By DAVID COULTER

Last updated at 12:05, Monday, 23 July 2012

HOST club Tynedale Gymnastics took the team honours at the first North Country Leisure Gymnastics Competition.

Top scorer: Tynedale Gymnastics member Amy Walker.

With 130 gymnasts from the Hexham club, Prudhoe WestWorld and Whitehaven Sports Centre competing, it was Tynedale who scooped the team trophy for collecting most points. Helping achieve this goal was 18-year-old Amy Walker, who is also a coach at Wentworth, who recorded the highest score of the day with 12.2 points for a breathtaking floor routine.

It was a clean sweep for the Tynedale club in the individual honours, Amy Martin (U8), Anna Scott (U10), Jessica Laidler (U12), Shaina Brown (U14) and Amy (15+) scooping the trophies.

There were competitions on the vault and floor exercises, with heats for recreational gymnasts held in the morning.

Westworld had a good showing in these events, Alexandra Law (U8 girls), Bradley Powton (U8 boys) and Lottie Murphy (U10 girls) winning their categories.

Again, Tynedale performed well with winners in the form of Georgia Kendal (U12 girls), Jake Smurthwaite (U12 boys) and Sarah Jackson (U14 girls), while Whitehaven’s Leo Morgan won the U10 boys heat.

Tynedale Gymnastics coach and event organiser, Gayle Crowell, said: “The standard was extremely high and all gymnasts performed confidently, and any nerves were very well hidden.

“We hope that next year’s competition is even bigger with entries from Penrith and Alnwick’s Willowburn leisure centres, also managed by NCL.”

First published at 09:10, Monday, 23 July 2012
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk