Arklow hosts Leinsters

A huge crowd attended this very prestigious event that was held in Arklow Boxing Club last weekend.

Sixteen semi-finals and one final were decided at the Leinster Girls Championships on Sunday last. 134 girls from all the clubs in Leinster weighed in for the championships.

Local girl Amber, boxing at 47kg, won by a split decision beating Aoife Williams from Curragh, mostly using her left jab.

Three local girls will now contest the finals next Saturday. Amber will be joined by Tegan Farrell and Katie Toomey.

Leanne Doyle and Natalie Byrne received walk overs in their categories.

The one final on the day was won by Emma Nolan of Sacre Couer who beat Sharina Dinnegan of the Elite BC. Wicklow County Council Chairman Pat Fitzgerald presented gold and silver medals to the two girls.

39 finals will box off next Saturday, starting at 11am and will run until finished. There will be no boxing on Sunday as previously advertised.

In other not so good news, two Arklow boxers were what can only be described as robbed out of their semi-final and final on Thursday and Friday in the national Boy 1, 2 and 3 Championships in the national Stadium.

Damien Abiloga was beaten on a 3-2 split decision to Donnacha Syers of Cashen Vale BC. Any fair-minded people there were aghast that Damien lost and worse to come on Friday night when Andrei Kulachenko won all three rounds hands down but lost again on an unbelievable split decision to Calum McGillan of Sacred Heart BC.

Computer scoring must be brought back to combat unfair decisions.

Arklow boxers were not the only boxers to get bad decisions in the championships.

All people are asking for is fair play. But that is not happening.