Four Nations Cup at Savio College

The Four Nations Cup was held recently at the Savio College sports hall in Dingli. The one-day international competition was organised by the SKSM Malta.

The entry list included 250 martial artists from England, Ireland, Scotland and Malta. They competed in 40 different categories, individual and teams, in both Kata and Sport Kumite.

Among those in competition were England's R. Bramley, M. Scotchers and J. Mottram, winner of Kata Seniors. Mottram is a British, European and Commonwealth gold medallist.

Others who left their mark were J. Izatt, from Scotland, and local entries A. Galea, K. Gauci, K. Curmi, C. Gauci, D. Aquilina, M. Calleja and I. Zammit.

In Kumite, two of the most talented martial artists stole the show as James Brunton (Ireland) won a gold medal from among 28 others in the heavyweight category. Here, Michael Attard was runner-up.

There was a satisfactory performance by the SKSM juniors team in Kata. The side comprised D. Aquilina, A. Galea and K. Camilleri. They were first in their class from a pool of 11 teams.

The Maltese seniors Kata team (M. Giordmaina, D. Schembri and D. Ciantar) also claimed a place on the podium after finishing behind winners England.

World Karate Federation (WKF) regulations were followed and 18 qualified referees and judges, headed by Lucienne Galea and Oliver Brunton, were in charge.

Chris Galea, the SKSM head, said he was satisfied with the running of the competition as well as with the performance and commitment of the Maltese who were second overall in the medals' list with seven gold, nine silver and 20 bronze.

Meanwhile, an intensive training programme for 30 SKSM martial artists is underway ahead of the International Karate Championships in Italy next month. One may obtain more details by phoning 21-453706 or 7953-7924.