Three young EPIC and Team Bristol fighters travelled to Birmingham Sunday 19th July to take part in one of the UK’s largest junior competitions. Seven fighting areas were laid out at North Solihull Sports Centre to set the stage for a day of electric combat.
Alex Fellender Evans who trains at EPIC Nailsea, Portishead and Filton took part in the -130cm novice points, -130cm novice continuous & -130cm tag team. Each division was round robin in the respect that all fighters fought each other. He managed to win all 5 fights in his continuous division moving through his opponents one by one with speed and fruitful attacks. He had 20 competitors in his points division, concluding in 10 fights with only one narrow loss. Both performances resulted in 2 very hard earned first places.
George Sherlock was in the 9-14yrs -140cm novice division. He had 3 convincing wins to take him through to the final. His determined kick attacks followed by well timed hand combinations kept his winning streak alive in the final. This time it was a lot closer coming away champion by a single point margin. This was Georges first win at a National competition which is testament to his hard work and determination during many hours spent training at EPIC Portishead and Filton over recent months.
Last but not least was Harvey Tyler who fought in the -130cm intermediate and -130cm advanced divisions. Harvey trains extremely hard at EPIC Portishead, Filton and Bradley Stoke. Harvey battled in 9 fights over the two division. He demonstrated accurate timing and superb movement leading him to be victorious in 8 out of the 9 contests. Harvey has a very cool and calm approach on the mat giving him the sensitivity to read the fighters in front of him and work a game plan accordingly. He defended well and attacked when necessary to result in a 1st and 2nd place.
Finally Harvey and Alex entered the -130cm Tag Team event. Both fighters were shining once more and used tactics and cohesiveness to out smart their opponents. With 2 convincing wins they reached a tougher test in the final. Both of them stepped up once more to win outright.
Special thanks to EPIC Martial Arts senior instructor Greg Langson for a focused day of coaching.
Overall a tremendous event, progress from each of the competitors and great results for the club.
