Judo aces ready for European challenge

Shrewsbury's Danny Williams is selected at senior level for the first time and will head to Vienna in Austria to compete in the under 73kgs section.

And Telford teenager Kelly Edwards is picked in the women's under 48kgs section, even though she is still able to compete as a junior for another year.

Sarah Adlington completes the trio, the 23-year-old from Bayston Hill making the trip as reserve to the multiple European Championship gold medalist Karina Bryant in the over 78kgs section.

Williams and Edwards are both now based in the south-east, training with the national squad on a daily basis.

The GB coaches based in Surrey include Luke Preston, from Ellesmere, who relocated earlier in his career in order to go full-time.

"There are a lot of good players from the county," said Williams, whose first fight in Vienna will be on his 21st birthday on April 20.

"We're pretty much all No 1s and 2s (in the rankings) and we make up almost a quarter of the GB team.

"There are not actually that many judo clubs in Shropshire, but there must be a special spirit there!"

Adlington, who is now based in Edinburgh, has had fifthand seventh place finishes at the last two Europeans, but has had to settle for a place on reserve this time around.

By CHRIS HUDSON