Duo knocked out of ABA Schoolboys

James Beech and George Battenbough bowed out of the ABA Schoolboys national championships in the quarter-finals at the weekend.

Beech, the Brownhills Comprehensive School pupil from Pleck ABC, lost the last two rounds and the contest to High Fell ABC's Jeffrey Nesham yesterday afternoon.

And, on Saturday, Aston ABC's Battenbough's first year in the competition came to an end with a defeat to Peter Smith, of Darlington ABC.

The Manchester Boxing Centre of Excellence staged the event for the second weekend running as the Midlands Counties went up against the Tyne, Tees and Wear region.

In Class Three – boxers born in 1997 – Beech went up against Nesham in a cagey bout at 48kg that eventually went against him by a point, 7-6.

The two were dead level after the first round, 1-1, and Nesham appeared to be unsure whether he had taken the second session but he had, 3-2.

That made Nesham come forward in round three and, although his punches weren't always accurate, it was enough to convince the judges to hand him the result.

Battenbough was already out after his undefeated record went with a loss to Smith in Class One – boxers born in 1999 – at 38kg.

The Cardinal Wiseman School student has been a notoriously slow starter and found himself down after each of the first two rounds, 5-1 and 12-3.

As has been the case, Battenbough picked up in the last session but the judges still gave Smith the round and the contest by a harsh score, 17-3.