Quest Taekwondo members are Dutch Masters (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Quest Taekwondo members are Dutch Masters

6:30pm Monday 11th June 2012 in Sport By Sports Desk

Quest Taekwondo sent a select group of athletes to the Dutch Masters competition in Rotterdam - but they came away with five gold medals and two silvers.

Anf youngsters Jamie Kidd, Liam Burdock and Jake Barnett hope that their performances will add further weight to their bid to be selected as part of the Great Britain teams at cadet (Jamie and Liam) and junior (Jake) level.

Natasha Burdock is already a member of the Great Britain team for juniors (under-18s) and regularly trains at the Great Britian Academy in Manchester.

The students are coached by Rick Simpson, a Black Belt 4th Dan in taekwondo and and internationally- recognised instructor by Kukkiwon, headquarters of World Taekwondo.

Every player competed in the advanced category, meaning they would only face red or black belts.

Kidd, nine, from Silsden, competed in the Pee Wee (under-tens) group.

He defeated Daniel Tong of St Katherines Taekwondo (London) in the semi-final and beat Joe Latto of Ultimate Taekwondo (Doncaster) in the final.

Kidd also competed in the cadet (under-14) group, and beat Joe Latto of Ultimate (Doncaster) in the quarter-finals, Jake Grady of Black Widow (Wakefield) in the semi-final and team mate Liam Burdock in the final to claim Gold.

Liam, also nine from Silsden, was another cadet competitor, and, after a bye, he defeated Endris Tafilaku of St Katherines (London).

Natasha, 14, from Silsden, was also in the cadet section, defeating Holland 8-3 in the semi-final before winning the final 5-0.

The teenager also competed at junior level, getting a 10-4 revenge victory against the girl who beat her in London last year, going on to win the final 10-7 in a gritty match against Germany.

Jake Barnett, 16, from Baildon, won his first gold medal of the year, triumphing 7-4, 10-1, 8-2 and 3-3 (referee’s decision) to take the junior section.

He also competed in the senior (18 plus) group and lost in the quarter-finals.

Hannah Mayes, 17, from Wibsey, was a silver-medal winner at junior level, defeating Rachel Macmillan (Budo Aykac, Netherlands) 7-6 in the semi-final only to lose on the Golden Point to Sagida Lohmouddi of St Katherines (London) after a fierce contest, which ended 3-3 after three rounds.

Quest Taekwondo’s trip to Holland was supported by two funding streams - a bag pack at Silsden Co-op that raised over £500, part of which was used for their trip to Holland, while the rest will be used for their trip to a competition in London next month.

Craven Ward Councillor Adrian Naylor, through Silsden Town Council, provided a sponsorship of £1,500 to Quest Taekwondo, part of which was used to subsidise the trip.

Anyone interested in taekwondo, should contact Rick Simpson on 07977-065357 or Rick@QuestBradford.co.uk. Quest Taekwondo run classes as follows, with beginners welcome: Mondays Springfield Centre, Thorpe Edge, 7pm-8.30pm. Tuesdays: Cornerstone Community Centre, Cottingley, 7pm-8.30pm. Wednesdays: Fitness First, Keighley, 7pm-8.30pm. Thursdays: Sandal Primary School, Baildon, 7pm-8.30pm, Fridays: Jimmy’s Gym, Greengates, 6.30pm-8pm. Saturdays: Beckfoot School, Bingley, 11am-12.30pm.

Further information is available from: www.questbradford.co.uk.