KARATE black belt Bert Harris was celebrating this week after being called up to the national squad for the forthcoming South African National Championships. Incredibly, both Harris and his partner and namesake, Lin Harris, have been selected for the squad of 14, which was chosen from several hundred competitors.

The Wotton-under-Edge duo have only been training together for two years, and were overjoyed to go to the World Championships in Birmingham last year. However, the South African competition, which takes place in March next year, is a golden opportunity for the pair to cement their place in next year's World Championships in Italy, where they will hope to be chosen once again.

Karate has become something of an obsession for the couple. Bert, 42, has risen to the rank of second dan black belt during his eight years as a karate enthusiast. 25-year-old Lin, meanwhile, is just one grade away from receiving the coveted rank of black belt, having partnered Bert for the last two years.

The pair compete in Wadaryu karate, a soft style with an emphasis on avoidance, movement and agility. They train at clubs in Stroud and Weston, and Bert also runs his own EWSKA club in Bath, a schedule that just about takes up all of their spare time.

The call-up to the national squad for the South African adventure next year was spurred by a decent run of competition results that began earlier this year.

First of all, the couple made a fine showing at the Sheffield Open, before claiming an extraordinary string of results at the Birmingham Open recently. At this meeting, the partnership won five trophies and medals in six events - a stunning achievement considering that this was the first time they had performed together at a major competition. Now, Bert and Lin are gearing up for the Four Ways Championships in Birmingham on November 15, when teams from England and Wales take on Ireland, Germany and Italy.

Then, it will be South Africa in March, when the couple will spend ten days training and competing as a part of the elite national squad, knowing that just being a part of such a team is a magnificent achievement on its own.

The pair have been trained by renowned seventh dan master Clayton Murrain on the road to their martial arts successes, and actually owe a huge debt to the sport in terms of their relationship. Indeed, it was through karate that the couple originally met four years ago, after Bert had tried to get Lin's brother involved with the sport. Now, they are both senior karate experts, and also teach gymnastics as well.

Bert attempted to explain their love for karate as he reflected on the call-up, saying: "I loved it when I started eight years ago, and I enjoy it now, especially teaching at my club.

"I began karate late in life really, and just began to fall in love with it - I got the bug. Lin was the same. She had done dancing and gymnastics and just seemed to take to karate naturally.

"The great thing is, everyone gets different things out of it, and you can really get into it. Your attitude changes and it can be a real confidence booster. I have really immersed myself into the lifestyle that comes with karate, and enjoy everything about it.

"It is never too late to learn, as I found out, and everyone can progress at their own pace. You get out of karate what you put into it - it's all down to the individual. But karate is a great leveller for people - there is no hierarchy here."

Wotton's karate community will no doubt be hoping that 'Team Harris' can carry this enthusiasm onto the glory trail at the championships in South Africa.