England Boxing’s first national championships since the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic proved to be a huge hit – and brought a visit from AIBA President Umar Kremlev.
The eagerly-anticipated England Boxing National Schools Championships 2021 semi-final and Finals Day took place over the weekend (Saturday 25th September and Sunday 26th September) at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle.
Lexi Walker (Great Wyrley, blue) v Demi-Rose Greenidge (Finchley, red) Photo: Andy Chubb, England Boxing
It attracted more than 200 of the country’s best girl and boy boxers in the Schools division – for those born in 2007 (Class B), 2008 (Class A) and 2009 (Cadet) – who were all eager to earn the right to call themselves a national champion.
The event was the first such occasion since the England Boxing National Youth Championships 2020 in February and March of last year because of Covid-19-related government lockdowns.
Titles were shared around across the weight divisions, with 65 clubs able to boast a national champion.
The most successful clubs were London duo Repton and Rainham, the latter newly-formed during lockdown, who each won five each, with Camberley’s Sporting Ring claiming three.
But there were successes for clubs across the country, including those from host region Tyne Tees and Wear such as Phil Thomas, Middlesbrough, Olympian, North Star, District Youth, Houghton, Bishop Auckland, Sunderland, Redcar and Birtley (see below for full list of winners).
“It was fantastic to see boxer’s back in action at a national event after such a long time out of the ring because of lockdown, and what better to way to start off than off with the stars of the future?” said England Boxing’s Development Coach Amanda Coulson.
“There are definitely a number of talented boxers to keep an eye on in the future – girls and boys – and there were some great contests in among the bouts, along with plenty of effort from all those who took part.
“Considering the lockdown and the part that has played in stopping boxing for a while, the determination and resilience shown by these boxers to come back as they have is second to none.
“We look forward to seeing what these boxers are going to go on and achieve in the future.”
Mr Kremlev became AIBA President in November of last year and came to see the Schools boxers in action as part of a trip to England.
He also met England Boxing staff and officials and handed out certificates to some of the finalists after their bouts.
Class B and Class A champions were rewarded with a pair of golden gloves, while Cadets won a gold medal.
Finalists in all classes picked up silver medals and losing semi-finalists bronze medals, while all boxers received an England Boxing certificate in recognition of their efforts.
Those who won titles in Class A and Class B are now being invited to train with the England Talent coaches at a Schools Champions Day on 23rd, 24th and 25th October.
Female boxers of the tournament, as selected by the team of watching England Talent coaches, were Ruby White (Sturminster Newton), Talia Rumbol (Newham) and Lexi Walker (Great Wyrley), while their male equivalents were Archie Coates (Rainham), Bailey Wilding (Mikey’s) and Mohammad Safari (The Ring).
The bout of the tournament was adjudged to have been the Male Under 52kg Class B bout between Chadwell St Mary’s Tony Saunders and Rainham’s William Howard, which the latter won on a split after a close and highly-entertaining contest.
Full Finals Day Results
Male Cadet, Under 28kg – Elijah Smith (Burton Park) beat London Bounsou (West Ham) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet, Under 32kg – Jim Wilson (Phil Thomas) beat Jaylen Powell (Factory) by a RSC.
Male Cadet, Under 36kg – Archie Coates (Rainham) beat Jake Alagoa (West Hill) by a RSC.
Male Cadet, Under 40kg – Danny Lee (Birtley) beat Michael Cash (Rumbles) by a unanimous decision.
Female Cadet, Under 44kg – Paige Hamilton (Bilton Hall) beat Georgia White (St Austell) by a split decision.
Female Cadet, Under 48g – Niamh May (Wildcard) beat Eden Kilkenny (East Middlesbrough) by a split decision.
Male Cadet, Under 52kg – Henry Dennard (Albion) beat Ruben Taylor (South Derbyshire) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet, Under 56kg – William Loveridge (Sporting Ring) beat Alfie Til (Great Wyrley) by a RSC.
Male Class A, Under 32kg – Alfie Taylor Satchell (Everton Red Triangle) beat Isaac Ward (Ward Deagnans) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A, Under 35.5kg – Lewis Coaston (Redcar) beat Bill Connors (Pinewood) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A, Under 40kg – Frank Smith (Rainham) beat Richard Ward (Phil Thomas) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A, Under 43g – Noah Barney-Smith (Sporting Ring) beat Connall Farrell (Birkenhead Venture) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A, Under 46kg – Deacon Killick (Trowbridge) beat Josh Whewell (Gemini) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A, Under 50kg – Amanollah Sahak (Repton) beat Ishmail Esa (Technique) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class A, Under 54kg – Kimberley-May Watson (Billericay and Wickford) beat Leah Smith (Parkstone) by a RSC.
Female Class A, Under 57kg – Napat Ramsawong Egan (Newquay) beat Chloe Holland (Priory Park) by a RSC.
Male Class A, Under 62kg – Mohammed Ismail (Fearless) beat Sahd Iqbal (Eastburn) by a split decision.
Male Class A, Under 68kg – Luke Harper (Weedon) beat Shay Pinnington (Birkenhead Venture) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 32kg – Gary Sigery (Burton Park) beat Saker Jayden (Chalvedon) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 37kg – Tom Saunders (Rumbles) beat James Smith (Rourkeys) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 41.5kg – Emal Hamdan (Repton) beat Leo Myers (Phil Thomas) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 43kg – William Ball (Repton) beat Jed Baker (Torbay) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 48kg – Ruby White (Sturminster Newton) beat Neve Wright (Aston) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 50kg – Tommy Dighton (Bodyshots) beat John Doe (New Saints) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 54kg – Adam Macca (Rumbles) beat Ollie Strand (Leicester City) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 59kg – Frankie Thompson (Bridlington) beat Tommy Thompson (Hoddesdon) by a split decision.
Female Class B Under 63kg – Skye Smith (Berinsfield) beat Gracelyn Parsonage (FKB) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 68kg – John McDonagh (Ardwick Lads) beat Riley Edison (Legions) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 76kg – Kejai Bryan (Islington) beat Mason Butcher (Pinewood) by a split decision.
Ring B
Male Cadet Under 30kg – Klay Munday (Sunderland) beat Charlie Ward (Pinewood) by a split decision.
Male Cadet Under 34kg – Simon O’Donnell (Pinewood) beat Aljaz Uwisekhan (Capitol) by a unanimous decision.
Female Cadet Under 40kg – Serena Mali (Cleary’s) beat Fallon Anderson (Sunderland East End) by a RSC.
Female Cadet Under 42kg – Jaya Kaisi (Cleary’s) beat Layla Cox (Wolverhampton) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet Under 44kg –Tony Preston (Everton Red Triangle) beat James Jordan (Newark) by a split decision.
Male Cadet Under 48kg – Archie Fleming (Powerday Hooks) beat Sam Evans (Wirral CP) by a split decision.
Male Cadet Under 54kg – Hussain Zaman (Wakefield Trinity) beat Rocky Maguire (Macclesfield) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet Under 62kg – Joseph Harthill (Priory Park) beat Michael Winter (Rumbles) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A Under 34kg – Dean Goodearl (Rainham) beat Lewis Cook (Chadwell St Mary) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A Under 37kg – George Ralph (Rainham) beat Tommy Lee Homer (Darlington) by a split decision.
Female Class A Under 42kg – Lexi Clifton (Priory Park) beat Josey Newton (Tommy Coyle) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class A Under 45kg – Ruby Cuthbertson (District Youth) beat Brooke Taylor (Hunslet) by a RSC.
Female Class A Under 48kg – Talia Rumbol (Newham) beat Daisy May Constable (Westree) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class A Under 51kg – Rosanna Bycroft (Legions) beat Rianna Doforo (The People’s Gym) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 54kg – Anthony McCarthy (Small Holdings) beat John Boy Hodgkins (Mikey’s) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 59kg – Bailey Wilding (Mikey’s) beat Max Pipkin (Rosehill) by a RSC.
Male Class A Under 65kg – Rocco Pulling (Track and Fitness) beat Jamie Smith (Sporting Ring) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A Under 72kg – Tobias Taylor (New Saints) beat Jack Morgan (Technique) by a RSC.
Male Class B Under 34kg – Jorge Thompson (Middlesbrough) beat Jack Hayes (Seacroft) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 38.5kg – Patrick Cunningham (Powerday Hooks) beat John Doran (Heart of Portsmouth) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 45kg – Elise Stride (Seacroft) beat Alys Moffat (Empire) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 44.5kg – Jake Brown (Olympian) beat Tommy Boylan (Rosehill) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 48kg – Liam Davie (Jimmy Egan’s) beat Joe Penfold (Weston Warriors) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 52kg – William Howard (Rainham) beat Tony Saunders (Chadwell St Mary) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 56kg – Bradley Smith (Bishop Auckland) beat Stephen Chadwick (Lee Jones) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 60kg – Libby Frost (Beartown) beat Scarlett Bewick (Wearmouth) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 65kg – John Valler (Pinewood) beat Raegan Adamson (TGs) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 72kg – John Joe Carrigan (Border City) beat Drew Doherty (Tommy Coyle) by a unanimous decision.
Ring C
Female Cadet Under 32kg – Dollie Fellows (Hall Green) beat Leah Paylor (Wimborne) by a split decision.
Female Cadet Under 36kg – Ruby Ferguson (Golden Ring) beat Nevaeh Brierly (Tigers) by a RSC.
Male Cadet Under 38kg – Billy Kane Watts (Repton) beat Brayden Dyer (2nd City) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet Under 42kg – Yashua Fleming (TM Boxing) beat Luke Moore (Henry’s) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet Under 46kg – Harvey Salomino (Hebden Bridge) beat David Reed (Pinewood) by a unanimous decision.
Male Cadet Under 50kg – Alfie Donnison (Aintree) beat Keenan O’Connor (Derby City) by a unanimous decision.
Female Cadet Under 56kg – Darcy Cooper (Wimborne) beat Siobhan Haley (Hunslet) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 30kg – Jamie Preston (Rotunda) beat Morgan Skyme (Wiseman) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class A Under 36kg – Layla Straughan (North Star) beat Kianah Roper (Wimborne) by a RSC.
Male Class A Under 38.5kg – Isaac Rye (Phil Thomas) beat Johnny Connors (West Ham) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 41.5kg – Humza Malik (Repton) beat Patrick Purcell (Pleck) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class A Under 44.5kg – Trey King (Mikey’s) beat Benny Tokeley (West Ham) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 48kg – Charles Leason (St Paul’s) beat Paddy McDonagh (White Hart Lane) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 52kg – Tom Connors (Synwell) beat Louie Kennedy (Salisbury) by a RSC.
Male Class A Under 56kg – Johnny Crittenden (Pinewood) beat Cianan Campbell (Islington) by a split decision.
Female Class A Under 60kg – Lexi Walker (Great Wyrley) beat Demi-Rose Greenidge (Finchley) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class A Under 67kg – Elsie May Kennedy (Tenterden) beat Shannon Warren (Acocks Green) by a split decision.
Male Class A Under 105kg – Sereno Denham (Prospects) beat Freddie Simon (Prospects) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 35.5kg – Mobeen Hussain (True Boxing) beat Denny Moore (West Kingsdown) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 40kg – Eddie Doherty (Sporting Ring) beat Ashten Dwyer (Accrington Lions) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 42kg – Jolie Hopkins (Canvey) beat Dolly Sambrook (Hoddesdon) by a split decision.
Male Class B Under 46kg – Mohammad Safari (The Ring) beat Dylan Gray (District Youth) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 51kg – Natcha Danielsen (Wirral CP) beat Champ Cuddy-Thomas (Finchley) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 54kg – Imogen French (North Road) beat Jackie Webster (Attleborough) by a split decision.
Female Class B Under 57kg – Grace Massey (Impact) beat Demi Jackson (Wednesbury) by a unanimous decision.
Male Class B Under 62kg – Kevin Richardson (Houghton) beat Teo Miles (Barton Hill) by a unanimous decision.
Female Class B Under 67kg – Rubi Smallwood (Macclesfield) beat Lily Simmons (Arena) by a RSC.
Male Class B Under 76kg – Leo Atang (Legions) beat Georgie Ives (West Ham) by a unanimous decision.
Lead photo shows: Jackie Webster (Attleborough, blue) v Imogen French (North Road, red)
Courtesy of England Boxing
