FRANK JONES has risen to new heights in the world of judo.

Some 42 years after he took up the sport he now wears the coveted red-and-white belt of a sixth dan - moving up from the black belt he has held since 1965.

Fellow judoka see the award as a deserved accolade for a man who has devoted his life to his sport.

Twenty years ago Frank (pictured) helped set up the senior section at Tyldesley Judo Club in the gym at the old Youth Centre in Upper George Street.

And it is still thriving with more than 40 members meeting Mondays and Thursdays (7-10pm) under the guidance of coaches Kevin Kinney, Mel Dodd, David Gibson, Kevin Platt and Tracy Holmes.

But, for club secretary/treasurer Frank it all began when he first began training with old Atherton pal Jack Mountford.

By 1961 he had become Bolton's highest grade and was invited to take charge of coaching.

He joined the prestigious KNK Club in Manchester to become 2nd dan assistant to Akinori Hosaka, the UK's highest ranked Japanese instructor outside of London.

In 1965 he became the first NorthWest Director of Examiners, setting up the coaching and training of black belt examiners.

Frank has also been a national referee for 30 years. Recently, however, he has been forced to hold back because of a hip replacement.

That has not stopped him with his continued efforts at Tyldesley.

And continued success, it is said, is very much down to Frank, now the club's technical advisor.

Promotion successes for Beth Green, Michael Green, David Peel, Peter Gibson, Lisa Lancaster, Rebecca Edwards, Kayle Holmes, Carrie Bayley, Angilina Musso, Anna Bablinski, Daniel Bablinski and Samantha Meadows.

Friendly comp at Bolton: Steven Meadows, Daniel Bablinski, Lisa Lancaster (gold), Peter Gibson, Kayle Holmes (silver), Samantha Meadows, Nick Whitehead, Carrie Bayley (bronze).

Greater Manchester County Championship: Lisa Lancaster, Nick Whitehead (gold), Angilina Musso, Rebecca Edwards (silver), Carrie Bayley, Philip Stevens, Daniel Bablinski, Kayle Holmes (bronze).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.