TWO karate clubs from the Craven area have come back with a haul of five gold, five silver and six bronze medals at the Yorkshire Open Karate Championships in Barnsley.

This event, held on Sunday, February 10, is open to all associations within the UK, with teams travelling from as far away as London and Scotland.

The British Sport Karate Federation, which includes Quest Karate Club in Skipton and Newbys Combat Arts Academy in Silsden, took a team of athletes of various ages to the competition.

Gold medal winners included Benjamin Shaw (boys 8-9 years), Thomas Bailey (boys 10-12 years), Pan Loizides (male 18+), Rosina Parkinson (female 35+) and Pan Loizides, Gareth Dunkerley and Yasin Ahmed (senior 18+ male team).

Silver medal winners were Harvey Osborne (boys 10-12 years), Gareth Dunkerley (male 18+), Hillary Walker (female 35+), Troy Darnbrough, Yasin Ahmed and Jason Kelly (boys 16-17 years team) Rebecca Boakes, Melissa Maxwell and Elise Morton (senior 18+ female team).

Bronze medal recipients included Summer Woods (girls 7-8 years), Emily Moran (girls 10-12 years), Thomas Bailey, Harvey Osborne and Zakariyah Shan (boys 10-12 years team), Rebecca Boakes (female 18+) and Remi Jurgilaitis (male 18+ and senior 18+ male team).

The British Sport Karate Federation was founded by sensei Frank Pullano and Paul Newby and consists of five clubs within the Yorkshire area, including the two in the Craven area.

Quest Karate Club is owned and coached by Pullano, a former UK Open champion who is also the Northern England regional team coach, and Silsden-based Newbys Combat Arts Academy (NCAA) is owned and coached by Newby, a former world champion in karate and the England national team coach.

Both clubs teach sport karate and are part of the British Sport Karate Federation, which currently has 12 athletes that represent the Northern England regional team and England national team, six of whom are from the Craven area.

Joshua Elliot and Jack Moran, who both attend South Craven School; Arthur Welsh, who attends Upper Wharfedale School; Mark Wrigley, who attends Skipton Academy, and Troy Darnbrough and Yasin Ahmed, who both attend Craven College. All have fought both in the UK and abroad.

Sport karate will receive global attention when it makes its debut appearance as a competitive event at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan.

If anyone is interested in joining a team or would like to try a new sport, ring Frank Pullano on 07718140904 or Paul Newby on 07805071874 to arrange a free taster session.