THE snow has played havoc with the plans of one of south Essex’s top Judo fighters as she plots her course towards international competition and a possible tilt at selection for the 2012 Olympics.

Toni Prince trains at the JCS Judo Club in Purfleet and is a former six-time judo junior national champion and silver medal at the sport’s junior Commonwealth event.

But now she has made the jump from junior to senior mat as well as travelling to north London each day as a second-year graphic design student at Middlesex University.

The gritty young fighter from South Ockendon has been training hard over the last few months with a major goal being the British Senior nationals which were due to take place in Sheffield on Sunday.

But she found out just a couple of days before that the event had been scrapped because of the Arctic white-out which has led to transport chaos across the country.

Prince said: “I suppose that in a way it is a case of mixed feelings. I had been training hard and looking forward to the event so when I found out that it was off I was disappointed.

“But we’ve been told that they will now pick the British squad from performances this year so this could go in my favour.”

Prince competes in the extremely popular Under-52kg women’s weight category.

She said she was already trying to refocus her training on some of this spring’s biggest British judo competitions.

“Now I’m looking forward to the British open in March in Crawley and the other big event is the English Senior championships which also take place this spring,” she said.

Prince is also hoping to get even sharper on the mat thanks to some tough overseas competition.

Together with members of her Purfleet club she is going for a long weekend’s competition in Belgium.

“When you compete in the UK you get used to the styles of the people you fight,” Prince said.

“But international competition is all about fighting foreigners who do not give any quarter and who may have different strengths and weaknesses.”

So far Prince is enjoying her second year at Middlesex University.

And the judo/uni link is paying off too.

The university has encouraged Prince and staff and students were delighted that last year she won gold for them at the University Judo championships.

She was also given a £2,000 grant from the university to help with her training costs and international travel.

But Prince is realistic about making it on the world stage in two years time.

“I’m very aware that I have stepped up from junior to senior level and to some degree it’s like starting again and although I was always in the junior national squad I have to prove that I deserve a place in the senior squad.

“I take each day as it comes,” she added.