Report from the 2012 GB Youth Championships held in Liverpool on 15&16 June 2012;
Coaches :- Mike Keane, Joe Ham, Ray Gibson.
Team Manager – Willie Burns
R&J :-Abby Hills, George Brown, Willie Burns.
Boxers :- Jack Turner, Reece McFadden, Craig McIntyre, Sam Ball, Fraser Gorn, Bobby Morrell, Cameron New, Ryan McCutcheon, Scott McCormack, Mark McKeown, James Dickie, Lee McPhail, Grant Quigley, Scott Forrest, Adam Murdoch,
The team traveled down by Coach which departed Edinburgh at 10am on Thursday 14 June 2012 with an additional 2 pick-up points in the West. After around 3 hours driving the team had a comfort break and weighed all to ensure there were issues. The team arrived at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool in Liverpool at approximately 5pm.
All Boxers were again weighed and then had some dinner around 7.30pm. Following dinner at 9.00pm, the boxers took part in a very light workout to loosen up after the long journey ready to box the next day.
Friday 15 June 2012
7.00am – Weigh in and Medical – All Scottish boxers made weigh although Reece McFadden felt unwell and was withdrawn.
9.30 am – With the exception of Mark McKeown (bye) and Scott Forrest (straight final) all our boxers had a semi final bout to contest on day one following the draw. Furthermore all the Scottish boxers with semi-final bouts were competing against English opposition..
11.00am The team bus left for Everton Sports Centre which was around 10 minutes drive from the hotel
1995 Boxers
Jack Turner v H Horn – this was a decent display from Jack who gave a good account of himself against the more experienced Horn who won 11-4.
Craig McIntyre v J Rann – Craig boxed well and although he knows he can do better still won on countback to go through to the finals.
Sam Ball v T Gibbs – Sam got off to a good start throwing good combinations to the body and the head. He was never behind in the contest and ran out a worthy winner by 18-10 to progress to the final.
Fraser Gorn v Isaac McLeod (G.B. Development Boxer) – Fraser had a decent start to the bout and we were a little surprised to see him behind after the first round. Although the contest looked close in the other two rounds Fraser lost by 13-6 which was not a true reflection on how close the contest was.
Bobby Morrell v S McDonagh – Bobby tried hard to pin down his opponent but he was too elusive for him and was counter punching Bobby as he came forward. McDonagh’s experience showed and Bobby lost by 21-8.
Cameron New v J Branch – Cameron found it difficult against the much more experienced Branch and although beaten 18-3 he will certainly learn from the experience.
1994 Boxers
Ryan McCutcheon v O Simpson – This was a decent display from Ryan but again his opponent was just a bit ahead of him throughout the contest and Ryan lost by 20-9.
Scott McCormack v G McDonagh – This was probably Scott’s best bout to date. He pushed forward the whole contest and threw a phenomenal amount of punches. He showed great determination, a will to win and stamina in winning 21-19 and progressing through to the final.
James Dickie v J Kelly – James was up against it from the start against the slick moving counter punching Englishman. James never gave up trying but lost by 27-5.
Lee McPhail v L Saunders – Lee was boxing against one of the most experienced of the English Squad and struggled to get to grips from the opening bell. He gave a great account of himself but the experience of his opponent was just too much with the referee stopping the contest in the 3rd round.
Grant Quigley v K Miah – Grant was never behind in the contest and dictated from the first round with good combinations of Body and Head punching. There was very little the Englishman could do in reply and Grant ran out a worthy winner by 34-14.
Adam Murdoch v H Fury – Adam gave his opponent far too much respect in the 1st round but then believed he could possibly win and stepped up the pace in round 2 and 3. He performed well for his first international and will learn from this although he lost by 13-8.
Saturday 16 June 2012
1995 Boxers
Craig McIntyre v C French (Eng) – Craig gave a good account of himself but knows he can do better and allowed his opponent to dictate the contest. He never gave up but was always playing catch up and was defeated 16-8.
Sam Ball v T Cheesman (Eng) – This was an absolute cracker of a contest and probably the best of the tournament. The two boxers wouldn’t give an inch and punched themselves to a standstill. There was never much in the bout from start to finish and at the end of the thriller the decision was 33-29 for Sam which also earned him a standing ovation from the crowd.
1994 Boxers
Scott McCormack v T Wilson (Eng) – Scott employed similar tactics to his semi-final but the Englishman was not going to stand still and counter punched Scott effectively. It was a great performance from the tired Scott but he was defeated 22-14.
Mark McKeown V R Najib (Eng) – It was a case of who had the biggest will to win in this contest with neither boxer wanting to take a backward step which in turn resulted in a hard contest for both Boxers. Mark was never behind but the danger was always there with the determined Englishman always pushing forward at every opportunity. Mark deservedly won by 25-17 but it was far from easy.
Grant Quigley V A Bird (Wales). This proved to be a very untidy bout with Bird insistent on holding Grant from the first bell to the last. Grant was very frustrated and pushed his opponent off a number of times. Grant got himself a public warning for pushing but the Welsh boxer possibly should have been given one at the same time for persistent holding. The scoring was also debatable and it looked that Grant was always in front even with the warning. At this stage Bird had received 2 public warnings for holding but the bout went to a countback and the Welsh boxer got the decision 15-14.
Scott Forrest v S Woodhall (Eng) – Scott boxed well and never looked to be out of it right up to the final round. He threw effective power punches and combinations whenever he could. The Englishman boxed mainly on the back foot and was countering Scott as he came forward. This resulted in a good contest overall which Scott narrowly lost 17-12.
Overall Scotland should be happy with 2 Gold and 4 Silver Medals from this tournament however it could have been 3 golds given Grant Quigley’s performance.
The overall experience of the English Team showed throughout the weekend but the Scottish team did itself proud with some great performances – especially Sam Ball.
