SIX girls from Huntingdon Gymnastics Club returned home from Newcastle with gold medals after competing against the country s best at a national competition. The team of Kathryn Thompson, Emma White, Marissa King, Tori Simpson, Claire Stock and Kayleigh C

SIX girls from Huntingdon Gymnastics Club returned home from Newcastle with gold medals after competing against the country's best at a national competition.

The team of Kathryn Thompson, Emma White, Marissa King, Tori Simpson, Claire Stock and Kayleigh Cooke fought off tough competition and achieved a score of 204.9 at the Bill Slater Club Team Championships at the weekend.

Ipswich-based club Pipers Vale finished second with a score of 198.1 and Olga from Poole took Bronze with 195.3.

Huntingdon head coach Paul Hall was full of praise for the team: "These girls have worked so hard to get this result and they have proved their potential to emulate the boys' success and compete with the best in the country."

The competitors had to perform on vault, asymmetric bars, beam and floor routine with the best four scores being recorded.

Commonwealth participant Emma White used her experience to score 50.7 and finished second overall, Marrissa King scored 50.15 to claim third. Kayleigh Cooke performed an excellent beam routine with a complex double somersault dismount to score 14.5, the highest mark of the day.

Mr Hall said: "The girls coaches Monica Desalermos and Gheorge Blaj also deserve credit for the great effort made in getting the girls to such a high level."

The gymnasts are now preparing for the British Individual Championships which are to be held in Guilford in three weeks time where World Medallist Beth Tweddle will hope to defend her title.