NORTH-WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS - REPORT AND RESULTS

UKBFF North-West Championships

by John Plummer

Photography by Christopher Bailey

You can view and buy individual photos of this show here https://www.ukbffphotos.com/2018/NORTH-WEST-CHAMPIONSHIPS

Or you can order all your images as a package here http://www.christopherbailey.co.uk/product-category/ukbff-stage-photos/

May is always a mad month for bodybuilding and 2018 is no exception.

Our IFBB Elite Pros have the $80,000 Arnold Classic South Africa and $34,500 Elite Pro Madrid to look forward to.

Our best amateurs have just returned from the IFBB European Championships in Spain, winning two silver medals;

Back home the battle for British Championships places gathered pace today with the North-West Championships in Warrington.

This event will forever be associated with Kerry Kayes, who promoted it for some 30 years and brought all the big names to Cheshire.

He stepped aside this year mainly because, as he explained to the audience, he was in boxer Tony Bellew's corner for his fight against David Haye last night and couldn't make it back on time.

Kerry, a former British over-40s bodybuilding champion, still showed his support by dashing back and arriving in time to award trophies in the up to 80 kg bodybuilding class.

The March madness continues domestically with the English Grand Prix on May 27 in Reading when more international opportunities, including invites to the Arnold Classic Europe, will be available.

BODYBUILDING

Warning - Lee Swinhoe is back. Lee returned after a year off weighing 104 kg of brutal, sliced muscle to win the over-90 kgs and lay down a marker for the rest of the year.

With his extra size and tighter waist, Lee will be a threat to anyone at the English Grand Prix and British Championships.

Michael Elgrave's classy overall package took the up to 80 kg class, ahead of big-legged Bernie Trevelyan.

Junior champion Lewis Pickavance is a tall guy with an impressive shape that he's filling out with quality muscle. His front double biceps was particularly eye-catching pose.

Steven Lynch, who won the over-85 kg intermediates, had an impressive combination of size and aesthetics. His quads were sliced.

Intermediate up to 85 kg champion Anthony Dixon had some big traps and plenty of cuts.

Danny Arnold took classic bodybuilding despite his lack of tan. The quality of his physique was still evident – he had plenty of cuts, a small waist and good shape.

MEN'S PHYSIQUE

Rookie winner Jonathan Kirk really looked the part. A great looking guy with good stage presence and the physique to back it up. With his aesthetic lines and terrific abs he is one to keep an eye on.

In the juniors, Calvin Bopara big chest and shoulders gave him a fuller upper body and the edge in the scoring over runner-up Dragos Pascu, who had excellent midsection detail. This was a quality, large class and Rowley Bland in third can also be proud of his overall package.

The masters boiled down to a battle between winner Carl Burrell, who was the hardest and had great abs, and the more relaxed posing style and aesthetic shape of runner-up Stephen Hill. The appropriately-named Rick Lean was third.

Shelomi Douglas's superior aesthetics prevailed in muscular men's physique. His nice lines got the nod ahead of the heavily tattooed and impressively hard runner-up Danny McGuire.

Stuart Niven's impressive taper and polished overall package was rewarded with first place in the over-179 cm height class.

A sharp looking, six-packed Tom Wolfe took the up to 179 cm class. Louis Taylor's slender but shapely package took the short height class.

Carly Howlett wins masters bikini fitness. PHOTO: Christopher Bailey.

FEMALE CLASSES

Carly Howlett just missed out on a British finals invite in the huge 18-woman masters bikini fitness line-up at Portsmouth a fortnight ago but she was not to be denied here.

Carly's vivacious presentation and high quality physique earned first place and she needed to be on her mettle as Sheffield's Becky Goodall, who finished second, brought a beautifully sculpted and detailed physique to the stage.

Junior bikini fitness champion Sophie Gallagher had an athletic, well-balanced shape with a tiny waist and good glutes.

Runner-up Dominka Korzen has a lot of potential – superb legs from every angle, terrific looks... with a few tweaks and slightly leaner look she will be dangerous.

The pick of the height classes was the battle between Rebecca West and Brooke Wood in the tall class. Both women can be proud of the package they brought to the stage but Rebecca's slightly more complete look found favour with the judges.

The attractive, trained form of Lisa Buntin won rookie bikini fitness.

Martyna Rybak won the battle of the Martynas in bodyfitness.

Her tapered back and outstanding calves gave her physique real impact from behind.

Lisa Smith's compact, muscular shape overcame Nathalie Honvault in masters bodyfitness.

Wellness was a difficult class to judge, The winner, Oksana Markova, brought a beautiful package to the stage to edge out Monika Kozlowska.

Leticia Veechi, in third, looked incredible, with huge, cut legs that looked well suited to wellness but her equally hard and muscular upper body just tipped her over the edge for the class. Her obvious potential may be better suited to women's physique.

You can view and buy individual photos of this show here https://www.ukbffphotos.com/2018/NORTH-WEST-CHAMPIONSHIPS

Or you can order all your images as a package here http://www.christopherbailey.co.uk/product-category/ukbff-stage-photos/

RESULTS

Junior Bodybuilding

1 Lewis Pickavance

2 Daniel Morris

Junior Bikini Fitness

1 Sophie Gallagher

2 Dominika Korzen

Junior Men's Physique

1 Calvin Boparan

2 Dragos Pascu

3 Rowley Bland

also competed: David Paah, Steven Johnson, Ross Bowley, Nathan Burrows, Callum Liburd, Chris Nisbet and Michal Woznrczko

Rookie Bikini Fitness

1 Lisa Buntin

2 Shannen Marshall

3 Charlotte Owen

Wellness

1 Oksana Markova

2 Monika Kozlowska

3 Leticia Veechi

also competed: Vania Reddington, Alix Sutcliffe and Jessenia Rosslato

Rookie Men's Physique

1 Jonathan Kirk

2 Sami Tertar

3 Regon Stirn

also competed: Gareth Catherall, Dario Da Silva and Gabrieu Csrnagni

Masters Men's Physique

1 Carl Burrell

2 Stephen Hill

3 Rick Lean

also competed: Andrew Widdop and Jorge Nunez

Intermediate Bodybuilding up to 85 kg

1 Anthony Dixon

Intermediate Bodybuilding over 85 kg

1 Steven Lynch

2 Justin Bedward

also competed: Ryan Hennessey

Masters Bikini Fitness

1 Carly Howlett

2 Becky Goodall

3 Michelle Fraser

also competed: Jacky Drummond and Katy Farr

Masters Bodyfitness

1 Lisa Smith

2 Nathalie Honvault

Classic Bodybuilding

1 Danny Arnold

2 Paulius Berzinskas

3 Jamie Brown

also competed: Fran Beier, Merek Horansky, Matthew Biddle, Ben Stansfield and Matt Clarke

Bodyfitness

1 Martyna Rybak

2 Martyna Polenska

3 Tereza Sukova

Bodybuilding up to 80 kg

1 Michael Elgrave

2 Bernie Trevelyan

3 Alex Barlow

also competed: Heydon Wai Hei Chu

Bodybuilding over 90 kg

1 Lee Swinhoe

2 Marcin Kuczawski

3 Ryan Hesseny

also competed: Colin Luby

Bikini Fitness up to 164 cm

1 Mya Davies

Bikini Fitness up to 169 cm

1 Brigita Urbonas

Bikini Fitness over 169 cm

1 Rebecca West

2 Brooke Wood

Muscular Men's Physique

1 Shelomi Douglas

2 Danny McGuire

3 Christy Stone

Men's Physique up to 173 cm

1 Louis Taylor

Men's Physique up to 179 cm

1 Tom Wolfe

2 Krzysztof Kacmarowski

3 James Pattinson

also competed: Ahmad Makki

Men's Physique over 179 cm

1 Stuart Niven

2 Lewis Jones

3 Josh Lomas-Mead

also competed: Jordan Williamson, Max Sutcliffe, Alex Roberts and Nicholas Sherwood