MARTIAL ARTS: THREE high-ranking young tae kwon-do stars have been drafted into the Great Britain squad.
Amy Tyghe, 11, Daryl Stokes, 14, and Robyn Sheridan, 11, were called up after impressive performances at the British Championships.
All three gained top-four places at Newton Aycliffe, near Darlington, with Daryl and Amy gaining silver medals.
The trio are members of the Hooks Institute of Tae Kwon-do in Widnes.
Their head coach and instructor, 5th Dan Master Dave Hook, said: 'To be ranked in the top four in the whole country is an amazing feat, to say the least.
'Fighting against well-seasoned players with lots of international experience, age and strength on their sides is hard to deal with.
'Even though my kids were disappointed in their own performances, they did me proud.'
Amy finished second in the children's flyweight competition and Daryl was runnerup in the junior lightweight.
Meanwhile, Robyn took fourth spot in the children's middleweight division.
Dave Hook, seven-times British and twice European champion, understands all the nerves and pressure that come into performing at the highest level. Sometimes these factors can be hard for youngsters to grasp.
He said: 'With more experience and a little more belief in themselves, these three kids should go a long way.
'Playing to the best of their ability is all I ask from my players.
'These three up-and-coming stars have a natural talent and age on their side.
'They are getting known on the national circuit and maybe a place on the British squad is what they need to step up to the next level.'
The trio were joined at the national championships by Hooks Institute team-mates Ben Dunning, Carl Darcy and Bobby Fitzpatrick, so the future looks bright for the newly-formed club, based at Upton Community Centre.
Amy, Daryl and Robyn can now look forward to their invitations to train with the British squad at the Olympic Training Centre in Lough-borough.
They will now prepare for forthcoming events, including the European Championships and World Championships.
Anyone interested in taking up tae kwon-do can contact Upton Community Centre, tel 0151 423 1386.
