GYMNASTICS Young gymnasts from across the country and overseas will be displaying their talents at the University of Bath Sports Training Village this weekend.

The City of Bath Rhythmic Gymnastics Club will hold the third Bath Open Championships and the event promises to be one of the biggest gymnastics events ever held in Bath.

The competition has grown steadily over the last three years and will once again be held over two days.

Saturday sees the beginners, novices and intermediate girls competing, and on Sunday the older intermediates will be on show, followed by the open competition for all ages when the elite national level gymnasts will be taking part.

Competition on both days starts at 9.30am and runs through until about 6pm.

"We have over 180 gymnasts taking part, which is 50 per cent up on last year," said Bath head coach Sarah Binding.

"It really shows how rhythmic gymnastics is growing in this country, with several new clubs starting up and many young girls entering the sport.

"And this year we're really excited to have our first overseas competitors with girls from Austria, Gibraltar and Sweden all coming to take part. We really want to make this an international event in the future."

The Bath club will be strongly represented at the competition, with 20 of their gymnasts taking part.

"The club has had a very good year so far," says Binding.

"We played a big part in the South West winning the Inter Regional Championships for the second year running, after winning it for the first time ever last year.

"Two of our gymnasts, Francesca Fox and Lynne Hutchison, have represented Great Britain at various international competitions, and Frankie and Lynne, together with Evie Longshaw, Caitlin Brennan and Kate Mosely, will be representing Bath at the British Championships in Stoke in two weeks' time.

"Our competition gives them all of them a chance to perform, but it also gives the younger and less experienced gymnasts a chance to show what they can do.

"It should be a great couple of days."

Spectators are welcome to the event and full details can be found at www.bathrhythmic.co.uk.