With December being the only quiet month on the competition circuit calendar the Cimac Superleague Dorking looks to be Genesis Martial Arts penultimate event of the year, which has seen the team compete for a record 10th time over the past 10 months.
Considering this it is astonishing when you realise that a year ago Fight Team member Walled Bin Akram hadn’t ever competed on the competition circuit and is now the lead off fighter for the team. And what a lead off fighter he once again proved to be. He demonstrated his poise and patience as he timed and evaded his opponents to take his 3 wins of the year in the boys’ novice under 4ft 2 section.
Also fighting in the boys’ novice semi contact section was Liam Blanford competing in his very first competition. With specific instructions from Liam’s Mum to make sure he returned her baby back to her in one piece Instructor Matt Jackson was behind Liam every step of the way as he cruised through his first round. In the second round Liam fought well and listened to coaching although it wasn’t enough to secure him a second win and Liam went out in the second round. A little disappointed by his performance Matt told Liam to watch the rest of the category as he thought that the boy who beat him was pretty good and should make it to the final. Lo and behold Matt’s hunch was correct as the boy who had beaten him won the entire category; which was a modicum of comfort!
Liam also fought in the boys’ advanced category fighting his first ever black belt. Putting up a spirited performance Liam lost by a handful of points and with more experience will no doubt be enjoying similar success as his team mates within the next 12 months.
Kieran Johnson has now out grown his under 5ft 2 sections but was still eligible to compete in them through his previous accumulation of points in the relevant section. In the beginners section he once again demonstrated the great timing, which is fast becoming his trade mark, with stinging backfists and counter side kicks on his way to the final. In an exciting final Kieran went point for point with his opponent and was tied with 5 seconds left on the clock before overtime, but for some reason his normal killer instinct was absent. Unfortunately, while attempting to run down time he was cornered and scored on with one second remaining. A tough way to learn a lesson but he still leads the chase for the Grand Championship.
Kieran returned in the advanced semi contact under 4ft 2 category and left no doubt as to who was taking home the third place fight off trophy as the killer instinct returned!
Next up Shannon Barlow sought to take gold in both the girls under 5ft 2 advanced and the cadets under 60kg semi contact section until a twisted knee derailed her plans as time expired in the first round of the girls section. Coach Matt Jackson and Shannon’s Mum deemed that Shannon should retire for the day despite her protestations and took home a silver medal. Fortunately Shannon’s injury should be healed quickly and she will live to fight another day.
One of the main problems with fielding a large team at any competition is that teammates can be fighting simultaneously on different mats leaving coaches thin on the ground. Unfortunately for unleashed fight team member Louise Birkett drew the short straw whist fighting her category’s due to instructor Matt Jackson coaching the more inexperienced team members to success.
Fortunately Louise has been competing for years with the support of her father, Steve, so they can just get on with it. As a result Louise won a credible second place in semi contact and 3rd place in light contact.
Archie Thompson continues to make strides towards the overall Cimac Grand Championship for boys under 5ft 2 and once again displayed his dominance with yet another victory coached by his dad. Archie also made it to the final in the semi contact section where he, like Kieran, appeared to be missing his usual edge which was needed for the win. Alas, Archie came up short but took a respectable second place shrugging it off in inimitable Archie style.
At 6ft 3ins, 20 year old Adam Spittles’s reach is a problem for anybody in the men’s over 75kg novice semi contact section. In a group that showed solid basics and savvy beyond that of a normal novice section, Adam showed poise and a good ability to adapt in his offensive and defensive tactics throughout. This led him to a hard fought second Cimac victory of the year.
Going into the competition Armid Akram was joint first place in the Grand Championship with fellow Wycombe competitor Anthony Yearwood. Armid would need finish ahead of Anthony to take the lead heading into the final event in Maidenhead. On the day Armid was a little out of sorts and was unable to click into action until the final seconds of his 3rd place fight off. Winning a close decision he once again showed that he is a solid competitor who still gives away nearly 20 kilos to his opponents. But he now has an uphill battle if he wants to take the grand championship as Anthony now leads him by 1 point overall.
With eyes already on next year Archie, Shannon, Kieran and Waleed will all see themselves moving up a category as they once again begin their journey to the gold!
Archie Thompson will be in action once again on the 21st October where he will be challenged by Watford Freestyle fighter Max Chapman-Tripe in a title match contested over 2 one and a half minute rounds at the Genesis Unleashed Fight Show. Tickets are now available check out the preview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQiI1AWd3jE video and flyer!
A special thank you to parents Steve, Stewart, Sharon, Dave, Chris, Helen and Mohammed for continued support. Next outing for the Unleashed Team is Squad Training at the Genesis Gym November 6th, followed by the last Cimac competition of the year in Maidenhead on the 11th November where students Armid, Archie, Shannon, Louise, Adam and Waleed will all vie for Grand Championship glory.
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