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Merridale count another two champions

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Merridale Boxing Club have added another two national champions to their roll of honour after the England Junior Championships.

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Fighters from the Wolverhampton-based gym have now claimed six national titles in just over three years of existence, writes Craig Birch.

A successful 2015 saw Simran Kaur, Conna Hincks and Conah Walker all sample glory in England Boxing club competition. Akash Tuqir added another in February.

And Kaur has made it two crowns in succession stepping up from the Schools competition for this year, along with a first national accolade for Kara Murray.

The Juniors reached their climax at Birtley Boys Boxing Club in Gateshead with two divisions separated by age, one encompassing 2000-2001 born entrants and another solely for 2001.

Kaur and Murray - the latter by TKO - claimed belts on the day with coach and mentor Khalid Hussain in their corner.

The Juniors reached their climax at Birtley Boys Boxing Club in Gateshead with two divisions separated by age, one encompassing 2000-2001 born entrants and another solely for 2001.

Undefeated Kaur had previously featured in the semi-final, her Juniors bow, making it eight straight wins with an unanimous points victory over Scunthorpe's Demi Cox at Birtley.

The experienced Chloe Watson, from Birkenhead Venture in Merseyside, awaited her in the national final over three, three minute rounds at 48kg in the 2000-01 girls section.

Kaur made great use of her height advantage to work off a long jab and see out the distance, the cards needed to decide a winner. Her hand was raised on a split decision.

Murray, boxing her first bout in the tournament at the final hurdle, took less than a round to remove Elisha Mannouch, from Swale Gloves in Kent, at 60kg in the same age class.

A big back-hand to the face left Mannouch answering a standing count with just 30 seconds of the contest gone.

Murray went after hell for leather after her, trying to force the finish heading up to the minute mark, and forced the referee's intervention for a second and last time.

Another former Schools boss, Jerry Mongan from Priory Park from Dudley, had to settle for being runner-up at 42kg in the male 2001 boys 'cadet' class.

Mongan, a national titlist last year, couldn't repeat the trick against William Oliphant, from Repton in London. Boxing his fourth bout in the tournament, he was defeated unanimously.

Kaur and Murray can now expect to box for England in the Junior Three Nations, with Wales the host nation over the Bank Holiday weekend.

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