London Youth Games Trampoline winner Josh Newman (right)

Success all the way for Redbridge at London Youth Games

Redbridge enjoyed a successful weekend at the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games with Josh Newman and Kirsty Smith leading the way with individual golds in the trampoline competition at the National Sports Centre, Crystal Palace

Thirteen- year old Newman, who won the British Championship last year, was the class act of the field setting a points total of 56.8, over three points clear of his nearest rival.

It was the third successive year the King Solomon High School student has won a medal, having won bronze in 2010 and gold last year, while 17-year-old Smith of Trinity Catholic High School scored 53.4 to win the girls’ title outright.

Combined with their team-mates’ scores, the borough ended the competition with silver, with Bromley the overall winners

Afterwards, Newman said: “It feels great to win again. The London Youth Games has helped me so much to progress in competition, it’s a great event.

“It’s been fantastic. In 2010 I came third and now I have come first for the past two years.

“Last year I won the British Championships and this season I have won four gold medals at competitions. In the near future I want to be British champion again, but I want to be world and Olympic champion one day.”

On a packed weekend of London Youth Games action, Redbridge also enjoyed success in the boys’ handball competition, picking up silver after they were beaten by Greenwich 4-2 in an exciting final.

At the Redbridge Sports Centre, they also had a fruitful weekend as they qualified for the Crystal Palace-hosted finals in boys’ and girls’ hockey and badminton, girls’ table tennis and girls’ squash. The girls’ squash-team manager Dave Lazarus was satisfied with his team’s efforts.

He said: “I would have been surprised if we hadn’t got through because we won it last year. We’re the team to beat.

“We’ve got new girls coming through and our number one is not here at the moment. She will be at Crystal Palace in two weeks’ time so we will be even stronger.

“It’s an achievement to compete for their borough and is deserved for the hard work they have done through the season.”

The Balfour Beatty London Youth Games reaches its climax at the National Sports Centre on June 30-July 1, where Redbridge will be striving to win the Jubilee Trophy – the overall prize for winning the London Youth Games – for the first time since 2005.