ST Helens judoka Lucy Renshall and Bekky Livesey won gold and silver respectively at the Junior European Judo Cup in Deva, Romania at the weekend.

Eccleston girl Renshall, 19, beat Lubjana Piovesana in the -63kg final, a repeat of the Berlin Junior European Judo Cup earlier this month.

The competition was an opportunity to try things out ahead of next month's European Championships in Austria.

Renshall said: “It was still important to medal but it was more focused on practising new stuff and trying it out because if it didn’t work here then you know not to try it at Europeans.

“So I was still happy to win but it was more focusing on how I fought and pulling new things off.”

And while she has enjoyed an impressive year with seven European Judo Cup medals she knows that anything can happen when she steps onto the mat at the European Championships.

“I’m quite confident but it depends on the draw so we’ll see what happens on the day," she said.

Livesey, who was pipped in the final -57kg by Romanian Stefania Adelina Dobre, said: “There were two girls who I’d actually lost to before and then I beat one of them in the semi-final so going forward to the Europeans and hopefully the Worlds it gives me more confidence coming to the upcoming events.”

Both train at the British Judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall.