The opening day of competition at the UK School Games saw some great performances, with the first medals of the event awarded to competitors from Judo and Badminton. While fencing and table tennis also got off to an action-packed start.

Judo
Welsh judo player Brandon Dodge won the first gold medal of the competition in the boy’s under 50kg class. The 16-year-old from Swansea made short work of Scotland’s David Jones to take the title at the Alan Higgs Centre.

Dodge said:  “It feels great to be the first gold medallist here at the UK School Games and I’m extremely proud to be the first Welsh medallist. This is the biggest event I have won and it’s even going to be on telly. The UK School Games is brilliant, you get meet other sports and I’ve already made some new friends.”

England’s Francesca Steggall became the first girls’ judo champion of the Games winning a nail-biting final against teammate Emily Hickman, in the under 48kg category. After a tense stand-off for the full four minute fight, the 17-year-old from Sidcup, who lost to Hickman in the pool contest earlier in the day, sealed a dramatic victory in the golden score stage.

Badminton
England won the mixed team badminton title today, emerging victorious after beating Scotland by two games to nil.
 
Having won the first game 21-10, Phillip Aspinall and Jess Fletcher went into the second with high hopes and they certainly didn’t disappoint the rapturous crowd supporting them, as they secured the title with a 21-11 win.
 
Fletcher said: "I didn't expect us to beat the Scottish team by so much but we went into the final hoping for a victory and we really enjoyed ourselves out there today."
 
Badminton is making its first appearance at the UK School Games in Coventry this year and Aspinall believes the atmosphere around the whole competition helped them lift their game.
 
"The level of competition here is really strong and although we won today, Scotland have had pretty good competition and they pushed us hard to win,” he said.

Table Tennis
A Paul Drinkhall inspired England North East got off to a super charged start in the boys team championship competition. Drinkhall's North East side out classed Northern Ireland and England South West 7 - 0, all but ensuring a slot in the semi finals tomorrow.
 
In the other pool, competition was much tighter with England Midlands involved in two titanic battles with England South West and Scotland, eventually winning both following a series of compelling five setters. 

The girls competition was just as exciting with England South West sitting a top of their group as Melanie Farquhar demonstrated her considerable talent in victories over England North East and England Midlands.
 
Caroline Hallows led England North West to a comfortable opening 7 - 0 win in their pool, but it was England South East who look well placed for a semi final berth, with wins over Northern Ireland and Wales.
 
Hallows said: "This is such a great event and it's totally different to anything else we play in. The competition is so tough as there are loads of us competing for the places on the England team in particular but that's just what we come to expect all the time. The opening ceremony last night was unbelievable and this is going to be a great weekend."