IT began as a bit of brotherly fun - but two years later York kick boxer Craig Long is taking on the world.

Long this week flew out to Copenhagen, Sweden, to represent Great Britain in the World Karate Association (WKA) World Kick Boxing Championships.

But if it wasn't for his younger brother Mark, also a kick boxer, he may never have taken up the sport.

Explained Long: "My little brother bet me £1 I wouldn't go and start training, so I went."

That was two years ago, and in January the 21-year-old from Tang Hall proved himself the best in the country at his weight, Under-68kg, at the British Championships in Manchester.

Although he was beaten in the final - Long claims he was robbed - such was his performance the Great Britain selectors picked him instead of the title winner to represent the country.

"They rang up out the blue. I thought my chance had gone," said Long.

Now he has been given the opportunity, he is determined to give it his best shot. He has been doing extra training under the guidance of his coach Paul Lynch, himself a four-times British champion with the WAKO association, and warm up fights.

Said Long: "It's been going really well. It's hard training but it's really working. Hopefully it's really going to help me out. I've fought fighters who have been world champions and they've been telling me what it's about. I seem to be doing well."

A bright future certainly seems to be on the horizon for the Long brothers. Mark, who is just 16, recently won a bronze in the senior men's Under-68kg category at the WAKO British Championships and is tipped by Lynch to go a long way in the sport.

And it has been a remarkable rise for Craig, who had done no other form of martial arts before taking up kick boxing. But he knows that, with so little experience, he is unlikely to return from Sweden as a world champion.

"I don't think I'll win it but I definitely want to go away and beat a couple of champions from other countries," he said. But with his record so far, it is unlikely he will have to wait too long before realising his dream.

Coach Lynch sampled the sweet taste of revenge when he lifted his fourth British title.

For the York instructor's final opponent was London-based Chris McLeish - the man who had ended his three-year reign as champion 12 months earlier.

Lynch held the WAKO British super-middleweight title from 1994-96 before being defeated by McNeish last year.

But this time, in Nottingham, he made no mistake. After a bye in the first round, he successfully negotiated two more rounds before turning the tables on former world champion McNeish in the final.

"It was even sweeter this time, to win it back off him. It was a very, very good fight. It was close but I was confident at the end I had got it," said Lynch.

The 30-year-old, who has taught the sport at the City Fitness gym in Tang Hall for three years, will now get another shot at the European Championships where he will represent Great Britain in Germany in December.

At the last championships, in Italy in 1996, Lynch won bronze, losing to the then world champion Lajos Hugeytz from Hungary. With two years more experience under his belt, Lynch is looking to do even better this time.

He said: "I'm never over-confident, but I'm hopeful. I just hope I meet the same guy again - he's seven-times world champion and six-times European champion."

WAKO is the biggest kick boxing association in the world with 75 member countries and has given Lynch the opportunity to fight all over the world.

His biggest competition to date was the World Championships in Ukraine in 1995 when he fought in front of 10,000 people but things didn't go well and he went out in the first round.

Lynch said the offers "are coming in left, right and centre" after his latest British title success and he is being forced to turn down some competitions abroad.

His next outing overseas will be a major tournament in Spain in October - before embarking on another revenge mission at the European Championships.

Three other members of the City Fitness Aegif Kick boxing Club also had success at the British Championships. Sixteen-year-old Mark Long took bronze in the Under-69kg event, losing to former world champion and eventual winner Jonathan Lawson from London.

Georgina Browne, 26, won the silver in one of the ladies category while teenager Joy Collingbourne picked up a bronze.

Anybody interested in taking up kick boxing at the club can contact Paul Lynch on 0831 303093 or Laura on 01904 414895.

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