Express & Star

Trio take their next step in the Juniors

Three hopefuls go for a place in the England Junior Championships area final on Sunday - while another seven are already through to the West Midlands decider.

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Donnington are the host club for the next two weekends as the regional semi-finals and then final take place at the Telford district's Sports & Social Club.

The second national tournament on the unpaid calendar for 2016 continues with two divisions separated by age, one encompassing 2000-2001 born entrants and another solely for 2001.

Lewis Morris, from Richie Carter's Golden Gloves gym in Wolverhampton, joins Rhamatullah Sher, of Lions in Dudley, and Rugeley Police's Oliver Cooper for the line-up this weekend.

Morris is at 50kg in the combined 2000-01 class, stepping through the ropes with Coventry Boys' Zunid Patel. The winner will take on Warley's Owen Brown, writes Craig Birch.

Brown was one of the few action at Donnington in the first round last week, seeing off Wellington Boxing Academy's Hamza Hussain on a points split decision.

Cooper is in a four-pronged 52kg and takes on Liam McCarthy, of Bell Green in Coventry. Aston's Hubaish Khan and Tom Ward, from Tom Lowe in Stoke-on-Trent, contest the other semi-final.

Sher is at 54kg against Tom Lowe's Wesley Griffiths, with Bulkington's Leonard Hughes lying in wait for the victor.

A host of Black Country fighters will compete for area honours at the same venue the following Sunday, with James Mongan keeping the family name and Priory Park Boxing Club alive in the competition.

Older brother Jerry was a surprise first round exit, the European bronze medallist going out at 63kg unanimously to Worcester City's Owen Cooper.

But sibling James, a former Schools champion himself, will vie with Steven Dowling, from Hall Green in Birmingham, for area glory at 46kg in the 2001 class on his Junior debut.

The stylish Raheem Mohammed, coming out of Merridale in Wolverhampton, awaits the winner of a 48kg box-off between Anthony Wilson and Richmond Ricardo.

Wednesbury's Jevan Johal boxes a straight West Midlands final at 52kg, too, and will go up against Josh Finch, from Clearys in Leamington Spa.

Rugeley's Myles Basford has already made an impact at 54kg, a second round stoppage of Merridale's Muin Khan enough for him to walk over to the national stages.

Walsall Wood's Hamzah Ahmed laces on the gloves next weekend at 57kg, going up against either Atherstone's Jack Booker or Birmingham City's Mickey-Lee Broughton.

Shaun Rutherford, who has moved from Walsall Wood to Wodensborough, is one fight away from a West Midlands title at 66kg in the 2000-01 ranks.

Rutherford came from behind on the cards to dump out Worcester City's George Butler on a never-say-die split decision in the first round.

He will now look to repeat the trick when he jostles against either Stratford's Jordan Lee or George Smith, from D & A in Birmingham.

Merridale's Conna Hincks, the reigning England Junior Development champion, faces old rival Brandon Pinnick at 70kg.

'The Bradley Bullet' - from Bilston - scored a National Association of Girls & Boys Club win over Pinnock, from Christ the King in Coventry, last season.

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