better performance in open weight and went out in a semi-final to Scotland's Callum Robb. In the fight off for bronze he met Rory Daniels who proved too strong, but it was a better performance all round from Aaron after recent disappointments.

Sensei Donovan said: "Another fantastic set of results and a big congratulations to the competitors and all involved. "We just keep going from strength to strength and once again proved we can compete at the highest level in all disciplines."

Thanks also to coaches sensei Jonathan Mottram and sensei Gavin Foster and all the parents and families for their support.

Thanks to Karate Scotland for permission to use these images.

July 2010 - BKF International Open Championships

Travelling all the way from Australia to Glasgow Dean "TANK" Hollowood once again proved himself as one of Ishinryu's finest athletes - he certainly must be the fittest, as National Coach Mark Golding said "he has a tank full of energy"

At the British Karate International in Glasgow Dean won Gold in the Cadet Open' division and was placed third in his weight division. Seen here with Sensei Bruce Hyland (6th Dan) and Peter Hollowood (3rd Dan).

June 2010 - Corfu -Greece WKF Youth World Cup

The World Karate Federation presented the Youth Camp and World Cup event for the 3rd year in 2010 on the island of Corfu in Greece. Ishinryu was represented by Australian competitor Dean "TANK" Hollowood who was awarded second place in Kumite.

June 2010 - Junior Austrian Open (Salzburg)

Aimee Sell travelled to the Junior Austrian Open in Salzburg hoping to retain her title and didn't disappoint. 1,000 entries from 22 countries this was to be another high standard European event. This was Aimee's 5th time competing in Austria and again there was a large number of entries in the Kata events. In the female 14-15 years there was just under 60 individual entries including bronze European medallist Laura de Frenza from Italy.

Aimee went through 6 rounds, in the first round she had a bye and the following rounds saw Aimee perform the following Katas:

• Ni pi po 5-0
• Unshu 5-0
• Annan 4-1
• Super-Empi 4-1

Completing with Chatanyara Kushanku 5-0 with Gold going to Aimee. It was also good to see many EKF England 'A' squad fighters there too, with some outstanding performances from them and nearly all obtaining a place on the podium. For further info on results www.Austrian-open.info

April 2010 - EKF English National Championships

A STUNNING performance by our Ishinryu athletes saw us claim seven gold, nine silver and three bronze medals at the EKF English National Championships.

There was an amazing spirit from the squad throughout the tournament

Our kata competitors set the tone for the event with Sensei Jonathan Mottram once again proving why he’s the nation’s best by beating his own student, John Gardiner in the final. And it was a 1,2,3 for Ishinryu - with Steve Karwacinski taking the bronze in the repechage.

Emma Lucraft had to settle for silver in both the junior and senior women’s Kata. Both Aimee Sell and Rebecca Birch made the final of the cadet female Kata - with Aimee coming out on top, but it was a close call. The girls stepped up again along with Kate Karwacinski and took gold in the junior female team Kata.

Steve Karwacinski took his second Kata medal with a silver in the junior male event.
And it was Karwacinski No3, Chris, who took gold in the male cadet Kata with an excellent performance.

Sensei Mottram led John Gardiner and Gareth Haines to victory in the senior male team kata, over the Wilson brothers, Mike and Chris, and Alan Evans in the final for an Ishinryu gold and silver. Young Dahni Maisuria took silver in a brave performance in the 10-13yrs Kata.

In the Kumite, a superb performance from Liam Conroy saw him take gold in the male cadet U-57kg category, beating European medallist Jacob Kiernan in a hard-fought final.
Joe Wright took bronze in the same event, while Connor Chatfield missed out on the medals in a much-improved performance.

It was gold too for Melissa Williams in the 12-13yrs girl Kumite. And Dania Enright, Grace Terry and Caitlin Warson took silver in the girls U-9yrs team category.
Kate Karwacinski was expected to take gold in the junior female U-59kg category - but had to settle for silver. Kate was penalised due to “excessive” contact, but a change in WKF guidelines in the future could see to a relaxing on the rules on face contact. Watch this space!

Aaron Swales, Gareth Haines, and Alan Evans all missed out on the medals in the senior male U-75kg category. But they were determined to make up for their disappointment in the team Kumite. With one down through injury at the start of the day, young Steve Karwacinski was drafted into the line-up. But the team took another blow when Michael Day found himself out of the tournament after disputing a refereeing decision as he fought off for bronze in the senior male heavyweight. With an apologetic Michael on the sidelines, and just four of the five-man line up going into the first round, the team were up against it - but showed some Ishinryu team spirit to blast though to the semi-finals.

The team came up against an experienced and talented WKU squad - and were left to fight it out in the repechage. With their opponents retiring, Ishinryu claimed a well-earned bronze - crowning off a memorable weekend.

Mike and Chris Wilson also passed their national Kumite judges exam after impressing with consistent decisions throughout the tournament - a great plus for the association.

A delighted sensei Donovan said: “This was another amazing performance. The squad is going from strength to strength. It’s great to see Ishinryu claiming medals across all disciplines which shows the quality in our karate as a whole. I would like to say well done to all our athletes and a thank you to everyone involved with the squad. It was a memorable performance.

There's no stopping us now!

GOLD:

• Sensei Jonathan Mottram: senior male kata
• Jonathan Mottram, John Gardiner and Gareth Haines: senior male team kata
• Liam Conroy: male cadet 14-15yrs U-57kg
• Chris Karwacinski: male cadet 14-15yrs kata
• Aimee Sell: Female cadet 14-15yrs kata
• Aimee Sell, Kate Karwacinski, Rebecca Birch: junior female team kata
• Melissa Williamson: girls 12-13yrs kumite

SILVER:

• Emma Lucraft: Junior female 16-17yrs Kata
• Emma Lucraft: Senior female Kata
• Alan Evans, Senior male team Kata
• John Gardiner: Senior male Kata
• Kate Karwacinski: Junior female 17-17rys Kumite
• Rebecca Birch: Female cadet 14-15rys Kata
• Dania Enright, Grace Terry and Caitlin Watson: Girls team Kumite U-9yrs
• Dahni Maisuria: Boys 10-13yrs Kata.
• Steve Karwacinski: male junior Kata

BRONZE:

• Steve Karwacinski: Senior male Kata
• Gareth Hains, Aaron Swales, Steve Karwacinski, Alan Evans: Senior male team Kumite
• Joe Wright: Male cadet 15-15yrs U-57kg Kumite

April 2010 - Australian Open Results

Best ever results at the 2010 Australian Open by team Ishinryu. Our programme over the past two years has improved everybody’s performance including coaches. Let me take the opportunity to thank Stuart, Peter, Paul and all the Dojo Sensei’s for getting behind the Ishinryu performance program.

Peter, Stuart and myself coached athletes from different styles/Dojos. This is a great honour and privilege that their instructors have faith and trust in our ability.

To the parents of Ishinryu thanks for supporting us, all your children, win or lose, put in a fantastic performance and you should be proud.

TEAM ISHINRYU RESULTS

• 6 GOLD
• 5 SILVER
• 5 BRONZE

Dean “TANK” Hollowood 2 - Gold - Bronze. Selected for 3rd World Youth Cup/Greece BKF International/Glasgow
Liam Dix 2 - Gold Attending BKF/Glasgow and Ticky Donovan Summer Course/London
Shuan Donnet - Gold - Bronze
Andrew Grace - Gold

• KATA CHAMPION our first Aussie Open KATA Champion EVER!
• April Saks - 2 Silver
• Jessica Burrows Silver - Bronze
• Jonathan Carter - Silver
• Mason Riley - Silver
• Kate Golaszewski - Bronze
• Coralie Stuart - Bronze

WELL DONE TO THESE OTHER ATHLETES; Zac Dean - Ethan Saks - Brittany

Report from Bruce Hyland, 6th Dan

April 2010 - 11th Italian Open Championships

Team karwacinski the Sells, Emma Lucraft. Conor chatfield and Jon Mottram competed at the 11th Italian Open championships. The event was like a world championships, with teams competing from Australia, Israel, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Egypt, Germany, USA, and Slovakia to name but a few. An extremely well organised event with 10 tatamis, five judges/referees on every mat plus table officials. The Italians really know how to put on a true international event. The smooth organisation and the sheer number of competitors in each event was amazing. In the men's Kata 120 competitors the same with the female senior Kata event too. This required four pools of competitors alone, if you manage to medal here it proves how difficult an event it was. Even if a competitor just missed out on a bronze medal it's definitely worth going through 5-6 Rounds for the experience alone. It seemed all officials and referees worked really well together but that's probably one reason it pulls in the best competitors around Europe and the World and makes it the premier international event to attend!

The squad of seven Aimee Sell, Kate, Steve and Chris karwacinski, Jon Mottram, Emma Lucraft and Conor Chatfield (plus Alex Sell of Suharikai) came away with two golds, Aimee Sell cadet Kata champion and Kate Karwacinski -59 kgs Kumite champion. Four 5th places in the kata, two 7th places as well all bode well for the Barking Abbey Ishinryu team.
Well done!

March 2010 - Dutch Open Results

Aaron Swales, Gareth Hains, Jon Mottram, Emma Lucraft and Sam Cannon all attended the Dutch Open on the weekend of 13-14 March.

First up was Sam Cannon. Sam performed Unshu but the judges decision was split with Sam losing 3-2 in the first round.

Emma Lucraft was up next with Unshu winning 4-1 against her Czech opponent. The following round saw her perform Annan, winning 3-2 against Germany. The third round saw Emma against Portugal. Emma performed Gojushiho-sho. However, Portugal won 4-1. Unfortunately Portugal lost to the winner of the Dutch open 2009 - so repechage for Emma.

Jon Mottram performed Kanku-Dai against Luxemburg and won 4-1. Jon then performed against Germany winning 5-0. The third round saw jon won 5-0 against Belgium In round 4 Jon won with Unsu 5-0 against Slovakia.

The fifth round against another Slovak saw Jon win convincingly 5-0 with Chatanyara and a place in the final - what a roller-coaster ride it had been. The finals were held in the evening on a central stage. Jon performed against Finland and won 4-1 to claim gold and become Dutch Open champion.

Aaron and Gareth both fought extremely well but it wasn't to be their day this time around. However it was a good warm-up for Aaron and Jon who are both off to the senior Europeans in a couple of weeks.

Some great performances from Ishinryu - well done to all and keep up the good work.

February 2010 - Aaron Swales secures European Place

GREECE is the word for East Durham Ishinryu's Aaron Swales after securing his place on the plane for the European Championships.

Aaron, 22, impressed England squad coaches at a final selection in North Yorkshire and was given the news that he's heading to Athens in May.

He will be part of the men's fighting team that will con the medals. He said: “I'm just thrilled, I've been working really hard for this and it's paid off. The coaching I'm getting now is really working for me and I just hope I can repay that now by getting among the medals.”

Second Dan Aaron has picked up a string of successes in the last 12 months after stepping up from the junior ranks. He secured his place on the England senior A squad in December, and has improved even more in the early part of this year.

Aaron's sensei, Gavin Foster,3^rd Dan, and former England international, said: “This is a tremendous achievement for Aaron, but he can't rest on his laurels. He's got about 10 weeks now before the tournament and his training will be intense.” Aaron faces several international warm-up matches before the Europeans, which start on May 8, the first of which is the Dutch International Open in Rotterdam on March 13.

February 2010 - Swiss International Open (Zurich)

Emma Lucraft and Aimee Sell competed in the 2nd Swiss International Open in Zurich. This competition, although only in it's second year, attracted over 1,300 competitors from all over Europe and countries outside Europe too. 22 countries attended including France, Colombia, Italy, and Bosnia. Emma had 5 Rounds and Aimee 6 Rounds.

Both girls did extremely well with both winning gold 5-0 in their respective finals. Well done to the organisers from the Swiss Karate Federation for a superb international event.

October 2009 - course cash boost for England hopefuls

Five World Junior Championship medal hopefuls were given a fantastic boost after proceeds of the Ishinryu one-day open course were donated for the trip to Morocco.

Sensei Ticky Donovan 9^th Dan O.B.E. made the generous gesture - which was greeted with cheers and applause from the 90 people who attended the superb event.

And the coffers were boosted even further when Ishinryu 3^rd Dan Tony Spinks announced his firm Merritt Rail Ltd was adding a further £250 to the fund.

Sensei Donovan said: “Financially, these are difficult times and it is a lot of money to expect families to fork out in order that these youngsters can represent their country.

The EKF are in the process of trying to secure financial backing for the future, but in the meantime, we need to support our athletes as best we can.

“As an association, it a massive achievement to have five members of the England squad for the world championships from Ishinryu.

“We had a fantastic course, it was a great atmosphere and I was only too happy to help these young people to achieve their dreams.

“I would personally like to thank Tony Spinks for his contribution. Hopefully, knowing that they have the full backing of everyone in their association will give the athletes an extra boost when they get on the mat and bring back some medals. No pressure!”

The junior world championships will take place in Rabat, Morocco, from November 12 to 15.

Emma Lucraft will represent England in the junior female Kata and the team event alongside Aimee Sell - who also goes in the cadet individual.

Chris Karwacinski takes his place in the team Kata, while his sister, Kate, fights in the U-59kg junior female category.

And Gareth Hains holds our hopes in the U-21, U-78kg Kumite event. We wish them all the very best of luck.

The gesture by sensei Donovan rounded off an excellent day at the course which saw guest appearances from some old faces, including former champions Frank Lee-Sang and Dianne Reilly.

October 2009 - Copenhagen Open Championships

Results now in from this event held on the 3rd and 4th October. Ishinryu won the following awards for Kata:

Jonathan Mottram - Gold
Emma Lucraft - Gold
Aimee Sell -Bronze

Aimee also won Silver at the Welsh Open.

September 2009 - British Championships Edinburgh

Another fantastic result for Ishinryu at the 2009 British Championships in Edinburgh. A team of just 16 made the trip - but they returned triumphant with a haul of 11 medals, including three gold, four silver and four bronze.

The team once again showed its class in the Kata with Connor Chatfield picking up bronze in the boys 14-15yrs category.

It was a one, two, three in the girl's 14-15yrs with Rebecca Birch taking gold in a close final against Aimee Sell and Kate Karawacinski made it through to pick up bronze.

Jonathan Mottram confirmed his place as Britain's best taking gold in the men's with an awesome performance.

Emma Lucraft had to settle for bronze in the girl's 16-17yrs - but another great performance.

John Gardner had to settle for a quarter final place in the men's Kata and Michael Wilson missed out in the veteran's kata.
But young Melissa Williamson has just turned 12 -and took silver in the girls 12-13yrs.
Melissa showed she is all-rounder by taking silver in the open weight Kumite.
As did Kate Karawacinski with silver in the girls 14-15yrs U-54kg category.
Her brother, Steve, went one better and took gold in the boys 14-15yrs U-70kg and Rachael Bramley earned a bronze in the ladies open weight.
It wasn't to be for Liam Conroy who was retired by the doctor 6-2 up in the fight off for bronze and Aaron Swales was disappointed after going out in the quarter-final of the men's U-75kg.

It was quarter finals for Michael Day who made his first return to the British Championships for the first time after making his comeback. It was a great performance from Michael.

It wasn't to be also for Chris Karawacinski the younger of the three siblings who missed out in Kata and Kumite and 10-year-old Samual Parle who did the same.

But it was a fantastic effort from them and all the Ishinryu squad. They did themselves and Ishinryu proud.

World Karate Championships in Morocco (Cadet Junior)

The following Ishinryu competitors have been selected for the World Karate Championships to be held in Morocco later this year:

• Aimee Sell (Female Cadet Kata)
• Emma Lucraft (Female Junior Kata)
• Chris Karwacinski (Male Team Kata)
• Gareth Hains (Male Kumite under 21 under 78kg)
• Kate Karwacinski (Female Junior Kumite under 59kg)

June 2009 - Austrian Junior Open

Twenty countries participated in this event in Saltzburg including the Czech Republic, France Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, the USA, and Germany. There were 938 competition entries with 121 clubs represented.

Included was a team from Ishinryu in the UK who returned with three Gold medals. Samantha Cannon beat Germany to Gold in the under 21 Kata event. Emma Lucraft beat Italy to Gold in the under 18's event, while Aimee Sell also beat Italy to Gold in the 16s and under Kata event.

April 2009 - Scottish Open

Congratulations to Liam Conroy after he picked up bronze at the Scottish Open in Edinburgh on April 6 in the Male Kumite 14-15yrs category U-52kg. It followed his success at the AMA International Open where he took Gold.

April 2009 - Italian Open Golden League

Emma Lucraft wins Gold in Kata
Aimee Sell wins Bronze in Kata
Seen here with coach Jonathan Mottram

March 2009 - Dutch Open in Rotterdam

Emma Lucraft wins award

March 2009 - English Championships, Sheffield

"Well done everybody. And a special thanks to the Ishinryu coaches Eddie Gillespie, Jonathan Mottram and Gavin Foster" (Ticky Donovan O.B.E.)

Overall result was:
7 GOLDS
7 SILVER
10 BRONZE

GOLD
Aimee Sell 12-13 years KATA
Aimee Sell 14-15 years KATA
Mike Wilson veterans KATA
Steve Karwacinski 14-15 years KUMITE
Emily Kelleher 14-15 years KUMITE
Rebecca Birch, Aimee Sell, Emily Kelleher Junior Team KATA
Emma Lucraft, Nicole Taylor, Kate karwacinski Senior Female Team KATA

SILVER
Gareth Hains mens KATA
Emily Kelleher 14-15 years KATA
Rachel Bramley Womens KATA
Mark Handsford, Steve Karwacinski, Chris Karwacinski Junior Team KATA
Mike Wilson veterans KUMITE
Kate Karwacinski 14-15 years KUMITE
Dahmi Maisuria 9 years and under KATA

BRONZE
Aaron Swales, Mark allembey, Alan Evans, Gareth Hains, Mithel Scotcher Men's Team KUMITE
Rachel Bramley, Sarah Styles, Samantha Cannon Womens Team KATA
Lauren Taylor, Rebecca Birch, Tanya Lampreia 10-13 years Team KUMITE
Mark Handsford 14-15 years KUMITE
Chris Wilson veterans KATA
Sarah Styles veterans KATA
Emma Lucraft 15-17 years KATA
Rebecca Birch 12-13 years KATA
Jonathan Mottram senior men's KATA
Chis Wilson, Mike Wilson, Alan Evans Men's team KATA