Gold for Cashen Vale’s Sayers and McElligott at National Schoolboys

CASHEN Vale boxers Donnacha Sayers and Aaron McElligott from Kilflynn won gold and silver medals respectively at the prestigious National Schoolboy Championships in Dublin last week. It was one of the finest performances from the two Kerry boxers in recent years.

In his Boy 2 41.5kg quarter-final Sayers beat John Donoghue (Olympic) 4-1 and then accounted for Damien Aibolga (Arklow) 3-2 in the semi-final. In Saturday’s final Sayers had another comfortable 4-1 victory over beat Aidan McSorley (Two Castles) to take the title.

McElligott, competing in the Boy 3 65kg category, beat Eoin Finglas (Tredagh) 5-0 in his semi-final but was beaten in Saturday’s final by Dillon Maher (Castlebar) on a 4-1 scorecard.

Sayers was on his second trip to the Stadium. Last year he lost on a split decision but this time he would not be denied. McElligott has achieved several boxing successes during the past two years, including a National Boy 2 title in 2016.

Both boxers will be hopeful for the opportunity to compete in the National Cadet Championships next June. This competition opens new doors, including the European Schoolboy Championships in July.

These youthful boxers are members of the Cashen Vale Boxing team, and are coached by veteran trainer Patrick O’Brien in Ballybunion.