Union suffer
KAREN SMITH and Elizabeth Dobson won multiple medals at the European Taekwondo Championships.
Fourth Dan black belt Karen and Second Dan Elizabeth (below) represented England at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
And they returned with a combined six gold medals and one bronze.
The competition attracted competitors from over 30 countries, including Russia, Greece and Bulgaria, with almost 900 taking part.
Both Karen and Liz were part of the female veteran team, winning gold in both patterns and sparring, knocking out their rivals Scotland in the final to take the title.
Karen also achieved gold in individual sparring, maintaining her position as European sparring champion for the third consecutive year, and also winning bronze in individual patterns.
Liz also maintained her gold for the second year in individual patterns.
Karen, in particular, has a wellestablished history of international and national success, winning 28 medals in the last three years at veteran level – including being UK, England and Wales individual sparring champion and being a member of the World and European champion teams.
Elizabeth is a member of staff at the University of Huddersfield, where Karen is studying for a Sport Science Degree and both train for free.
Both train with Mr Chan (Fifth Dan) international competitor and instructor, on Wednesday evenings at Royds Hall Leisure Centre. Karen also trains with Mr Thackray in Morley. Both also travel to Oxford twice a month to train with England. HALIFAX-HUDDERSFIELD again went down to the last man on the last hole in their Inter-district match against Bradford at Cleckheaton – and once again they failed to salvage a draw!
Bradford were hoping to bounce back after a defeat to favourites Sheffield and included Mark Birkett and Oliver Tasker.
Huddersfield were always slightly behind in the match, but their determination to turn games around was undoubted.
The foursomes could have been 6-6, but for a lapse of concentration in the second match (Chris Lander and Matthew Colcombe), which resulted in them losing instead of halving.
Having said that, Tom Hunt and Josh Morton were two down with six to play and got a half point.
Huddersfield’s Adam Robinson and Tom Calvert secured a good 2&1 win with a birdie two at 17th.
Jim Fairhurst, playing his first match since 2010, and fellow Bradley Hall member Andy Hare won 4&3.
The Dewsbury contingent of Fergus Barron and Dan Hartley in game five and Stuart Atkinson and Ben Crowther in game six did not add to the team score.
Matchplay champion Chris Lander led Halifax-Huddersfield off in the singles but lost 2down on the final hole.
Matthew Colcombe, 2up through nine, held on to record his second singles win of the year.
Josh Morton won at the 16th, but his success was squared when Bradley Hall’s Andy Hare went down at the 17th.
Tom Hunt won his game at the 17th, just as Adam Robinson lost 1down, but not before he won the 17th to keep his game alive.
So it was 3-3 after six singles and still all to play for.
Fairhurst played well against Rob Hillas, being four down with four to play before taking it to the 17th, and Stuart Atkinson, looking for his first singles win in his third game in 25 years was 4up through 13. He was pegged back by some wonderful short game play from Bradford captain Martin Gaffney on his home course, but it was 4-4 overall.
With Ben Crowther 4up through 12 against Dane Bairstow, focus turned to the games between Dan Hartley and Oliver Tasker, Andy Busfield against Fergus Barron and Tom Calvert v Jamie Lavin – all Cleckheaton players.
The fairway at the short par-four 16th, which is drivable in normal conditions, proved difficult to hit due to the swirling wind.
Hartley lost the hole to be 2down with two to play but a fabu-