BKK Crawley

The Crawley dojo was started in 1969 by Peter James although John Jenkins and others took sessions in Three Bridges a little before this time. Peter James started learning karate from a book in 1967 and became hooked on Kyokushinkai Karate after attending a demonstration in the Scout Hut behind Gales Drive shops Three Bridges. The then Sensei Steve Arneil was showing the Kyokushin way along with Brian Dowler, Barry Evans and others, this was early 1969.

Peter had to travel at first to Croydon, London and Maidstone but in April/May of 1969 hired the Montefiore Hall in Hazelwick Rd, Three Bridges where Crawley Kyokushinkai Karate Club was established. He asked Sensei Arneil to give instruction which he did and does to this day along with other Senpai helping out. Peter James went on to win first place in the 1970 junior grade full contact competition and in 1972 repeated his first place in the contact and added the kata first place which was awarded to him by Prince Mohammed of Jordan. Peter was to become Crawley�s first black belt in 1973 taken at a general grading in Wimbledon in front of a panel of Sensei and Senpai.

In September 1974 Crawley club moved to Crawley sports centre as numbers had swelled beyond the capacity of Montefiore Hall, by this time we had two new Senpai Steven Jones and Bob Worrell. Steven was Crawley�s first international fighter who later moved to Sweden with Sensei Fitkin.

in 1976 after a couple of years in the sports centre Peter James managed to secure an old World War II Canadian Nissen hut at the Tilgate recreation centre and was an immediate success.

Around this time Peter handed over the club organising to Senpai�s Martin and Maureen Begg. The dojo was located there until the "Great Storm" of October 1987 in which a large tree located at the rear of the dojo fell across the rear section causing substantial damage. In true Kyokushin spirit the dojo was then moved to a number of community centers and school sports halls located in the crawley area.

In 1991 the new Tilgate Recreational Huts were opened which was to become the new home for the dojo, now located at Hut 25, where it has enjoyed continued success since.

(If any black belt has been left off the list we apologise, please could you email the site and we will update the lists)

1976 - Southern Area Clicker Team Champion
1980 - British Junior Champion - Ian Hamilton
1981 - British Womens Clicker Champion - Joyce Brown
1982 - British Womens Clicker Champion - Beverley Pickthall
1982 - British Mens Clicker Champion - David Pickthall
1983 - British Mens Knockdown Champion - David Pickthall - MW

1985 - British Team Clicker Champions

(photo of the finalists Crawley and Thames)
front row Ray Stevens, Ian Hamilton, Joe Harden
back row Dave Pickthall, 3rd along Neil Madeley
and 6th position Ian Thorpe

1985 - British Mens Clicker Champion - David Pickthall
1985 - British Mens Kata Champion - David Pickthall
1986 - British Team Clicker Champions
1986 - British Mens Clicker Champion - Ian Hamilton
1986 - British Mens Kata Champion - David Pickthall
1987 - British Mens Clicker Champion - David Pickthall
1987 - British Mens Kata Champion - David Pickthall
1987 - British Junior WUKO Team Champions
1988 - British Mens Clicker Champion - David Pickthall
1988 - British Junior WUKO Champion - Steve Papworth
1989 - British Team Clicker Champions
1990 - British Team Clicker Champions
1990 - British Mens Clicker Champion - David Pickthall
1990 - British Mens Knockdown Champion - David Pickthall - MW
1990 - British Mens Knockdown Champion - Gavin Rush - HW
1990 - Swiss Clicker Champion - Ian Thorpe
1990 - New Zealand North Island WUKO Champion - Neil Madeley
1991 - British Mens Kata Champion - David Pickthall
1991 - British Mens Knockdown Champion - Joe Harden - MW
1991 - New Zealand North Island WUKO Champion - Neil Madeley
1992 - British Team Clicker Champions
1992 - British Mens Clicker Champion - Ian Thorpe
1993 - European Knockdown Champion - Oyama Karate - David Pickthall - MW
1993 - All Japan Knockdown Champion - Shidokan - David Pickthall - Openweight
1995 - British Team Clicker Champions
1997 - British Junior Champion - Darren Stringer
1997 - British Team Clicker Champions
1998 - British Mens WUKO Champion - Ian Hamilton
1999 - British Team Clicker Champions
2000 - British Pee Wee WUKO Champion - Matthew Bennett
2002 - British Mens WUKO Champion - Darren Stringer
2003 - British Mens WUKO Champion - Darren Stringer
2003 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2003 - World Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2004 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2004 - British Knockdown Champion - Darren Stringer LW
2005 - British Team Clicker Champions
2005 - British Junior Clicker Champion - Matthew Bennett
2005 - British Junior Team Clicker Champions
2005 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2006 - World Junior Team Clicker Champions - Matthew Bennett
2006 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2006 - World Knockdown Champion - IKO 3 - Darren Stringer - LW
2007 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2007 - Pilatus Cup Junior Kata Champion - Charlie Venes
2007 - British Mens Clicker Champion - Darren Stringer
2007 - British Cadets Clicker Champion - Charlie Venes
2008 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2008 - Swiss Open Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2008 - Swiss Open Under 18 Kata Champion - Charlie Venes
2008 - British Knockdown Champion - Darren Stringer LW
2008 - British Knockdown Champion - Tom Silver HW
2008 - British Clicker Championships Junior Boys Champion - Dawid Ozga
2008 - British Clicker Championships Junior Girls Champion - Yusmin Khan
2009 - French Open Knockdown Champion - Darren Stringer
2009 - British Mens Kata Champion - Darren Stringer
2009 - NAS 1st Rd 12-14 yrs Girls Continuous Champion - Yusmin Khan
2009 - NAS 1st Rd 13-14 yrs Boys Points Champion - Josh Mays
2009 - NAS 1st Rd 16-17 yrs Boys Continuous Champion - Charlie Venes
2009 - NAS 2nd Rd 13-14 yrs Boys Points Champion - Josh Mays
2009 - NAS 2nd Rd 12-14 yrs Boys Continuous Champion - Josh Mays

Crawley Dojo History