SOMERSET Ryu Karate, a local martial arts club based in Wellington and Taunton, are celebrating after six of their members were selected for the KUGB England Squad. The students travelled to Liverpool to try out for national selection, after being encouraged to do so by club instructor, Sensei Peter Milne 3rd Dan.

There were places in two separate squads up for contention, in both Kata (patterns) and Kumite (free sparring).

Somerset Ryu have enjoyed a glittering year full of competition success, so they were confident they had the ability to perform at the highest possible level. They had to demonstrate their skills in front of two of the biggest names in UK Karate, Sensei Andy Sherry, 9th Dan and Chief Instructor of the Karate Union of Great Britain, and Sensei Frank Brennan, 8th Dan and one of the most decorated and renowned competitors in KUGB history.

Those selected included brothers Charlie and William Don from Hemyock, Joely Ford from North Curry, brother and sister James and Cerys Eva from Wellington, and Thea Priest from Taunton. This is Thea’s fourth year on the National Squad, a prolific competitor for Somerset having previously been selected for the past four international tournaments, including European and World Karate Championships.

Sensei Peter said: “I’m so very proud of my super six England Squad members. All performed superbly and showed they all possess huge potential; Somerset should be very proud of them all. In particular, we had five selected for the England Kata Squad, which was the joint highest number of any club in the country!

“We had a few selected for the very first time as well; it was a very daunting process for them to go through. I’m sure all will flourish under the guidance of the National Squad coaches.”

Somerset Ryu Karate are currently accepting new students of all ages in both Wellington and Taunton, offering high quality tuition and fantastic opportunities.

“If you’d like to get in touch with them, you can find all the details on their website at www.somerset-ryu.com”