Schools prospects prepare for next test

The Schools stops while the England Elite Championships reaches its climax in Liverpool over the next two weekends, writes Craig Birch.

The West Midlands finals will take place on Sunday May 8, with the Newdigate Social Club in Bedworth picked as the next venue.

Three divisions are separated by age in the Schools ranging from the 'minors' (fighters born 2004), Class A (2003) and Class B (2002). Bouts are over three, one-and-a-half minute rounds.

Box-offs whittle down the entrants when there are more than two at the weight, with random draws deciding on bouts and byes when there is an odd number of fighters in one category.

Some box-offs will be needed on Lions' club show at the Copthorne Hotel in Dudley on May 5, as they were in Birmingham 24 hours after the opening phase.

Shropshire's Donnington Boxing Club staged the first regional round at the Telford district's Sports & Social Club, on Turreff Avenue.

The only 'minors' bout on the day came at 38.5kg, where Pleck's Hamza Ali exited as Donnington's Jenson Bagnall prevailed with a unanimous points win.

There were byes at 40kg for Lions' Osman Mohammed and Kiane McDermott, also from Dudley and fighting out of Brooklands, at 44.5kg.

Class A's first clash came at Donnington in the 34kg ranks where Wednesbury's Brindley Smith defeated Connor Jones, from Priory Park in Dudley, unanimously.

Smith had a box-off the following day, too, at the Irish Centre in Birmingham where he repeated the same verdict over Great Wyrley's Bradley Jukes.

Walsall Wood's Amman Khan featured at 35.5kg, but was downed unanimously by Tamworth's Morgan Brayton.

Wood were again thwarted at 37kg with Kyle Chumber, from Merridale in Wolverhampton, winning unanimously against Kane Reynolds.

Chumber then negotiated his Digbeth box-off with another unanimous success, this time over Worcester City's Layton Butler. He next has Ahmed Baker, from Small Heath in Birmingham.

Club-mate Haaver Tazeem will join him at 39.5kg, after rolling over Great Wyrley's Luke Palmer unanimously. Alfie Satchwell, from Bell Green in Coventry, now lies in wait.

Three fights took place at a packed 40kg, with Tamworth's Simon Doherty seeing off Mitchell Debbard, from Rectory in Sutton Coldfield, on a split decision.

That was a quarter-final, as was the contest between Merridale's Armaan Aziz and Donnington's Will Price. Aziz vanquished him unanimously.

The last 40kg offering was a semi-final affair between Wednesbury's Rio Edwards and Priory Park's Nick Manton, which the latter took on a split.

Aziz, after overcoming Doherty unanimously in a Digbeth box-off, opposed him on a Warley club show last Friday night. He would record a third Schools success unanimously.

Manton bowed out of the competition as a result, with Aziz now looking to keep his momentum going against Bell Green's Dhirren Kumar in the area final.

Benefiting from byes straight through to the national stages were Wood's Hamza Uddin (31kg) and John Boy Williamson (46kg), along with Wednesbury's Gurpreet Mann (32.5kg).

Also walking over were Merridale duo Awais Ali (41.5kg) and Imaan Khan (48kg), but both have been paired for the West Midlands final.

Ali will step through the ropes with Lewis Gaskin, from Triumph in Coventry, while Khan faces Dylan Cogan, of Birmingham's Hall Green.

The Black Country's only female entrant in Class A is Priory Park's Bethany Fieldhouse at 52kg, who walks over the area rounds with no opponent to box.

Class B began with a 37kg bout at Donnington, where Brooklands' Harry Conlan bowed out unanimously to Tamworth's Kyle Berwick.

Pleck's Haider Hanif did get through at 43kg, on a split against the home club's Finley Davies. Hanif will now go toe-to-toe with Davien Daniels, from Eastside in Birmingham.

Wednesbury's Bradley Smith was eliminated at 50kg by a Shropshire lad in Aaron Wall, from the Len Woodhall Community Club in Telford, on a split.

Wall had to go again the following day, too, in a Digbeth box-off. Again, he won on a split, this time against Pleck's Spencer Hurst.

Two more outings completed the action at Donnington. Gulraj Powar, from Richie Carter's Golden Gloves in Wolverhampton, beat Wednesbury's Reece Collett on a split at 52kg.

Powar faces one more hurdle to bring area honours back to his Bushbury-based gym with Cameron Ward, from Exhall in Coventry, his next test.

Michael O'Toole, from William Perry in Tipton, took on Donnington's Amir Abbas in the final bout and was defeated unanimously at 54kg.

Wood's Aiden Stanley didn't box on the day at 44.5kg, but will have to oppose either one or both out of Eastside's Joseph Collins and Jay Plant, from Tom Lowe in Stoke-on-Trent.

Wood's Morgan Bartlett is waiting to met Huey Malone, from Christ the King in Coventry, at 48kg while Wodensborough's Cole Lee has the Jewellery Quarter's Mason Passey at 59kg.

Benefitting from byes through to the national stages were Wednesbury's Jagbir Mann (40kg) and, in the female ranks at 40kg, the Right Stuff in Stafford have put forward Chloe Bastock.