Isle of Man Judo have announced their squad for the forthcoming Commonwealth Judo Championships in Walsall at the end of September.

The Manx contingent only narrowly missed out on a team medal at the Island Games in Gibraltar last month.

Nathan Kennaugh will compete under the Manx flag for the first time in the pre-cadet category at under-60kg.

Having been too young to compete in Gibraltar, Nathan has been training with the senior squad and recently underwent a training week at Kendal Judo Club, where coaching sessions were run by guest judoka currently preparing for the World Championships in Japan.

Archie Collis, supported by Isle of Man Sport Aid and CTH Insurance, is entered in the cadets u60kg class.

Having marked his Games debut with a fifth place, he is a regular participant on the judo circuit and has this year attended competitions around the UK and also in Lugi, Sweden.

He is joined in the cadets group by Connor Craig in the u81kg category. The youngest member of the Island Games team and Isle of Man Sports Academy graduate, Connor achieved seventh place in Gibraltar at u81kg and also placed seventh in the open event.

Other notable placings this year include a seventh place at the Copenhagen Open at Easter and a fifth place at the recent Northern Ireland Open.

Completing the squad in the Masters event is experienced judoka Chris Horton. Having finished fifth at the open event in Gibraltar, he is competing in the M2 u100kg category.

Since recovering from an ACL injury incurred last May, Horton has medalled at events throughout the northwest area and beyond this year, including gold at the SKK Judo Club Open in Newton-le-Willows in May and silver at the Northern Ireland Masters Open in April.

The Island Games management team of Richard Lloyd and Errol Savage will once again lead the team in Walsall.

Richard will also be supporting teenage judoka William Hearnden for his first national competition at the British Adaptive Judo Championships in Cardiff this weekend.

William has also been training with the mainstream squad and this is an exciting opportunity for him to experience this set-up.

The management would like to thank Mann Fire Protection Ltd, Antony Collis Flooring Ltd and Property-Doctor Maintenance for their continued support of the squad, which will ensure they build on their progress made in Gibraltar.