TOO GOOD FOR GOMEZ

Andy Whittle reports from ringside as Kelly earns a comprehensive victory

I WONDERED if there was the potential for a fairly close encounter when Plymouth’s

Christian Hoskin Gomez went in over eight with popular local Ryan Kelly on this Tommy Owens promotion at Villa Park. Gomez never shows up just to make up the numbers, but he was well and truly bested by Kelly, who was so dominant at the finish that referee Kevin Parker scored the closing session 10-8, the final result being 80-71.

A pair of fours refereed by Shaun Messer finished in shutout 40-36 wins for Lee Gunter and Sean Daly. Cannock’s Gunter triumphed over Blackburn’s Naheem Chaudhry. Meanwhile, Daly, from Burntwood, replicated the feat against Islington’s Jordan Grannum.

Mr Messer was also in charge of the four between Redditch’s Carl Dickens and Stourbridge’s Cameroon-born Emmanuel

Moussinga. The bout was won 39-37 by Moussinga, whose heavy hooks took their toll.

There seemed something missing from the performance of Brummie Marcus Ffrench, while at the same time there appeared a little extra pizzazz from Melksham’s Liam Richards. The two factors combined to ensure just a point separated the pair, with Ffrench nicking it 39-38 for Mr Messer.

Gateshead’s Gary Reeve registered a rare win when Birmingham’s Reiss Taylor, who had already been counted in the opener, was dropped heavily in the second. Mr Parker rightly waved it off at 0-28.

Tamworth’s Tommy Silcox sent Portsmouth’s Andrew Ponsford to one knee for the duration of Mr Messer’s count with 67 seconds of their four-rounder remaining.