Fifth national title for deadly Daina
ENNISKERRY’S golden girl Daina Moorehouse picked up her fifth All Ireland title on Saturday in the National Stadium.
Two-time European champion Daina defeated Palmerstown’s Roisin Brady unanimously 5-0. The atmosphere during the bout was extraordinary as the stadium fell silent as all eyes turned to watch the contest.
In her first bout since taking the Youth European title, Daina displayed the full repertoire of her skills and movement. Her explosiveness meant she was repeatedly landing scoring punches to both the body and headguard of her game opponent.
The win was also noteworthy as it was Daina’s second All Ireland title of 2018 as she had previously won the U18 title. On Saturday, Daina (16) stepped in at Girl 6 to face an opponent of the same age.
Coach Paul O’Toole is giving Daina a few days off before she resumes training and a trip to train in Cuba for two weeks as she aims to win a World title in Budapest in August.
There will be no rest as Enniskerry’s champion joins the High-Performance team for intensive training camps in Abbotstown over the summer.
Meanwhile another of Paul’s proteges, coach Eve Carr is currently coaching with the national team at the European School Boy and Girl’s Championships in Albena, Bulgaria. The boys have secured five bronze at least at this stage and the girls four bronze and five silver at least at the time of going to print.
“The club continue to be indebted to Tom and Donal Egan as they continue to work with Bray MD and Wicklow County Council to find a permanent home,” said club secretary Eamonn Carr who is hoping that a suitable home can be found before the new season begins in late August.
“The situation continues to be stressful for the club. We hope Daina can return as World champion to a permanent base.
“As we operate on a voluntary basis we want to put all our resources into our young members. We have huge talent coming through and we hope to see them achieving their full potential. We are actively seeking sponsorship (contact Eamonn on 087 63555608) to help Daina and her family train and travel to support her in Hungary. The club are extremely grateful to Fightstore Ireland who are sponsoring Daina’s sports gear,” he added.