Contact sport

THE Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Shodokan Aikido Club celebrated the successful grading one of its first junior dan grades at a seminar held at Swanmead Dojo, last Saturday.

Miles Cronin, who has been training at Tonbridge and also at the Tunbridge Wells club, graded to black belt in front of a four-person panel, including Sensei Jim Newcombe, 5th Dan.

Sensei James Burman, third Dan, who has been world silver medallist and UK gold medallist, says he felt very proud for Miles, who had been training very hard recently, and this was proved by the quality of his aikido.

Other juniors that passed at this grading included William Welford (second kyu), Connor O'Donnell (second kyu) and his sister Esther O'Donnell (third kyu), Freddie Pembroke (double graded to third kyu), Joe Adams (fifth kyu), Emily Cracknell and Isablla Wiacek, both new students to the club, double graded at their first ever grading to eighth kyu.

The adults class, which meets in Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, also took part in the grading seminar, with Mariusz Mrozek and Michael Sacks grading to second kyu, and Lauren Leister graded to eighth kyu.