Croydon School of Gymnastics performed superbly at this year’s Basingstoke Adult Invitational Competition - held at the Basingstoke Gymnastics Club last week.

Gymnasts between the ages of 18 and 55 came from clubs far and wide to take part in a competition especially designed to cater for adults who were either former gymnasts as well as those who have only taken up gymnastics later in life.

All the ladies had to perform three out of their four disciplines whereas the men had to work four out of the men’s six apparatus with three highest scores to count for women and four for the men.

Ina Tsankova and Kerry Jarrett were the star performers, sharing first place in the womens competition.

Tsankova had a nasty fall in training two days before the competition so it was touch and go if she’d even compete and Jarrett had a nasty hand rip during warm-up on bars.

But both soldiered on and once the old adrenalin was pumping, pain was soon forgotten.

Nevertheless, everyone put in excellent performances, with some even trying new moves in competition for the first time with no major slip ups and did the club proud.

There were individual outstanding performances from Jarrett, who performed her half on full off for her vault and full twisting somersault on the floor, as did Tsankova.

Simon Tanner, seventh in the men's competition, put in his handspring front and Arabian front somersaults for the first time competition on the floor.

Stephanie Bethencourt bars weren’t going well in warm-up but when it mattered she performed them with no major mistakes and she came second overall.