NINE members of Sharples Wrestling Club won eight medals at a competition in Northern Ireland.

The Bolton grapplers brought back four gold, two silver and two bronze from the Ulster Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Carrickfergus.

Amelia Berry struck gold in the 25kg mixed category. The nine-year-old St Osmund and Andrew's pupil from Breightmet won both her matches against boys.

Phoebe Cocker, also aged nine and a pupil at St Andrew's at Over Hulton, also beat boys in all of her three matches to win gold in the 27kg mixed category.

David Siko, aged 12 from Burnley, won the 43kg event and Malachi O'Neill completed the Bolton club's gold medal haul, the Kearsley Academy student winning all his matches in the 49kg category.

The silver medals were won by Eddy Cocker, aged six and also a pupil at St Andrew's, with three victories out of four matches in the 22kg category – losing out to the eventual winner – in his first-ever competition, and 11-year-old Luke Bennison-Moore, from Tonge Moor Primary School, who wrestles for Sharples' sister club, Castle Hill, and won three bouts at 32kg, narrowly missing out on gold.

Bronze medals were won by Ellie-May Martland, aged nine and a pupil at Our Lady of Lourdes, in the 32kg, who opted to wrestle against boys and impressed in hard matches, and Ellis Crossley, aged 16 from Tottington High School, who competed at 65kg against tough opposition from the USA.

Jenson Berry, from St Osmund and Andrew's, also performed impressively in his first competition, just missing out on bronze with a fourth place at 22kg.

Sharples head coach Eddy Kavanagh said: "This competition was a good test against some talented wrestlers from around the world.

"All of our wrestlers worked hard and will have gained some valuable experience."