Click here for photos by Alex McKenna

 

Overview

The BNBF Central moved to it new impressive venue The Alban Arena St Albans and what a move it turned out to be. With 69 competitors entered, 65 appearing on the day, a packed out judging and a record attendance for any BNBF evening show this was going to be something else.

The all pro judging panel who had the monumental task of judging this monster qualifier were Head Judge Rob Hope, Vicky McCann, Chris Nsubuga, Rachael Hayes, Brandon Greenwood and Wes Clarke.
The guest star was the ever entertaining Rachael Hayes
The new compere for the evening was Heavyweight World Champion Pete Chown

The first class on the stage was the Masters a huge class with 12 first class competitors. We also had one over 60’s competitor who was guaranteed a place in the Britain as all over 60’s get invited.

 

Over 60 winner David Brice
David had great condition and big arms he could wear his trunks a little higher and hold his legs tighter.

 

Masters class

1st Colin Dillon
Colin is very aesthetic and in great condition with an excellent chest, arms and shoulders. Colin has good stage presence but being critical Colin needs to be tighter in the glutes and hams but if he holds them tighter it will give him a much better look from the rear.

 

2nd Patrick Duffy
Patrick has a great amount of muscle but he could not match the condition of Colin on this occasion. Patrick is well balanced and poses really well always making the best of his muscularity. Just a little tighter for the Britain Patrick.

 

3rd Tommy Campion
Tommy was in the condition of his life. Great chest and abs and although the lightest in the class held his own in the muscularity round. Tommy’s legs are light for his upper body but he could pose them slightly differently to show them better.

 

4th Shaun Maddocks
Shaun looked so much better than last year, his condition was much improved he had full pecs and good arms with a nice sweep to his legs. Well done on your progress Shaun.

 

5th Jonathon Travers
Jon had a nicely balanced physique with a very good shape. Jon has good muscle mass and if he comes in tighter he will be able to challenge for higher places in future.

 

6th Andrew Wall
Andrew was unlucky in that his presentation held him back. His trunks were too low and his tan was too pale. Andrew has a good shape and his condition was reasonable but he did not pose his legs properly. Andrew had good potential and with improved presentation will be able to place higher in the future.

 

Other competitors in numerical order.

 

No 5 Anthony Jackson
Anthony is a big guy with a balanced physique but lacks condition and posing ability.

 

No 6 Robert Large
Robert has good balance but needs to be tighter his routine was very entertaining but compulsories need work.

 

No 8 Martin Magee
Martin was not at his best today. He has a lot of muscle and a good structure with big sweeping legs. His routine was good and well presented. Work on that condition Martin.

 

No 13 David Whatley
David is a big man with a muscular upper body his legs were big but soft and he did not hold them tight. His posing in general needs work.

 

Juniors

The next class up was the juniors, and what an amazing line up of competitors it was. Each one of these guys has great potential for future success.

 

1st Andrew Beeston
Andrew was very complete and carries a lot of mass for a junior. His condition was good but could work harder when posing especially when posing his legs which were large and shapely but he did not use them to his advantage. Being critical Andrew tends to relax to much between poses, hold it tight Andrew for the Britain

 

2nd Perri Mahmoud
Perri’s legs stood out with their amazing sweep and size. Perri has good condition and detail in his upper body but it was slightly overpowered by his legs and his pecs sometimes looked flat in certain poses. Perri’s stage presentation was excellent, keep it going Perri you have improved a lot since last year

 

3rd Kai Paul
Kai has a fabulous upper body with great arms and pecs. Kai has weak legs in comparison to his upper body and he poses them badly. Keep working on your legs Kai and learn to pose them better.

 

4th Anthony Rodriguez
Anthony has fabulous balance to his physique with a great muscle mass. Anthony has huge potential but needs to improve his condition and pose his legs more. Posing in general could be improved to present a more impressive physique.

 

5th Lee Bennett
Lee presentation was top notch with good compulsories and a good routine. Lee is balanced with a good X shape & very broad shoulders but he needs to achieve a better level of conditioning to challenge the top 4.

 

6th Tom Edwards
Tom was awarded the best u18 award. His condition was excellent with striated glutes and impressive hamstrings. Toms main weakness is his back width and he has a tendency to look a bit narrow. Very good junior again with a lot of potential for the future

 

Other competitors in numerical order.
No 19 Atal Qyoom
Atal has a huge muscular upper body and for someone under 18 excellent development. Atal needs to do more work on his legs as he has an unbalanced look to his physique.

 

No 21 Afser Choudry
Afser had a good X shape and was balanced just needs better condition which is something we all know he can achieve. Afser you are doing well with your development look at your condition for next year.

All these juniors were very good lads keep up the hard work and we look forward to seeing you all back on stage at the Britain or next year.

 

Novice

The novice class was next up with 14 novices turning up and a great line up of promising physiques.

 

1st Tygoli Ano

Tygoli has a great V taper with great chest and arms. His back was wide and detailed his lower body by contrast had little detail and looked soft all day. Tygoli has a lot of potential but will need to get his legs a lot tighter for the Britain. Tygoli was also weak in his posing and will need to work hard on the compulsory poses.

 

2nd Mark Claxton

Mark was well balanced and in good condition. Mark’s posing routine was particularly good he has no major weaknesses and just needs to keep putting on muscle mass as he was a bit lighter in muscle than some of the others.Mark remember to tighten those hamstrings which will help your overall look. Mark is only 21 so has a promising future ahead of him.

 

3rd Clive West

Clive has a lot of muscle and is balanced from lower to upper body. He could show himself of better by opening up more in the poses and could still be slightly harder for the Britain. Good muscular physique with potential.

 

4th Andrew McGlashon

Andrew was a lot tighter than last time he competed and this sealed him a place in the Britain. Andrew has great condition with lots of detail but needs a bit more depth to his upper body and to remember to hold his legs tight. Well done on the improvements Andrew.

 

5th Seth McNeill

Seth had good condition with big arms and legs. Seth needs to remember to tighten his legs. Seth would look better if his trunks sat a bit higher at the sides also try and smile more on stage you had a tendency to look bored which came over to the judges.

 

6th Adam Lewis

Adam was in good condition he had good legs which like so many others didn’t use enough. Adam had great abs but could use a bit more detail in his back.

 

Other competitors in numerical order

 

No 25 David Coates

David has a balanced physique with good muscle development. For next time better condition and more work in compulsory poses.

 

No 26 Jemal D’Jelela

Jemal has a great wide back and lots of muscle he has good legs. Jemal better condition and practice holding the poses you seemed to run out of energy a lot when holding poses.

 

No 27 Jamie Fordyce

Jamie has good arms and legs and a balanced physique needs to be harder.

 

No 32 Duncan Perry

Good first outing but needs to be tighter. He is balanced with good legs. Work on the posing and condition for next time. Well done.

 

No 34 Phil Riley

Phil was well balanced and his posing routine was excellent with great timing and first class transitions could put a bit more work into the actual compulsory poses though. Phil was very enjoyable to watch.

 

No 35 Lee Score

Lee has a good basic structure he was aesthetic and has good arms will need to get better condition for next outing.

 

No 36 Mark Score

Mark is very similar to his brother above in slightly better condition than Lee but will still need to be tighter. Both the Brothers have good potential they are tall so it will take longer for the physiques to fill out. Well done lads.

 

Miss Figure

Next up was the Miss figure this was very interesting as it threw up some very different looks but all very good.

 

1st Nicola Burrows

Nicola has gone away and done her homework she was the epitomy of what a miss figure should be, long slender legs with tight glutes, toned upper body ,good condition and an X shape. Nicolas presentation was excellent which won her the best presentation award.

 

2nd Caroline Oram

Caroline always has great entertaining routines and did not let us down on this occasion. Caroline has great shape and tone in her upper body with great abs but could have been tighter in the glutes and hams on this occasion.

 

3rd Angie Weston

Angie has a nice balanced figure with broad shoulders and neat hips. Angie was a bit soft in the glutes and could do with a bit more muscle tone.

 

4th Deborah Frances

Deborah was very classy looking and had a good shape. Deborah’s presentation was good but a smaller bikini would have helped. Deborah could do with a bit more muscle tone but a very good outing for her first competition.

 

5th Clare Crowley

Clare needs to start looking at building some muscle but at 17 she has a good shape to start with and her routine was very good even though she did break the rules. Clare could have a future in this class but will need to start adding some muscle to her frame.

 

Lightweight

The lightweights were next up and what a line up 8 strong physiques took to the stage in a fantastic lightweight line up.

 

1st Andrew Merrifield

Andrew has a very impressive physique with awesome condition from top to bottom. Andrew has fabulous legs and knows how to show them of to their fullest with some great posing. Andrew looked nice and full in the upper body which was great as any leaner he could have looked imbalanced as his legs are so strong and sweeping. His impressive legs won Andrew the best wheels award. In addition Andrew’s routine was very entertaining and this earned him the best presentation award.

 

2nd Glen Danbury

Glen was in great condition with a well balanced physique. Glen has great legs with awesome calves, his upper body was full and hard and he had a lot of back detail. Glen presents himself well but his trunks could be placed higher to avoid making him look like he has a long torso.

 

3rd John Berry

John is a first time competitor and what a first outing he has lots of mass on a very well balanced physique. John has a very muscular physique and although he has big legs did not use them when posing, something he should look to work on for the Britain. A few pounds lighter will see him as a serious threat in October. John in the symmetry round when doing your quarter turns to the side twist more .

 

4th Jose Ruiz

Jose looks much better when he poses than stands relaxed. He really knows how to use the poses to compliment his physique which is balanced with great abs and a full chest.

 

5th Max Herd

Max has a great classic physique which he posed beautifully, He has wide shoulders a tiny waist and sweeping quads. Max could have a slightly darker tan and be a bit harder but massive potential.

 

6th Tommy Campion (see masters)

 

Other competitors in numerical order

47 George Fereos

George is very muscular but looks a bit thick in the waist which could be remedied by being tighter. Entertained the crowd by jumping off stage but the judges thought he was going to do himself an injury when a chair that he jumped on collapsed.

 

48 Chris Flanagan

Chris is learning more every year, just keep improving Chris you still need to be tighter.

 

Middleweight

Next up was the middleweights which was the smallest men’s class with only 5 competitors the standard was very uniform with everyone in the class has some positive attributes.

 

1st Rob Riches

Rob has made big improvement from last year. Rob looks great from the front with fabulous abs, his condition and muscle detail front on is excellent but from the back he looks weaker and lacks a bit density and detail. His back has improved from last time but could still be better. Rob look at your compulsories for the Britain.

 

2nd John Wattam

John has a great upper body with lats like wings. He has a great V taper and tiny waist. His upper body still overpowers his legs but his legs have improved from 2 years ago. John still needs to get in better condition.

 

3rd Tomazs Kepski

Tomazs has a very balanced physique. Tomazs has a good sweep to his legs and a good shape will need to be tighter for the Britain.

 

4th Aris Vitoskis

Aris has a lot of mass but was not as shapely as 3rd looked slightly bloated in the mid section especially in the evening. Aris could do better if tighter.

 

5th Tom Haywood

Tom seems to be bigger than last year but his condition is not what we have come to expect from Tom.

 

Heavyweight

The Heavyweights were next with some really heavyweights in this line up could there be a potential Britain winner.

 

1st Chris Cowan

Chris had very good balance and a classic X shape with a wide back and sweeping quads. He posed well and looked very aesthetic. Slightly tighter for the Britain Chris and you will be a contender.

 

2nd Sam Bond

Two years since Sam competed as a junior and he was a big lad then now he was huge. Sam has huge potential with a balanced physique with loads of mass. Sam poses to suit his physique very classic. Dial in that condition for the Britain Sam. Oh and I hate to say it but try and look more enthusiastic even a smile would be good.

 

3rd Colin Dillon (see masters)

 

4th Martin Green

Martin has a great shoulder to waist ratio and big arms. His legs were too soft and could do with a bit more muscle mass.

 

5th Phil Wharf

Phil was in better condition than previous but still needs to be tighter. Great shape with a lot of muscle poses well.

Other competitors in numerical order

 

62 Dan Lockwood

Dan was too slight on this occasion he has long limbs and is tall so will take a long time for him to fill out. Good routine and good condition.

 

63 Ford Malik

Ford is a big man with great arms. He has a lot of muscle but is too soft and needs to improve compulsories.

The results have been ammended the Original winner Michael Hunter was disqualified for use of banned Substances! This will seem an empty win for Chris as he has missed the pleasure of being announced heavyweight Champion. The trophies will be redistributed at the Britain finals.

 

Miss Physique

The last class of the evening was the Miss Physique class with 5 in the class it is the biggest physique line up this year.

 

1st Lisa Carrodus

This was Lisa’s first competition and rumour has it she has only been training seriously since March. Wow that is impressive she had great legs which were very detailed. She has great shoulders and arms and a very thickly muscled back. Lisa was very dry and yet had a fullness to her muscle, I have never seen a female bodybuilder in the BNBF who has managed to achieve both well done. Lisa’s only weakness was her back width which she either doesn’t have or can’t show. Lisa you need to do a bit of work on your compulsories and your routine did not show off your physique to its best.

 

2nd Mandy Grace

Mandy had great condition in her upper body but lacked a bit detail in her legs especially glutes and hams. Mandy presented herself well and her routine was entertaining. Mandy seems to have sacrificed size for condition and has lost some of the flare she had in her physique 2 years ago. Mandy try and get a bit more fullness for the Britain.

 

3rd Lesley Haswell

Lesley has nice balance to her physique and is very shapely with great chest and wide back with a very small waist. Lesley has a nice sweep to her legs but they lacked a bit detail on this occasion. Lesley come in tighter for the Brits.

 

4th Jakki Law

Jakki has a great shape with lovely back width and detail. She has a tiny waist and very broad shoulders. Jakki had good detail in her mid section but lacked condition in the lower body which was her downfall on this occasion.

 

5th Sharon Trivett

Sharon has improved greatly from Wales she posed better and her condition was better. Sharon has a nicely balanced physique and is working hard to make improvements just keep going Sharon

 

Overall

Overall was awarded to Andrew Merrifield who on the day had the best combination of muscle and condition, he also presented himself beautifully. Andrew joined all the winners for his drug test Davy Jay who conducts all the tests was surprised that Andrew did not seem to know the testing protocol and was under the impression that it was the first time he had ever been tested. Since this has been corrected and Andrew let us know he had been tested previously and passed.

Well done to all the Winners and especially to the Overall winner Andrew Merrifield.

Thanks to the judges the sponsors and the audience the show had a great atmosphere which everyone added to. A special thanks to Peter Chown for doing such a great job as MC for the evening.

Click here for an additional review from a spectator point of view by Marcel Apfel