09/06/2026
Peterborough Open – Team Report
Sunday 7th June, we attended the Peterborough Open Championship, which was an absolutely fantastic day and a very well-run event. The standard of competition was incredibly high, and it was certainly the toughest event this new fight team has attended so far.
It was a real eye-opener for the team and a glimpse of what’s to come as they continue to develop, learn new skills, and gain valuable mat time.
First up was Austin.
Ozzy won his opening fight 4-1, showing a smart counter-fighting strategy and earning himself a place in the semi-final. He then had to walk straight over to another mat and compete almost immediately in the category above. Austin lost on points against the lad who went on to win the entire division—a very experienced and talented opponent—but it was a fantastic learning experience for our youngest team member.
It was then straight back to his semi-final with very little respite. Once again, he faced a tough opponent and narrowly missed out on a place in the final. However, he still had an opportunity to fight for bronze.
The bronze medal match was incredibly close, with both lads cancelling each other out through well-thought-out tactics. At the end of the fight, the scores were tied, taking the fight into extra time. Unfortunately, his opponent did just enough to take the win, with Ozzy missing out on bronze by just two points.
Next, we had Andre.
Coming off a double gold-medal performance at his last event, Andre stepped onto the mats for a very tough contest. He did a lot of things right, but in the end, his opponent’s experience proved to be the difference. Despite the loss, Andre put in a very respectable and impressive performance and came away with some excellent lessons that will only help him improve.
Next up was Erikas—or should I say, Erikas “The Tenacious.”
Wow. This boy brought FIRE.
For anyone who knows Erikas, you’ll probably agree that the lad is part machine. He doesn’t tire and he doesn’t fear. In a stacked division, we spoke beforehand about using his lack of experience as an advantage and simply taking the fight to his opponents.
That’s exactly what he did.
His first fight was an absolute battle. Erikas applied relentless pressure, made life awkward for his opponent, and came away with a hard-fought 7-6 victory that went right down to the wire.
That earned him a place in the semi-final, where he completely outclassed his opponent to secure a massive 13-1 victory and book his place IN THE FINAL!
The final itself was a brilliant watch. It was a real back-and-forth battle, with his opponent eventually able to weather the storm and neutralise some of the pressure Erikas was applying. Although he came away with silver, it was an outstanding performance and a huge achievement.
Next came what I’m calling the Fight of the Day—Callum’s continuous fight.
Wow. What. A. Scrap.
What we witnessed was two lads going toe-to-toe for almost two full rounds. Neither competitor was willing to back down, and it was a fantastic fight to watch. Callum’s opponent had the edge in experience and perhaps managed his energy a little better for the closing stages. In the final moments, our CJ was completely spent, and it was his opponent who had his arm raised at the end.
But wow, what a fight.
After what felt like Mike Tyson versus Lennox Lewis, we moved onto Phil’s points fighting category.
With four competitors in the division, the opening bout was effectively a semi-final. It’s fair to say Phil had a slightly nervous start, but he adjusted brilliantly, listened to the advice from myself and Kyle, and began finding gaps in his opponent’s guard and exploiting them. He took the win by a single point in the final stages of the fight to book his place in the final.
In the final, he faced what can only be described as the real-life BFG. The guy was considerably bigger than Phil—although, to be fair, a really nice chap.
Over the two rounds, Phil simply had too much for him. He found plenty of openings, picked his shots well, and won the final comfortably to take gold.
Next, it was CJ’s turn again, this time for points fighting.
Once again, the theme of our day was facing opponents with significantly more experience than ourselves—which is exactly why we attended this event. CJ came second in his fight, but competing against someone of that calibre can only benefit his development moving forward.
Next up, it was Dani’s turn.
Dani had just the one fight, and it was against a fight coach. Her opponent had considerably more experience, but Dani held her own brilliantly, showing courage, determination, and toughness throughout. Unfortunately, on this occasion, experience prevailed, but Dani took away some excellent lessons and plenty of things she can now add to her game moving forward.
Our final category of the day was Phil’s continuous fighting division.
His first fight ended in a unanimous decision victory, and he looked convincing throughout. That took him into the final, and I think Phil would agree that it was probably one fight too many.
He stepped onto the mats after an unbeaten run of fights that had already taken a huge amount of energy. Now he was facing a two-round continuous final as the last fight of his day.
Phil found himself in a slugfest against a much bigger opponent and unfortunately came second best in those exchanges. The fight was contested in great spirits, and despite the result, he finished the day with a gold and a silver medal—something he should be incredibly proud of.
Overall, this was an excellent day for the team.
The results were great, but more importantly, the experience gained was invaluable. We deliberately entered a tournament that would challenge us, expose us to higher-level opposition, and show us where we currently stand.
The team represented NGMA brilliantly, showed fantastic attitudes throughout the day, and gained lessons that will help them continue to improve. This is only the beginning of the journey for this team, and I’m excited to see where the next few competitions take them
