Camberley had four promising Cadets fighting in the British Championships this year. All competed well but with mixed fortunes. On this occasion the plaudits go to Sarah Hill who won all four of her fights comfortably to take Gold and her first British title. Coach Vince Skillcorn remarked how impressed he was with Sarah’s professional approach to the task at hand and the manner in which she was able to take control of each of her bouts to such an extent that she didn’t concede a score all day. This is a fantastic achievement and just reward for a player whose work ethic is an example to her contemporaries.
Also representing C.J.C. were James Preston-Howes (Cadets U60kgs), Toby Roberts (Pre-Cadets U46kgs) & Ewan Tweedie (Pre-Cadets U55kgs). Despite a promising start with victory in his first contest, James struggled to find form in his next two fights losing against more experienced opponents. Ewan also found the going tough in losing his two contests, although he should be encouraged that the mistakes that cost him are easily fixed and the experience of competing at this level now will serve him well in the future. Toby fared better and was perhaps a little unfortunate to just miss out on the medals in finishing 5th. With three good wins under his belt, he narrowly lost out to the eventual Gold Medalist in the Semi-final by Yuko (5 point score) and was unable to reproduce his earlier form in the bronze medal fight. Although disappointing for him, his recent selection onto the England Cadet Squad is evidence of the bright future he has in the sport.
