GYMNASTICS: Banovallum members perform well at invitational

Banovallum Gymnastics Club was invited to take part in the Witham Hill Gymnastics Club Invitational Competition.
Banovallum gymnasts show off their medals. Photo: John Aron PhotographyBanovallum gymnasts show off their medals. Photo: John Aron Photography
Banovallum gymnasts show off their medals. Photo: John Aron Photography

Gymnasts had the chance to compete on five pieces of apparatus. The boys competed on high bars, parallel bars, vault, floor and trampette. The girls competed on beam, asymmetrical bars, floor and vault. The club entered five boys and nine girls and came home with loads of medals.

The boys competed in the nine years and under group. The club enjoyed a clean sweep on floor – first through to fourth.

Nine-year-old Thomas Rickard showed good strength and control on his bar work, securing him gold medals on high bar, scoring 7.60, and parallel bars (7.50). He also came third on vault (10.30) and floor (8.80).

Six-year-old Lenny Poppy, the youngest in the group, showed flexibility and control on his floor routine, earning himself a gold with a score of 9.00. He also came third on high bar (7.40) and fourth on parallel bars (6.70).

Jonathan Rickard was second on floor (8.60) and third on trampette (9.10), whilst Harry Masters was second on trampette (9.30) and fourth on floor (8.10) and vault (10.00).

Kia Buck competed in the advanced general gymnastics and had a brilliant competition. She performed all the required skills including a back-walkover in her beam routine and came first, scoring 11.10 (her nearest rival was 1.20 behind her). She finished third on trampette (9.30) and fourth on asymmetric bars (8.10), and fifth overall out of 28 gymnasts.

Lacie Jones and Megan Dennis competed in level seven. Seven-year-old Lacie finished third on trampette (8.90) and fifth on floor (10.90),whilst nine-year-old Megan was fifth on the asymmetric bars (11.40) and seventh on trampette.

Level six competitors were Connie Bell, Abi Clarkson, Gracie Danby and Liv Forward. Abi finished fourth on floor (9.50), with Gracie fourth on asymmetric bars (9.50), Connie fourth on trampette (8.90) and Liv third on vault (10.10).

Eleven-year-old Devon Buck and Lyra Waters, 12, have just moved up from level six to level five. Devon finished third on vault with a well flighted handspring, scoring 11.20, and sixth on floor and trampette. Lyra competed on all five pieces and performed a really elegant beam routine.

Over the two days of gymnastics, almost 4oo gymnasts competed, with some superb routines throughout. There were gymnasts from far and wide, including Leicester, Corby, Gainsborough, Huntingdon, Ollerton and Worksop, and in total 13 different clubs.

Banovallum came home with 21 medals altogether, all performing to their best and achieving very good results.