School’s class acts floor the opposition
TAEKWONDO
CHRIS DOBEY edged past Adam Hunt 5-4 to claim the One Sign and Digital Newcastle Open title.
The event was staged at the Park Hotel in Tynemouth a nd featured nearly 250 amateur and professional players from around the country.
A host of big names were in attendance such as Andy Boulton, Terry Temple, Gary Robson, Ryan Joyce, Kevin McDine, Gary Stone, Ryan Murray, Nathan Aspinall, Callum Loose and Matt Padgett - and the day featured fantastic play on the oche.
The day kicked off with Boulton up against BDO Gold Cup winner Joyce.
The game went to 3-3 before Joyce edged through 4-3.
Dobey went the distance in two of his opening three matches against Raymond Foreman and Dave Prins.
Hunt, however, started well, whitewashing Paul Williams and Kev Thoburn.
Young guns Aspinall and Loose also dominated their early-round matches, moving easily into the last 16.
There, McDine brushed past young PDC player Callan Rydz 4-1, Loose, Dobey, Michael Wood and Robson all triumphing by the same scoreline.
Hunt defeated Boulton 4-2 while Manchester’s Aspinall overcame Murray, also 4-2.
The last of the last-16 games was the most nail biting, Padgett seeing off Andy Chalmers 4-3.
In the quarter-finals, Loose overcame McDine 4-3, Dobey beat Wood 4-0, Hunt accounted for Robson 4-0 and Padgett defeated Aspinall, also 4-0.
Dobey came from 4-2 down to clinch a 5-4 last-four victory over Loose and Hunt demolished Padgett 5-1 with a 33.13 average.
As always between Dobey and Hunt, the decider went the distance, with one always edging out the other in a last-leg decider.
On the day, though, Dobey was the better player - coming from 4-1 down to prevail 5-4. STUDENTS from Newcastle’s Hwa Rang School of Taekwondo earned top marks for two spectacular floor shows which earned them a string of medals, writes TONY HODGSON.
They clinched eight gold, eight silver and 13 bronze medals at the Scottish Taekwondo Championships in Glasgow.
Both children and adults took part and they secured a commendable second place overall out of the 25 competing schools, collecting 52 points for their 29 medals.
Hwa Rang competed against schools from Scotland, Ireland and England in individual sparring, team sparring, patterns and special techniques.
The gold medallists were Bernadetta Kaminska (individual and team sparring), Tania Zientara (individual and team sparring), Rafal Kaminski (team sparring), Ewa Downie (patterns), Aga Rzetelna (team sparring) and Hazel Downie (individual and team sparring),
Also, Oskar Zientara ( team sparring), Kristian Oblag (sparring) and Daniel Robinson (team sparring),
Plus Jayden Plathotthil (patterns and team sparring) and Jonah Plathotthil (individual sparring).
Claiming silver medallists were Bernadetta Kaminska (patterns), Aga Rzetelna (individual sparring), Oskar Zientara (individual sparring, patterns), Karolina Swiadek (patterns, individual sparring), Heather Downie (individual sparring), Stanislaw Zarzycki (individual sparring), Jonah Plathotthil (patterns), Natanael Biziewski (individual sparring) and Krystian Oblag (individual sparring).
Taking bronze were Arek Oblag (individual sparring, patterns), Rafal Kaminski (pattern), Aga Rzetelna (patterns), Daniel Robinson (special technique) and Natanael Biziewski (patterns),
Plus Grzegorz Pietrowski (patterns), Krystian Oblag (patterns) and Mariusz Biziewski (individual sparring).
Those successes were followed up by more glory at the ITF England Championships in Hertfordshire, where eight HWA Rang students won 19 medals.
They were competing in sparring, patterns, power techniques and special techniques.
Bernadetta Kaminska celebrated two bronze (power techniques, sparring) and one silver (special techniques).
Tania Zientara won gold in sparring and silver in power techniques while Aga Rzetelna secured double gold in power techniques and sparring and bronze in patterns.
Rafal Kaminski struck gold in sparring and claimed two silvers in sparring and patterns.
Peter Urban registered gold in patterns and silver in sparring, Abigail Scott a bronze in sparring.
Stasiu Zarzycki struck silver in sparring while coach Mariusz Biziewski clinched gold in power techniques and three silvers in sparring, special techniques and patterns.
A delighted Biziewski said: “The incredible success of those competing was mainly due to their hard work and dedication to the sport.
“They are training three times per week at the English Martyrs Church Hall in Fenham, where there are childrens’ and adults classes.
“Taekwondo training is a great way of helping to develop physical fitness but also one’s character, confidence and self-esteem.
“The children who train take a lot of fun out of each class and learn how to defend against attack and stand up to bullying.”