[1][2] His competition career began in 1974 when he competed in the KUGB Northern Regional Championships as a 4th kyu, entering and winning the junior kata event.
His introduction to kumite was even more dramatic; in 1975, while fighting for the Red Triangle team, Bob Poynton broke his leg in one of the matches.
He fought one of Leeds' most experienced fighters, Andy Harris, and decisively beat him with a fast mawashi geri combination to achieve a Red Triangle win.
In Belgium the following year he won the Grand Championship of Europe, taking both kumite and kata events, later repeating this feat on three occasions.
[3] As a senior member of the KUGB International Squad a highlight of his career was leading his team to victory in the 1990 World Shotokan Championships in Sunderland.