Marham Judo Club, joined by members from Kumo Judo Club and Royston Judo Club, had an early morning start on, Friday 9th April 2010, as they set off to Belgium for the 8th International Judo Competition held in Lommel.  This competition is distinguished by the high level of skill of the players who attend this competition and it attracts players from the not only Belgium but also from France, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom. There was in the region of 700 competitors at the event.

In the evening, all club members stayed together in Monchengladbach in Germany, enjoying a game of football and dining in the local restaurants.

Saturday saw the younger judoka, the under 12’s, competing. A silver medal was won by Chris Parrott, and bronze medals were won by Neith Charlesworth, Henry Andrewartha and Matthew Parrott, all members of Marham Judo Club.

Sunday saw Gemma Moore, David Oates, Jonno Drane and Thomas Turner competing for Kumo Judo Club, Jenna-Jaye Nicholson competing for Marham Judo Club and Emma Reid competing for Royston Judo Club. The atmosphere at the competition was exciting, with great demonstrations of techniques by highly skilled players and the notable camaraderie shown by all countries.

Bronze medals were won by Jenna-Jaye Nicholson and Thomas Turner. The competition between the Commonwealth Champion, Thomas Turner and his dutch opponent, Michel Nijenhuis was one of the highlights of the competition. Thomas Turner was caught by surprise, when the dutch player despatched him for an ippon with an exceptional standing seoi-nage. This is no easy accomplishment in the O100kg category, but the skilled dutch player made it look as if he was lifting a featherweight.

A fantastic weekend was had by all and the clubs look forward to their next international competition.