Click here for photos by Lee Williams - Click here for photos by Alex McKenna

 

On one of the hottest days of the year, even with the temperature hitting the 80’s, it was debatable whether it could match the atmosphere inside Manchester’s Dancehouse Theatre. Despite several entrants withdrawing at a late stage, the BNBF’s fourth qualifier of the season was fiercely-contested by 29 athletes, all with the aim of a place in the prestigious Britain finals. Last year’s Northern produced, in Michele Gough and Brandon Greenwood, two of the three athletes who ultimately claimed their Pro card in 2005 (Over-all British Champion Chris Nsbuga completing the trio of course), and today, little more than a year after his very first show, Brandon returned as Natural Mr. Universe to perform his first guest spot. Judges on the day were WNBF Pro’s Nigel Davis, Rob Hope, Rachael Hayes, Chris Nsbuga, Brandon Greenwood, Wes Clarke and Cheryl Myers, and BNBF Champion Campbell Brogan, with WNBF Pro Davie Hannah once more assuming the mantle of head judge.

JUNIOR – sponsored by The Beef Magazine

 

Four quality juniors had the honour of opening the show today, all of them impressive.

 

1st: William Newton – William was the biggest guy in the class in terms of both height and size. Across his back and shoulders, he is huge, with phemonenal lat spread and double biceps poses, especially from the back, where his depth and quality becomes really apparent. William has competed here before, but has re-invented himself ; he’s always had good shape and size, and today those aspects shone through thanks to improvement in his condition. He could still tighten up more for the finals, and adding a tad more size to his legs and calves would further improve his symmetry, but well done.
2nd: Ritchie Hopper – I thought Ritchie had it right today. He had very good proportions, with a wide back and narrow waist giving him a natural taper. Every bodypart showed depth and thickness, with separation and detail enhanced by good condition. Smiling throughout, he had good stage presence, and was unlucky to be beaten on size today.
3rd: James Jackson – James too had a nice shape, with good overall development. He had big arms and strong calves, and he too presented himself well on stage. He was just a little soft, especially in his midsection, but he has time to work on his condition for the finals.
4th: Huw Davies – Huw showed a promising physique, with a strong upper body. A little more size on his shoulders and legs will see him place higher, but he too deservedly received an invite for the Britain.

NOVICE – sponsored by www.pronaturalmuscle.com

 

A rare occurrence – a small Novice line-up. With two potential competitors withdrawing, we were left with four, but as has come to be expected of a Novice class, there was no lack of quality here.

 

1st: Ben Scriven – What a physique! Ben had excellent symmetry, with full, dense muscle bellies tapering down to neat joints, and his condition was on the money today. Every muscle group was thick, rounded and full, yet carved. With a strong routine and confident stage presence, he is a good prospect for the finals.
2nd: Richard Grattan – if Ben was sliced, Richard was shredded! Although not as heavily-muscled as Ben, Richard showed good development, with particularly strong legs. His triceps were cut and striated, his calves deeply separated, and his dramatic routine complimented his appearance. I’d like to see him add a little more width to his back and shoulders, which will improve his V-taper.
3rd: Peter Samson – Peter’s upper body is his strongpoint, with thickly-developed pecs, and big arms and shoulders. His upper body does overshadow his legs, which need to be fuller, especially hamstrings, and in his lat poses, he leans awkwardly, which makes him appear narrower than he actually is, and when he addresses these points, he’ll move up the placings.
4th: Philip Dean – the opposite of Peter, Philip’s legs were stronger than his upper body, although he had big shoulders and a nice, wide lat spread. He was a little too soft today, especially in the mid-section, although he’d tightened up considerably by the night show.

 

MASTERS – sponsored by Dream Tan & Future Physiques

 

Again, four in the line-up, the top three being invited to the Britain.

 

1st: Denton Wilson – Mr. Personality! Denton always entertains, to the extent that you can overlook the physique itself. His upper body is extremely muscular, with incredible depth and thickness to his shoulders, back and pecs in particular, and full peaked biceps. He still needs to add more size and cuts to his legs, especially hamstrings, but the improvements he has made since last year were enough to win the title today.
2nd: Ian Stuart Parker – a new face to me, Ian impressed with huge biceps, good back width (which he didn’t always show off), and thick, deeply-cut abdominals. His calves were big, separated and cut, but whilst he showed good development in his outer and middle quads, his inner thighs need a tad more size and detail. With a strong routine, Ian’s main problem was his tan – or lack of it. Whilst I don’t think that a tan would have seen him topple Denton today, come the Britain, it could make the difference between placing top six and not.
3rd: Steve Mellow – Steve was very wide and stocky, with big legs and calves and good pec and delt development. He needs to add more upper back width, and also to come in with better condition (a good 10lb – 14lb perhaps?), both of which will enhance his shoulder-waist taper, and bring out the detail and separation in his physique.
4th: Mark Hesketh – Mark had a wide back, and well-shaped quads and calves, but his condition was off today, although he, like many competitors today, had tightened by the night show. He also needs to add size to his chest and biceps. His posing throughout the day was neat, with good execution of the quarter turns and compulsories – stick at it, Mark – you’ll get there!

 

MISS FIGURE – sponsored by Creative Fitness Marketing

 

The first of the two ladies’ classes saw two young women take to the stage, both of whom were invited to the Britain on the strength of their performance today.

 

1st: Trudy Wood – in little over a year, Trudy has become a seasoned and popular competitor, her shapely figure and bubbly personality, which shines through on stage, winning her many fans. With wide shoulders and back, a tiny waist and long legs, Trudy had just the right level of muscularity for the class. She was still carrying a little weight on her legs, but I’m sure she’ll crack her condition for the finals. Her cheeky routine (complete with cowboy hat) brought the house down.
2nd: Sheena Campbell – in contrast to Trudy, Sheena was making her competitive debut today, having decided to enter at a late stage (she only learnt the compulsory poses the night before the show!). With only two weeks’ dieting under her belt, Sheena was trim and toned, especially in the midsection, where she showed some nice detail, and tight in her upper body. Like Trudy, she needs to work on her leg condition, but her composure and stage presence belied her nerves, and with a little more practice at the compulsories, she could do well.

 

GUEST STAR – BRANDON GREENWOOD

 

Little did anyone suspect that when Brandon Greenwood made his competitive debut on this very stage, he would be back little more than a year later as guest star; from first-timer to Universe champion in less than a year is some feat of achievement. Brandon is a modest man, still not quite able to believe the heights he’s scaled in the natural bodybuilding world, when many have been trying, unsuccessfully, for many years.
The improvements he’s made since his debut were clear; whilst he always had the winning combination of size and knock-out condition, today, his shoulders were fuller and more rounded, his back was wider and deeper, his waist smaller, his thighs more rounded than last year, and his posing has improved beyond comprehension. He was coaxed down from the stage into the audience, and went down a storm, before returning to the stage to demonstrate how the quarter turns and compulsories should look. A great debut guest spot for Britain’s newest Pro of all.

 

LIGHTWEIGHTS – sponsored by Savant Distribution

 

The lightweight classes at all the qualifiers have been fiercely-contested, and have produced some high-calibre contestants, which should make for a challenging line-up at the Britain. Today was no exception, with seven competitors up for battle.

 

1st: Glen Danbury – one of the most complete and impressive physiques of the day, with the densest muscularity of anyone in the class. Glen simply nailed it today, his incredible condition showing off his wide back, narrow waist and flared thighs, all of which were chiselled and feathered with striations. As for those calves, they must surely be amongst the most detailed seen on any competitor. If Glen has a fault, it is very difficult to find; perhaps just the tiniest tad more pec depth, but he was a stand-out winner on the day.
2nd: Andy Burrill – Andy has a huge frame for a lightweight, with wide shoulders, big arms and chest and separated quads. His posing is always spot on and entertaining, and he’ll always be a threat in any lightweight line-up, thanks to his balance of muscularity, condition and stage presence. However, whilst he impresses from the front, from the back, he loses ground. Although his upper back showed more detail than previously, he still looked softer than he did from the front, and he still needs to work on hamstring size to give them that nice sweep in the side poses.
3rd: Jose Ruiz – although having a lighter frame and slightly less muscle than the top two (who are exceptional in this department), Jose still impressed, with sleek lines and tight condition. His wide shoulders and back tapered down to the narrowest of waists, his biceps were big and peaked, his triceps well-cut. In his “most muscular” and side chest poses, he popped with vascularity across his chest, and looked to be enjoying himself on-stage. His legs were well-shaped and defined, but could do with a little more size, and just a tad more on the rear delts wouldn’t hurt, but a very good showing from Jose.
4th: Denton Wilson – Fresh from his Masters victory, the irrepressible Denton came back for a crack at the lightweights. His upper body was a match for anyone’s in the density department, and he even performed a different (and equally entertaining) routine. Denton, bring those legs on and you’ll do even better!
Also contesting this (in no order of place): Barry Cunliffe (a very stocky guy, with a huge upper body and good detail in the lower back; good potential, needs to work on condition, especially lower abs and quads); Matt Lawrence (an appealing shape, wide back, tiny waist, narrow hips; just needs more density everywhere, particularly legs, especially hamstrings; very good stage presence); Geoff Lee (again, nice proportions, wide and full across the pecs and delts and very good traps, more impressive from the front than the back, where he needs to be tighter).

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – sponsored by Betta Bodies Gym

 

As ever, this class was one of the most keenly-contested of the day, with the eventual outcome decided by a mere one point.

 

1st: Paul O’Brian – Paul was tall, with big shoulders, wide, flaring lats giving him a good taper and very tight condition, bringing out deeply-separated abs and the depth and detail in his back. His obliques were exceptionally well-developed, which made him look a little awkward in the symmetry round (perhaps differently-cut posing trunks?), and he could work on his outer thigh sweep and posing, which wasn’t quite as smooth as some of the others’, but nevertheless, Paul’s combination of size and condition was enough to win the day.
2nd: Darren Vernon – having made the jump from Novice last year (where he went on to place second in the Britain), the improvements in Darren were clear for all to see. He is very full and thickly-muscled, especially in the upper body, which is simply bulbous, especially his pecs, delts and traps. His condition was ever-so-slightly off today, which resulted in his quad separation not coming through at all times, and he still needs to add more upper back width to improve his lat spread and double bicep poses (he also needs to stop dropping his head in the front poses – stand proud, Darren!). I think had Darren come in tighter, the decision could have easily been reversed, it was that close today.
3rd: Ben France – Ben has an aesthetic, classical shape: wide, rounded shoulders and lats tapering to a small waist and hips, and peaked biceps. His midsection is to die for, his posing and presentation supreme. His legs are bigger (could still use more size), and remained defined and separated, although Ben still hasn’t quite matched the outrageous condition that won him the Novice Britain in 2003. When he does, he’ll pose a greater threat.
4th: Austra Franklin – Austra has a good shape, with plenty of muscle on a big frame, but he had mistimed his condition today, although he had some degree of visible separation. He also tended to forget his legs in certain poses. A little more pec depth and work on that condition to bring out the detail will see Austra place higher in future shows.

 

HEAVYWEIGHT – sponsored by Evolution Gym, Sheffield

 

Two competitors in the Heavyweights, both of whom were invited to the Britain.

 

1st: - Mike Bell – Mike has exceptional stage presence, commanding attention from the moment he steps out. His physique has lovely, flowing lines, every bodypart in proportion, and he just knows how to play to his strengths in all rounds. His biceps are peaked, his triceps deep and etched, his back is wide, tapering to a small midsection, complete with very defined serratus and upper obliques. His legs too are well-proportioned, and balance with his upper body. If anything, Mike wasn’t quite in top condition today. He regularly finds himself caught between being a light heavyweight and a heavy middleweight, so coming in lighter (and tighter) may see him in the lighter class at the finals.
2nd: Paul Lonsdale – Although Paul had good back width and big arms, he lacked overall development, and was simply outmuscled by Mike Bell on the day.

 

MISS PHYSIQUE – sponsored by Gracemount Gym, Edinburgh

 

Two ladies graced the stage in the second of the ladies’ classes, one a seasoned competitor, the other making her debut.

1st: Lyn Sneddon – Lyn has always had a beautiful natural shape, with full, wide shoulders and back and a small waist. From the outset, she’s never suffered from lack of size, but has latterly struggled for condition, which has been a shame, as her many attributes have been hidden. Today, she appeared in much better condition than in many moons, which brought out the detail in her midsection and back, and ironically made her look bigger. As always, her presentation was up there with the best, sultry and imaginative. With 11 weeks left until the final, Lyn has plenty of time to address her condition further, which will increase her chance of a top placing in Edinburgh.
2nd: Selina Bagley – Selina had the smaller frame of the two, yet still showed good development across the pecs, arms and delts. She was very tight across her upper body, with good back detail, but needs more lat width to improve her taper and to tighten her midsection and legs. She posed confidently and presented herself well throughout the day.

 

OVERALL MR. – sponsored by CNP Professional

 

The climax of the day saw William Newton, Ben Scriven, Denton Wilson, Glen Danbury, Paul O’Brien and Mike Bell line up to contest the top spot. Good as the others were, throughout many comparisons, two athletes stood out, and the question on everyone’s lips was whether Lightweight winner Glen could stop Ben from emulating the feat first achieved by Brandon Greenwood last year in becoming the first Novice winner to take an Overall title. Both actually had similar physiques, with no real weak points, and both posed exquisitely – they both wanted this title and were well-up for the fight, but whereas Glen’s condition had started to fade ever-so-slightly, Ben remained tight as a drum, and in the end, this slight (and it WAS slight) lapse was to give Ben the nod. For his trouble, he was awarded £250-worth of CNP supplements, and as if that weren’t enough, took home the trophy awarded for “Best Wheels”, judged on who had the best legs throughout the day, narrowly pipping Glen in a very close decision.

 

OVERVIEW

 

Once again, the Northern qualifier was a huge success for the BNBF, the high calibre of contestants reflected by the many athletes who were considered worthy of an invite to the Britain (only the top two in each class receive an automatic invitation). With one more qualifier left on the calendar, the Britain is already looking like one monster show.
BNBF chairperson, Pro natural champion Vicky McCann, was delighted with the show, and thanked the sell-out crowd for their support. Thanks were also given to the show and class sponsors, and to the team of backstage helpers, who make the BNBF shows run so smoothly.

 

Report: Cheryl Myers
Photos: Alex McKenna, Lee Williams.