CHESHIRE Martial Arts students won medals for England in the WUKF European Karate Championships in Romania.

Six members of the 15-strong SSKA England karate squad hail from the Warrington club based at Evans House, Norman Street, and flew the flag for the town among more than 1,800 competitors from 32 countries in Cluj Napoca.

Ten-year-old Joel Eccleston retained his European gold medal title in kata (patterned moves), having first won it in Italy last year.

The black-belt second dan battled through four gruelling rounds to win the final tie-break, showing his focus and determination to come out on top.

Eighteen-year-old second-dan black belt Rebecca Cameron won silver in senior kumite (fighting).

She showed her speed and aggression throughout the competition.

Rebecca Fisher, 21, a fourth-dan black belt, won a bronze medal in the kumite category for 21 to 35-year-olds, while fifth-dan black belt Darron Mcquillan also won a bronze gong in the veterans’ kata category.

Second-dan black belt Ben Hutson-Redfearn came fourth in a tough category for 15 to 17-year-olds, completing top-class katas with power and finesse.

Nine-year-old brown belt Lilly Mangan maintained her form from Italy, achieving the top seven in kata following a tie-break for the final.

And to cap off the trip, SSKA official John Cameron earned the status of WUKF Continental Judge.

Paul Graham, head coach of the England squad and Cheshire Martial Arts, said: “I am elated with the squad’s performance.

“They all exceeded expectations and displayed pure talent against the top karateka in Europe.

“Some countries had more than 100 competitors entered, so for us to rank 15th out of 55 associations shows we did a fantastic job.”

He added: “We have a string of top athletes in our club and squad and they train hard and push each other to develop and constantly improve.

“To be the best and compete at this top level my students train up to 12 hours per week leading up to major championships.

“To dedicate this level of commitment, additional to work and school, shows the attitude and drive they have to achieve these kind of top results.

“We are now working towards the World Championships to be held in Dundee in Scotland in 2018.”

Cheshire Martial Arts Centre is open seven days a week. For further details, call the club on 07831 418631 or email cheshirekaratecentres@btinternet.com