North East girls have a hand in making history

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT INAUGURAL ENGLAND WOMEN’S WINTER BOX CUP

DANNY WOODS won the Area USL 75kg belt and was voted Best Senior Boxer on District Youth’s Ross Irwin Memorial Night at the Top Club in Washington. TYNE girls Savannah Stubley and Amie Clarke created history with superb victories at the inaugural England Boxing Women’s Winter Box Cup held in Urmston, Manchester.

Stubley, of Blyth’s Empire School of Boxing, snatched a significant split decision against Repton’s Maisie Courtney, a fellow England international, at 54kgs in the youth categary.

Savannah not only claimed gold but was voted Best Youth Boxer, a terrific double.

Meanwhile Clarke, from the hugely-successful Birtley club, stormed to triumph when the referee stepped in to prevent Pamela King (Felbridge and East Grinstead) shipping further punishment in the Elite C 57kg Group B final.

The North East produced further winners at the UK’s first allfemale event with Lambton Street’s Simone Thompson and Sinead O’Neil representing the Tyne, Tees and Wear Golden Girls having their arms raised.

In the junior section Courtney Scott underlined her class by stepping up two weights and still claiming a gold medal in the junior A 60kg Group A final.

The European junior champion and Headland ABC boxer from Hartlepool secured a unanimous points victory over Kamile Poskauskyte and was rewarded with the Best Junior Boxer belt. The two-day championships mark a major breakthrough in the development of women’s boxing. Another Headland representative, teenager Sadie Thomas, took part in a significant final when her opponent Shona Whitwell marked her first competitive bout in 15 months by winning the Best Elite Boxer belt.

The St Ives Boxing Academy girl faced a stern test in the shape of penned by local writer Peter Mann and is released on December 17. The book, which features interviews with the fghter’s former stablemates, opponents and family, also contains the thoughts of Kellie Maloney (formerly Frank Maloney, the ex-boxing England Commonwealth Youth Games representative Sadie in the Group A final of the Elite A 60kg category - but she demonstrated she had lost none of her class by winning a unanimous points decision against her younger opponent.

Winner of the Most Promising Elite Boxer trophy was Ileana Ingram, who represented Aston ABC in the Elite B at 69kg and overcame a tough final opponent in Houghton District’s Kerry Haley to register a split-decision victory.

Leading other notable successes among the Elites was GB Women development boxer Omarah Taylor, who defeated TTW Golden Girls’ Hannah Shields on a split decision at Elite A 69kg.

North East boxer Paige Risker made history by taking part in the first final of the country’s first allfemale event.

Unfortunately the Tyne, Tees and Wear Golden Girls fighter was stopped by Courtney Partridge (Chadwell St Mary’s) in the Junior B 48kg section. promoter-manager) affording an insight into the rise of the Edmondsleyborn fighter Dickinson to the top of British boxing.

Published by Britain’s Next Bestseller, pre-orders for ‘Cruising to Glory’ can be made via https://amzn. to/2RLSrfZ

■■BENWELL VICTORIA are hosting a club show at the Scotswood Social Club tomorrow night.

The two-day championships mark a major breakthrough in the development of women’s boxing