Sensei Steve Cattle first fought in a karate competition in 1966 and stopped competing in 1989. In 1971 he was British all styles champion and also KUGB national kumite champion twice, in 1974 and 1981. Steve won countless other placings and was a member of the KUGB national team for many years. He believed strongly that, although it wasn't the backbone of karate, competitions, both kata and kumite, had immense benefit to students.

Sensei Rob Willis entered his first tournament in 1981 but it wasn't until 1984 that he achieved a placing, taking two trophies in the same event, one for kata and one for kumite. During the following fifteen years Rob took numerous other medal placings in regional, national and open events before retiring in 1997.

The birth of the West Lancs Academy saw a return, along with old colleague Gordon Galley, to represent the club at the ESA Nationals and a third place position. Two years later, in 2003, Sensei Lennon joined the team and again the club reached third place, but Rob went on to take a creditable fourth in the Senior Individual Kata, some twenty years after winning his first trophy. 2004 allowed Rob to win a third place kata in the Northern Open and take team 2nd place at the ESA Nationals. By 2005 Rob finally retired but not before again taking a team third at the ESA Nationals and a Senior Kata third.

But it’s the members of the West Lancs Academy who have really shone in the competition arena. In a little over eight years they have collectively amassed 150 trophies, including 28 first place wins, from Regional, National and Open events, with two members even selected for International duty against Ireland. At the 2005 ESA Nationals the members took a third of the trophies available and twice as many as the next club. In 2006 the West Lancs Senior men’s team were crowned Northern Open Champions and North West Open Champions, building on a reputation that has never seen them fail to take a podium spot in the team kumite event at the ESA Nationals.

On the strength of such outstanding performances, the club introduced its own mini tournament in 2005, designed specifically for members only, to provide an easily accessible introduction to competitive karate for students who one day it is hoped will continue the legacy. This has proved very successful, particularly for the junior students who sometimes cannot gain ready access to larger open events.

Club members are not required to enter competitions, it is by no means compulsory and there is never any pressure to do so. But those who have elected to enter have excelled .