Matthew digs deep to land bronze

Matthew Slattery shows off his Welsh Open Championship, North-West Schools and British Schools Championship medals.

JUDO: MATTHEW Slattery, from Failsworth, overcame the disappointment of losing out in the British Schools Championships to earn a bronze medal in the judo under-50kg division at the Welsh Open.

He was placed in the tough half of the draw, having been scheduled to face two gold medalists and a silver one, but made a strong start by defeating his first opponent by a seven-point score.

Slattery, bronze medalist in the British Schools Championships, then fought Freddy Hendy, who took silver in that event, and it proved to be one step too far for the Failsworth School pupil.

The result meant the 12-year-old, who won the North-West Schools title, was left to compete for bronze via the repercharge system, and it was going to be no easy task as he was set to face the experienced Adam Castill.

Both competitors were determined not to leave the tournament empty-handed and this led to an enthralling encounter. Slattery, a member of Rochdale Judo Club, got off to a sluggish start, having almost been turned over in groundwork, then receiving a penalty point for stepping out of the contest area.

Slattery dug deep, though, and recovered to defeat Castill with a leg sweep, earning himself a deserved bronze medal.