BASINGSTOKE Powerlifting Club, one of the smallest sports club in Basingstoke, has enjoyed further success on the national stage.

Three men from a total membership of less than 20 have qualified for the world championships later in the year after winning national unassisted titles in Birmingham.

Twice world champion Pete Bedford has the chance to go for a third successive world crown after another gold medal performance at Birmingham.

The 38-year-old achieved a world record total of 535kg lifing in the under-67.5kg category.

The former professional boxer included a further world record in his individual disciplines when he deadlifted 217.5kg.

His winning sequence started with a squat of 187.5kg and continued with a 130kg bench-press.

Bedford, who successfully retained his world crown in Russia last October, was also the runner-up in the order of merit at the national championships.

He will now go on to defend his world title for a second time in America in the autumn.

Clubmate Andy Bonner, a former world champion, made a successful return to competition after more than a year out through injury.

He gained another national open title, and also won the masters gold at under-90kg.

All his lifts were outside his own personal bests but he still enjoyed two comfortable victories to gain his ninth and 10th national titles.

He achieved a squat of 225kg, a benchpress of 135kg and a deadlift of 250kg for a total of 610kg.

The third member of the Basingstoke Sports Centre-based club to qualifty for the world championships was George Stoneman.

In the under-100kg class, he achieved a squat of 220kg, a benchpress of 130kg and a deadlift of 270kg for a total of 620kg.

He was the winner in the masters category and runner-up in the open class.

Bonner, the senior sportsman of the year at the Gazette Sports Awards last year, also has an invitation to compete in the American Athletic Union powerlifting championships in Nevada later in the year.

As these are only two weeks apart from his sport's world championships, he is likely to plump for the competition in Nevada.

"We see just a couple of Americans at our world championships but there will be many more at the AAU tournament so the competition should be tougher," he said.

The Basingstoke Powerlifting Club can also boast a world, European and British champion among their membership in Jean Maton.