Hollington duo win silver at English Championships

Hollington Gymnastics Club’s tumble squad won two silver medals at a prestigious national competition.
The Hollington Gymnastics Club competitors at the English ChampionshipsThe Hollington Gymnastics Club competitors at the English Championships
The Hollington Gymnastics Club competitors at the English Championships

Sharni Gilbert and Ashlyn Cotman both achieved superb second places in the English Championships Silver Level at the International Centre, Telford.

Nine Hollington tumblers competed in all, having secured top four places in the South East qualifiers earlier this year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

See also: * Hollington talents qualify for national finals* District team crowned south east champions* Bexhill team just misses out on national finalFor some of the gymnasts, this was the biggest competition they had ever taken part in. But the nerves did not show and they all performed at their very best.

Ashlyn Cotman and Sharni Gilbert with their silver medalsAshlyn Cotman and Sharni Gilbert with their silver medals
Ashlyn Cotman and Sharni Gilbert with their silver medals

Saturday saw Imogen Burt (NDP 1 9-10yrs), Liam Webb (NDP 2 13-14yrs), Jago Herriott (NDP 2 11-12yrs), Ayesha Hook-Chouhan (NDP 2 13-14yrs), Charlie Skeggs (NDP 3 13-14yrs) and Gilbert (NDP 3 11-12yrs) taking to the track.

Burt finished a respectable ninth in a very tough group of 20, Herriott came seventh, Webb 11th, Hook-Chouhan 14th and Skeggs 10th. But the highlight of the day came from Gilbert, who took home a well-deserved silver medal and was only three marks away from gold.

Sunday was the turn of the high level tumblers, with Eloise (NDP 4 under-13) finishing 11th and Ellie Cocks (NDP 4 over-13) ninth in another very strong group.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There was a strong finish by the Hollington team as Cotman performed her NDP 5 tumbles. Lying in gold medal position after two tumbles, she was narrowly pipped for top spot by a mere 0.1 of a mark after competing her final tumble.

To end a very successful weekend, two gymnasts from Hollington’s DMT squad joined the tumblers.

Maddie Luke finished sixth in the 9-12 years group and Connor Luke came fifth in the disability group. They are both now waiting to see if they have done enough to advance to the English Championship Finals in Sheffield later this year.

Hollington coach Nikki Luke said: “It’s been a fantastic weekend with so many great performances produced from the whole Hollington team. The experience they have gained is invaluable and will help them build on their scores for their next competitions.”