Photos to follow

 

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Report by Davy Jay

 

The final qualifier of the 2009 season saw the BNBF team arrive in Manchester from all points of the compass. The 420 seat Dancehouse Theatre provided the venue for, what would turn out to be a complete sell-out for the 7th Northern Championships. This final qualifier provided the chance for some of the 70 plus athletes to qualify to compete in the British Finals, in Glasgow on October 4th. The Manchester crowd once again, proved to be lively and knowledgeable and they were not to be disappointed by the quality exhibited in every class.
The panel of judges with the onerous task of placing the competitors consisted of: BNBF and Olympia Grand Master Champion Eric Dowey, BNBF Pro’s Rachael Hayes, Annabel Ottey, BNBF Pro and Yorton Cup Champion Darren Vernon, British Champion Barry Cunliffe, World Champion Nigel Davies, with British Champion David Kaye assuming the mantle of Head Judge. Our MC for the evening’s proceedings was the incomparable Pro Universe Champion, Vicky McCann.

 

Novice

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The 16 strong Novice class was the first to take the stage and ,as usual, presented a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Competition for the top places was fierce with some quality physiques on display.

In 1st place was Damian Lees. Damian presented a well balanced, muscular physique which was in excellent condition. His chest, delts and arms were full and dry and his legs were well muscled and finely detailed, making Damian a worthy winner of this class.

2nd place went to Matt Grimshaw who displayed the best symmetry in this class. Matt was out-muscled on this occasion by the winner, but with a year or two of hard training under his belt, should go on to be a force in the lightweights.

3rd was awarded to Luke Rayner. Luke’s upper torso was very well developed and in good condition, but he lacked adequate conditioning in his quads and hamstrings to push for a higher position.

4th position went to Ryan Harrison who displayed a pleasing symmetry but was too lightly muscled to challenge the top three.

In 5th place was Tony Barber who had lots of muscle, especially in the legs, but Tony‘s poor symmetry prevented him from placing higher. Christopher Trendowicz took 6th spot. Chris had good legs but overall lacked condition.

Also competing in this class, but unable to make an impact, were: Daniel Awolola, heavily muscled torso, but very poor conditioning on the day. Daniel Barnett, generally lacked size - requires more mass all over and better conditioning to be competitive. David Brook, reasonably defined upper body, but weak in the legs requiring some hard work to become competitive. Paul Callighan, displayed a good sweep to his legs and a good rear lat spread and reasonable condition. Bobby Lee Chin, good symmetry and good condition - could do with more muscle especially in the chest region. Kyle Hague, requires hard work on both his muscularity and condition. Shaun Jarrett, weak in the symmetry round and needs to work on his overall size. Jon Shield, again requires a bit of hard work to make him competitive in this class. Artur Szczepanski, displayed good muscle size and shape but was let down by his conditioning.
The top 3 received invites to the British Finals.

 

Teens

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The next class to take to the stage were the Teens, with 5 athletes lining up to fight it out for the 3 invitations available for the finals.

1st place went to Tom Hoesli who was a clear winner, combining the best symmetry with good muscular development especially in the torso. Tom has a very wide upper body but still requires to work on bringing his legs up to match his top half. Tom will also have to work on his posing as he did not show off his impressive physique as well as he could have.

2nd place went to Robert Titchard. Robert displayed very good symmetry and was in good condition, but was out-muscled by Tom on this occasion. Robert also requires to improve his posing but demonstrated potential for the future.

3rd was Danny Whitfield. Danny looked good in his front and side poses and displayed a good set of abs, but will have to increase the width of his back to improve his overall symmetry. He also needs to pose his legs harder to show off their quality. Very good tan.

In 4th place was John Mahony. John had good abs, but was too lightly muscled, especially in the legs, in this company and will have to improve on his conditioning.

Daniel Lancashire was in 5th position and like John will have to improve his overall mass and condition to be competitive.

 

Juniors

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Since it was introduced in the 2007 season, this Under-23 class has proved extremely popular. Once again, the Juniors produced an impressive array of physiques, with 9 competitors battling it out for the top honours.

1st place was awarded to a deserving Joseph Parker. Joe displayed a well balanced physique and excellent condition. He possesses well detailed, heavily muscled quads and hams. His chest, delts and arms were impressive as was his well- detailed back. A slightly darker tan would have been beneficial.

In 2nd place was Andrew Beeston. Andrew has a chunky physique - he has a good upper body and demonstrates a good rear lat spread. He possesses an impressive sweep to his quads but could pose them more effectively. His condition was better than at the Central qualifier, but there is still room for improvement.

3rd place went to Ben Jenkins. Ben presented a heavily muscled torso with impressive biceps, delts and traps. However, his upper body overpowers his legs and he could do with concentrating on working his legs harder, to match them to his upper half. Ben would also benefit from improving his condition.

4th place was taken by Rory Dobbs. Rory’s physique generally appeared to be well balanced but he will have to improve on his condition to place higher in future.

Jonathan Bewsher took 5th position on the day but, as with the 4th placed contestant, he will have to look to his condition to improve his chances of placing higher.

In 6th place was Alex Meridith. Alex was one of the tallest in the class and displayed nice symmetry, but was too lightly muscled to trouble the top 5.

Completing the line-up were: Bradley Crouch, the tallest in the class but Bradley’s condition let him down. Jason Kon, reasonable condition and muscularity could not offset his poor symmetry. Andy Rimmer, did not have the size or condition to be competitive on the day.

The Top 3 Won invitations to the British Finals.

Masters Over 50

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The first of the Masters classes, the Over 50’s, were next to grace the stage with Kevin Powell triumphing and taking 1st place. Kevin exhibited impressive symmetry and muscularity and a really dry condition to push Denton Wilson into 2nd. Denton almost matched Kevin in muscularity and condition, but even his trademark, excellent routine could not snatch the top spot on this occasion.

In 3rd place was Ian Parker. Ian is a big man with heavily muscled arms, delts, pecs, quads, etc. but his condition was nowhere near good enough to challenge the top two.

Tommy Campion took 4th place. His condition was good, as always, but Tommy was too lightly muscled to place higher.

5th place went to John Bullock. John had reasonable symmetry and condition but requires more overall muscle to be competitive.

Peter Middleton was 6th. He requires a big improvement in condition before he can hope to place higher.

Masters Over 40

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Peter Sampson was that masked man who went home with the 1st place trophy. Pete took to the stage with a well-defined , muscular physique - excellent from the back as well as the front. His legs have improved to offer a much better balanced package also, making him a clear winner.

2nd place went to Alan Eyre. Alan may have had the smallest frame but he more than made up for it with very good symmetry, good quality muscle and an excellent condition.

Ifan Evans took 3rd place. Ifan was heavily muscled, especially in the arms , shoulders and chest, plus he had powerful legs. However, his condition seemed to fade the longer the class went on, slipping him into 3rd spot. Ifan also had applied too much glaze which can hide the quality and condition of a physique.

In 4th place was Felix McAlinden. Felix was ripped as usual but his symmetry has suffered as his legs seem to have lost size recently. It would possibly benefit Felix to restrict the number of contests he does and give his body a well deserved rest.

5th went to Chris Taylor who did not have the size or condition to be competitive on the day.

Guest Poser - Darren Vernon

After a short break, the curtains opened to last years British Champion and Pro-card winner, Darren Vernon, performing the guest spot at his home town venue. winning his first ever pro-contest. Darren’s condition was excellent on the day and he entertained the audience with a polished routine, demonstrating exactly why he won his first ever pro contest, in Washington last November - the Yorton Cup.

 

Miss Figure

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This was, by far, the best and most competitive Miss Figure line up the BNBF has had this season and judging by the rapturous response from the audience, one of the most popular classes of the day. The top 3 competitors in this class won invitations to the British Championships.

1st place was awarded to Claire Harper. Claire has a lovely shape, with a tiny waist flaring up to her shoulders. She demonstrated visible abs and light separation in her quads as per the class requirements. The combination of shape and muscle condition allied with an excellent T-walk allowed Claire to take this class and also won her the Best Presentation award.

Following closely behind in 2nd place was Tracy Dougan. Tracey also demonstrated a beautiful figure and produced a T-walk closest to the written requirements. She was possibly not quite as well toned as the winner, but on this showing should compete well at the finals.

3rd place was taken by Hannah Bryant. Hannah, also showed a good balance of condition, shape and poise and produced an entertaining T-walk, making her worthy of her 3rd position on the day.

4th was Debs McLagan who, also had a nice shape and performed an excellent T-walk, but, if anything, Debs’ condition was a bit too hard for this class, hence fourth position.

In 5th place was Ilona Loewnau. Ilona was certainly not out of place in this class, but her level of shape and muscle conditon was not of a high enough standard to move her into the top 4 on the day.

6th was Sandra Caldwell. This was Sandra’s second outing as a figure contestant. She was much more assured on the stage and looked as if she was enjoying herself. Her T-walk was very good, but a good year of hard training will benefit Sandra.

Also competing in this high class field were: Nicky Gold, too lightly muscled and needs a bit better conditioning. Suzanna York, could do with a bit more muscle on her frame and improved condition.

 

Lightweight Mr

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A total of 7 competitors took to the stage for the Lightweight class. This class boasted an impressive line up of physiques and proved to be highly competitive, as is expected of a BNBF Lightweight class.

1st place in this class was taken by Liam McKeon. Liam presented a very muscular frame in great condition. He has a very good chest and back and massive arms. His quads and hams are very well detailed as well as muscular. His mid section is quite thick, to be critical, but Liam was a deserved winner of this class.

In 2nd position was Richard Grattan. Although he is not as heavily muscled as Liam or Carlos dos Santos, Richard boasts very good symmetry and terrific condition. His quads, hams and calves were very impressive.

3rd place went to Carlos dos Santos. Carlos displays terrific symmetry, with a tiny waist flaring up to a well muscled torso. Carlos also has a nice sweep to his quads, but lost out on a higher placing due to poor condition compared to the top two.

David Rawson took 4th place. He has a good upper body - large pecs, a wide, detailed back and good arms, but unfortunately his legs detract from the total package. David displayed some nice cuts in the teardrops, but his quads require some serious work to improve his overall symmetry.

5th went to Ryszard Tokarczyk. Ryszard has a nicely balanced physique with good quality muscle but once again his condition prevented him from placing higher.

Paul Cork was in 6th position. He possesses good, muscular legs, but his upper body development lags a bit behind them and he also lacked the condition to be competitive.

Chris Flanagan completed this class, but as in the other qualifiers he competed in this year, his conditioning let him down.

Middleweight Mr

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The Middleweights were next onstage and 2 of the competitors gave the audience a battle royal.

A very impressive Darren Cooper was awarded 1st place in this class. His condition was excellent, hard and grainy, his whole physique perfectly detailed, complimenting the thick, full muscles in his torso and his massive, sweeping quads. Daz not only went on to win the Best Wheels trophy, but his well composed routine also helped him land the Best Presentation trophy.

Robert Waterhouse had made his debut in the Middleweight class at this year’s Welsh Qualifier, but he surpassed his result there, coming a creditable 2nd in this class. Robert’s condition was vastly improved, allowing his muscular frame to be properly judged. Another few years of muscle maturity will make him a hard middleweight to beat.

3rd place went to Jon House who was a bit out of it in this company. He did not have either the size or condition to compete with the above two on the day.

4th.The same can be said of Noel Broadbent who stepped out of the Novice class to mix it with the big boys.

 

Heavyweight Mr

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Three heavyweights took to the stage in the penultimate class of the Northern Championships
1st was Stephen Knight. Stephen had ambitions to compete in the middleweights, but his massively muscled frame had other ideas. His front double bicep pose showcases his physique to perfection,- tremendous biceps and triceps, flaring lats, sweeping quads. Stephen’s condition was good but if he was a little bit tighter, he will be a force to be reckoned with at the British.
In 2nd place was Sergio Lima, another heavily muscled competitor. Sergio has excellent symmetry complimented by large muscle bellies in his chest, arms shoulders and legs, but his condition let him down in the battle for top spot.
3rd was Seth McNeil. Seth has reasonable muscle size in his upper torso but his legs are lagging behind a bit. He also needs to improve on his conditioning

Miss Physique

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The final class of the competition saw four competitors take to the stage for the Miss Physique class

1st. Helen Thwaites. Helen has an excellent shape and structure and presents it very well on stage but she could come in a bit sharper. She has a wide V-shaped physique, with good arms and a wide, detailed back. Helen routine in the evening was gymnastic and entertaining.

2nd place went to Anna Millington. Anna has a muscular physique and was in very good condition on the day, showing a tremendous mid section. Anna has good shoulder width and terrific delts, but could do with a bit more detail in her legs to compliment them.

3rd was the pixie-like Dawn Roberts. Dawn has a very pleasing shape and showed some nice detail in her torso, however her legs were a bit smooth on the day and she will have to improve on that for the finals.

Sandra Mounsey was in 4th. Sandra has a good shape and is well balanced, but she lacked the condition to disturb the top three on the day.

Best Wheels: Darren Cooper
Best Male Presentation: Darren Cooper
Best Female Presentation: Claire Harper

 

Overall Mr

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The final event of the evening served the purpose of determining the Overall Northern Champion, 2009, to which end, all the winners of the male classes took to the stage again, for one final battle. As the symmetry round progressed, the Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight competitors dominated the line up. Liam McKeon was impressively muscled for a lightweight and showed excellent condition. Stephen Knight’s superior symmetry and massive amount of quality muscle caught the eye, but the eventual and deserved winner was Darren Cooper, whose combination of all three attributes was simply too much for the others. So, a clean sweep of Best Wheels, Best Presentation and Overall Northern Champion for Darren Cooper was the final result of an excellent competition, and all that remained was for Darren, the Miss Figure, Claire Harper and the Miss Physique, Helen Thwaite to provide the final photographs of the evening.

 

So, the Northern Championships was the last qualifier in a season that saw the BNBF team travel the length and breadth of the country. Thanks to everyone who is willing to give up their valuable time and effort to ensure that these qualifiers are successful - without you there would be no BNBF. Now on to the British Finals at the SECC, Glasgow, which I am sure will be an event to be remembered. See you there!