TEAM REPORT:

Thursday 2nd November:

Arrive Gothenburg

Friday 3rd November:

0900:- Weigh in & Doctor 1400:- Coaches Meeting

Due to the ABA ruling that we could only box once in the tournament over the weekend the matching fell in our favour with AB Zoë Young (HMS COLLINGWOOD) 50kg Class C boxing Friday, AET Sam Thompson (RNAS CULDROSE) 54kg Class C on the Saturday and the straight finals of POPT Donna Humphries (HMS NEPTUNE) 57kg Class B and Lt Lucy O’Connor (HMS NELSON) 54kg Class A on the Sunday.

Zoë Young in her first bout weighed in at 50kg class C senior and was pitched against a taller, rangier Norwegian girl. Both started strong with Zoë being the aggressor, but the longer range of the Norwegian girl kept picking Zoë off on her way out of range.
The bout was very evenly matched and a fantastic performance by Zoë on her boxing debut leaving nothing at all behind in the ring working 100% for all 3 rounds. Alas though the points decision went to the Norway girl.

Saturday 4th November:

0900:- Weigh-in

Sam Thompson in her first bout back for 2 years weighed in at 54kg class C senior and was matched up with a Swedish girl of equal size and range. Both started strong in the first round and came out at the end of it equal. The second round started well with Sam upping the work rate and taking the second round. We knew the Swedish girl would have to press in the third but Sam’s fitness and aggression paid off and she was announced the victor at the end of the bout. Due to the 1 bout rule given by the ABA the Swedish girl progressed to the next round.

Sunday 6th November:

0900:- Weigh-in

Donna boxed first against a strong aggressive Danish girl who overwhelmed with her come forward strategy. Donna worked her jab well and caught the Dane with her rear hand on a few occasions but was smothered by the Danish girl’s style for most of the bout. Donna’s fitness kept her work rate up and her punches going but couldn’t find her way through the Danes guard and style. In the end the result went to the Danish girl with Donna receiving a Silver medal.

Last but not least to box was Lucy pitched against a similar sized Swedish girl. Both started strong and getting to grips with each others styles throwing flurries of punches in the first round. The second round started were the first finished with both boxers working well off the jab, switching attack and throwing great combinations. The third round was where Lucy’s fitness, aggressive style and punch power came to flourish as she stormed through the Swede taking a well deserved unanimous point’s decision and a gold medal.

All in all a very successful tournament with 2 winners and 2 runner-ups and though only 1 gold and 1 silver medal was awarded all the ladies were winners not only gaining great experience of different boxing cultures and styles but also well needed bouts to get rid of the ring rust ahead of the upcoming national championships in December.

The event was also a great learning experience in organising the whole trip. Learning about the administration involved, searching out the relative funding, flights, accommodation and travel. I gained valuable experience in seeing the whole tournament set-up, the way foreign coaches and boxers prepare and conduct themselves and also had a baptism of fire were lady boxers are concerned.

A big thank you to those involved in allowing the Ladies Team this fantastic experience.

Not since the post war visit of King George VI in 1947 has South Africa welcomed a Royal Navy Boxing team to their shores. HMS Vanguard, having escorted the Monarch and his family, challenged the Western Cape in the ring only to be matched against the 'strongest possible opponents making the contest disappointingly uneven' according to the Naval Review. 64 years on, the Royal Navy Boxing Team travelled to the Cape on tour with a chance to settle an old score. After a few days of acclimatisation and training, the Royal Navy Team embarked on it's first boxing show against opponents from the Western Cape. The show was hosted in Michell's Plain, the largest township in South Africa and saw a total of seven bouts on the programme many of which included Western Cape champions. AB Glen Coe (HMS Illustrious) opened the proceedings with a fast paced bout vs T. Mbangata (W.Province). Flurries of punches were thrown by both boxers from the initial to the final bell. This captivating bout proved a fitting opener, with Coe awarded a close points decision. Mne 'Sal' Salero (42 Cdo) faced R. Richards (W.Province) in the second contest. From the outset Salero smothered his opponent with strong combination punches not allowing him a single retort. Switching his shots from head to the body the marine overpowered and outclassed his foe, forcing the referee to end the contest in the opening round. This show of naval strength continued into the next contest. ET(ME) Anthony Smith faced C. Kwababama (W. Province) and once again dominated from the first bell. Raining shots upon his opponent the referee was forced to deliver a count to the home town boxer only to be saved by the bell at the end of the first round. Smith landed some sickening body shots early in the second round, taking the wind from his opponent and leaving him unable to continue, forcing an impressive stoppage win. The stoppages continued into the latter half of the competition with Mne Loui Walker (FPGRM) out-boxing W. Mhungwan (W. Province). With devastating combinations from the outset the marine stopped his bemused opponent in the second round. In the heavyweight contest AET R Price (849Sqn) was troubled initially by the strong attacking boxing of D Okoejuale (W. Province). With a cool head and an extremely mature performance, Price rode the initial storm, cleverly holding and turning his opponent when required. Waiting for the perfect opportunity, Price took a half pace back as his foe charged and landed a flush rear hand which KO'd his opponent. Finally the only female bout to be contested saw Lt Lucy O'Connor (RN) face the South African bantamweight champion A. Madikane (W. Province). From the bell the naval officer started fast, throwing quick combinations and phased attacks, forcing her opponent onto the back foot. Dominating comfortably throughout the remaining contest O'Connor cruised to a comfortable unanimous points decision. The overwhelming success of the evening saw the Royal Navy Boxing Team crowned unarguable victors winning all seven contests, four by way of stoppage. It was a great start to the boxing tour and perhaps went some way to redeeming the result in 1947. A short period of rest and recuperation allowed the squad to enjoy the beautiful Southern Cape. Table Mountain, shark diving and wine tasting were experienced by the touring party. There were also plenty of possibilities to engage with the local community. The team visited the townships and boxing clubs, teaching the local children and adults to box, enjoying great hospitality the boxers experienced true South African culture. Before long it was back to business as the boxers prepared for their second show. This time the navy boxers faced South African all comers and after the whitewash of the first show, it was bound to be a tougher test. The second show was held at Wynberg Military Base and saw nine hotly contested bouts. The opening two bouts were enthralling contests. LPT Gareth Smith (BRNC) took his opponent M. Donker (Cape Town) to the trenches winning on a close points decision. In the same vein, AET Jake Beer (RNAS Culdrose) had a 'tear up' with the local favourite S. Bam (W. Province). Practically folding his opponent in half with body shots at times, Beer showed great determination and heart but lost on a close points decision to the cute local favourite. The undoubted star of the show was AB Joel Kirby (HMS Nelson). Facing a vastly more experienced foe A. Mohlabia (Cape Town), the navy boxer gave a mature performance which far surpassed his experience. Keeping his opponent at long range and counter boxing to perfection, Kirby ended the bout in the third round with a looping body shot which dropped the local boxer to the canvas and from which he was unable to recover. Kirby success was even more impressive when it was revealed that Mohlabia was an international boxer, and is presently in contention for Olympic selection in 2012. Top of the bill was once again AET Richie Price. Facing M Malumba (Cape Town) worryingly nicknamed 'Big Bang' who was a mountain of a man, Price had to keep on his toes. An enthralling bout eschewed with heavy shots being landed and well taken by both boxers, the entire crowd was on its feet throughout the contest proving a fitting end to a show full of exceptional boxing quality. At the final bell the result was destined to be close, but the judges awarded a majority decision to the Royal Navy boxer securing a 7-2 victory overall for the visiting team. After a fortnight in South Africa, the Royal Navy Boxing Team can be rightly proud of their phenomenal performance in the ring. From a total of 16 bouts the Navy were victorious in 14, a particularly respectable achievement given the equal effort placed into the rest and recuperation opportunities whilst there. The Royal Navy Coach, POPT Stu O'Connor, was pleased with his team, 'I'm extremely proud of the performances and the professionalism demonstrated by the boxers throughout this tour, it has been a fantastic experience and I'd like to thank the South African Boxing Federation for it's overwhelming hospitality.' This tour was only made possible by the hard work of Lt Doug 'Doug' Wylie (Tour Manager), the financial contributions of the Sports Lottery and Vesty Foods and the Royal Navy Boxers would like to thank all those who made such a successful and memorable tour possible. Full results: RN v Western Province (Michell's Plain) (57kg) AB G Coe bt T Mbangata pts, (57kg) Mne C Salero bt R. Richards rsc1, (63.5kg) ET(ME) A Smith bt C Kwababama rsc2, (67kg) Mne L Walker bt W Mhungwan RSC2, (54kg) Lt L O'Connor bt A Madikane pts, (75kg) Mne J Gardiner bt T Malahla pts, (91kg) AET R Price bt D Okoejuale rsc1 RN vs SA All Comers (54kg) LPT G Smith bt M Donker pts, (57kg) S Bam bt AET J Beer pts, (57kg) L Iikazana bt Mne C Salero pts, (63.5kg) ET(ME) A Smith bt W Mlungwan RSC 1, (67kg) Mne L Walker bt A Whiteboy pts, (75kg) Mne J Gardiner bt T Khumalo pts, (75kg) LPT I Phillips bt S Newton pts, (75kg) AB J Kirby bt A Mohlabia rsc3, (91kg) AET R Price bt M Malumba pts.

The Combined Services Team faced the London region in the quarter final of this year's Senior Elite ABA Championships. The Navy Participated in four of the eleven bouts contested and all bouts were against strong opponents. The results were as follows;

51kg LPT Gareth Smith (BRNC) V Charlie Hoy (Repton)

Smudge got off to a cagey start against the accomplished (ex-England junior) Repton boxer. Both boxers threw plenty of shots in the first round but few landed due to the strong defensive skills from both boxers. Starting more offensively in the second round Smudge landed more shots in the early part but appeared to tire in the latter, allowing Hoy back into the fight. The final round saw Hoy's experience shining through as he beat Smudge to the punch. Despite a spirited effort which saw a crowd pleasing bout, Hoy was crowned the unanimous winner.

71kg ETWE Mark Flowers V Tom Baker (West Ham)

Mark started the bout well picking his shots against last year's finalist and England International. As Mark started to edge his way in against the taller opponent he threw a long range left hook followed by a devastating right hand which dropped his opponent to the floor only for him to get up on the count of eight. Mark continued to catch his opponent at will until he was saved by the bell. The next two rounds were a lot closer however, with Mark looking for the big shot and allowing himself to get caught too frequently and in the end he lost the bout on a majority decision.

81kg MNE Greg Welling V Kirk Garvey

Greg was always going to be up against it boxing the Three Nations senior champion and junior world medallist. Greg set off to unsettle the experienced boxer trying to get him out of his rhythm and try and let his shots go. The bout continued at a ferocious pace however Garvey ended up landing the cleaner shots, and was given the win on a unanimous decision.

86kg LPT Paul Ormston V Deion Jumah

Paul again was up against last year's finalist and England international. This bout was always going to be a bit of a cat and mouse affair with Paul being the more skilful against the powerful Jumah. Paul got off to a good start moving well and picking his opponent of at ease however the longer the bout went on the closer Jumah got to catching Paul with a big shot and coming to the end of the second round that is just what he did forcing Paul to take a standing count, the referee halted the bout (in my opinion prematurely) and declared Jumah the winner.

48kg C Edwards Lynn walkover

‎51kg C Hoy Repton V LPT Gareth Smith Navy - Unanimous

‎54kg P Holland Gator V SPR A Whitfield Army Whitfield - Unanimous

‎57kg C Iaonnou Bodyshots V CPL J Allen Army - Unanimous

‎60 kg B Beadon Repton V LCPL S Dick - RSC3

‎63.5 kg L Adolphe Earlsfield V LCPL M Stead Army - Majority

‎67kg N Thompson Finchley V LCPL S Turner - Unanimous

‎71kg T Baker West Ham V ETWE M Flowers Navy - Majority

‎75kg F Buglioni Repton V LCPL D passarelli Army - RSC2

‎81kg K Garvey Earlsfield V Mne G Welling Navy Garvey - Unanimous

‎86kg D Jumah Dale youth V LPT P Ormston Navy Jumah - RSC2

‎91kg B llyemi Finchley V Rfn E Izonreti Army - Unanimous

91+kg A Joshua Finchley walkover

A total of 280 guests took the opportunity to attend the inaugural RN East v RN West Charity Boxing Show, held within HMS Raleigh's gymnasium.

RN East were the overall winners of the contest by five bouts to four. The event consisted of three two minute rounds with three points awarded to the winner and one to the loser.

A total of 280 guests took the opportunity to attend the inaugural RN East v RN West Charity Boxing Show, held within HMS Raleigh's gymnasium.

RN East were the overall winners of the contest by five bouts to four. The event consisted of three two minute rounds with three points awarded to the winner and one to the loser.

Able Rates (ABs) Martin 'Oscar' Wilde, John Norton and Oluwaseyi DaDa, who are all undergoing their specialist training at HMS Raleigh were part of the RN West team.

Norton won in the first round after the referee stopped the contest. DaDa was also victorious, winning the boxer of the night in a closely contested bout with Leading Physical Trainer Scot Jackson, who is currently serving on the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland. The display of sheer stubborn effort by both boys, with neither boxer giving ground; had the crowd on their feet applauding for many minutes afterwards.

AB Wilde lost narrowly on points over three rounds in a tremendous battle of skill and fitness with AB Rob O’Donnell from HMS Drake. The bout ebbed and flowed as each boxer attempted to outwit his opponent. In another courageous battle Corporal Pusser Hill based at the Royal Marines' Commando Training Centre came out the winner on points to Marine Mick Binstead, a member of the Royal Navy team who is currently based at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth.

All competitors were professional throughout, and very sportsman like in losing. The effort and will to win was an active display of fighting spirit, one of the Naval core values.

WO1 Dale Randle, HMS Raleigh's PT Officer, said: 'After a 15 year absence to re-introduce the noble of art of boxing back to Raleigh in such explosive manner, was the PT Department's intention. The bouts were so evenly matched that all the boxing produced fine displays of skill, fitness, courage and determination. The tremendous amount of commitment and resolve exhibited by the boxing, was fully appreciated by the large amount of spectators.

The event raised around £3000 for RN Charities. Able Rates (ABs) Martin 'Oscar' Wilde, John Norton and Oluwaseyi DaDa, who are all undergoing their specialist training at HMS Raleigh were part of the RN West team. Norton won in the first round after the referee stopped the contest. DaDa was also victorious, winning the boxer of the night in a closely contested bout with Leading Physical Trainer Scot Jackson, who is currently serving on the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland. The display of sheer stubborn effort by both boys, with neither boxer giving ground; had the crowd on their feet applauding for many minutes afterwards. AB Wilde lost narrowly on points over three rounds in a tremendous battle of skill and fitness with AB Rob O’Donnell from HMS Drake. The bout ebbed and flowed as each boxer attempted to outwit his opponent. In another courageous battle Corporal Pusser Hill based at the Royal Marines' Commando Training Centre came out the winner on points to Marine Mick Binstead, a member of the Royal Navy team who is currently based at HMS Nelson in Portsmouth. All competitors were professional throughout, and very sportsman like in losing. The effort and will to win was an active display of fighting spirit, one of the Naval core values. WO1 Dale Randle, HMS Raleigh's PT Officer, said: 'After a 15 year absence to re-introduce the noble of art of boxing back to Raleigh in such explosive manner, was the PT Department's intention. The bouts were so evenly matched that all the boxing produced fine displays of skill, fitness, courage and determination. The tremendous amount of commitment and resolve exhibited by the boxing, was fully appreciated by the large amount of spectators. The event raised around £3000 for RN Charities.

HMS Neptune played host to this year’s RN(S) Vs RAF(S) Boxing Dinner Show on Thu 24 Mar 11. The event was held in the WO, SR & SNCO Mess with 180 personnel purchasing tickets to the event. All guests were welcomed with a champagne reception.

Everybody eagerly awaited the evening’s proceedings and once the bugle call to dinner was sounded the guests were escorted to their tables. This was followed by a four course meal, accompanied by red and white wine, and a bottle of port to be enjoyed with the cheese board all of which was greatly received. The show was finally on its way and as the wine and food was enjoyed by all, everybody anticipated a great evening of boxing.

The event started with the introduction of the WBO Super Feather Weight Champion of the World, Ricky Burns, who just happens to originate from Glasgow and kindly agreed to attend tonight’s show accompanied by his WBO belt!. Ricky’s presence at the boxing show was warmly appreciated by all with a rapturous applause by every single person in the room especially for his recent defence of his Super Feather Weight title which had taken place only two weeks previously. Ricky did not have time to sip his diet coke due to the amount of people wanting photographs and autographs but full credit to him, he showed a lot of time and patience for both military & civilian personnel and nobody was left disappointed.

There were a total of nine bouts, all of which were three two minute rounds, six of these were competition bouts and the other three bouts were ‘specials’. The three special bouts were contested by RN(S) boxers and a local civilian boxing club, Hill Park. One bout that stood out from the rest was bout eight between Lt Shaun Phelan (HMS Vanguard) and CPO Lee Reay (HMS Ambush). Reay had been training with Lt Jason McEvoy down in Barrow, whilst Phelan had only managed to train for 3 weeks prior to the show at HMS Neptune with LPT Dan Kerr. The bout went all the way to the wire with both boxers displaying outstanding fitness, power, determination and grit, all magnificent attributes of today’s Serviceman. In the end Phelan proved too strong for Reay resulting in a unanimous decision in his favour.

Every bout was fiercely contested with some excellent boxing being produced by both Services. 3-2 up with only one scoring bout to go, RN(S) thought they had clinched victory in the final bout with CPO Thorne (HMS Ambush) showing excellent technique, but unfortunately for RN(S) the call went the RAF’s way after a split decision by the judges. This meant the trophy being shared by both teams with the final result being RN(S) 3-3 RAF(S).

To round off the boxing, both squads, including coaches, were invited into the ring to receive their much deserved final applause from all spectators, with both coaches, LPT Dan Kerr (RN) and FO Andy Parker (RAF) invited to jointly receive the trophy awarded by Capt M Tarr OBE. The trophy for the outstanding boxer of the night was presented by Ricky Burns to the unanimous winner, SAC Brason.

The night concluded with a raffle and auction with all prizes being generously donated by various businesses and individuals, which included VIP hospitality tickets at Bolton Wanderers FC, signed Ricky Burn’s Boxing Gloves and a signed Birmingham FC shirt from this year’s Carling Cup Winners. This all contributed to an overall total of £4599 being raised which will be generously donated to the RNRM Charity, Help for Heroes and local charities. Every single person who attended the show contributed in some way to helping amass this vast sum of money for which the organisers were extremely grateful.

It took a huge team effort from POPT Mickey Preston and the rest of the HMS Neptune PT Staff to organise the event, but this would not have been possible without the support and help from numerous personnel from around the Naval Base and from afar, all of who contributed immensely towards the outstanding success of the evening.

The Army retained the CSBA team trophy for the 28th year running. A fine showing for the RN, with a bit more luck the Dark Blue could have brought the Championship Trophy back to Portsmouth. The level that our boys competed and acquitted themselves bodes well for the future of RN Boxing. The RN Coach and assistants had prepared, and got the boxers conditioned to compete at this high standard, the nights efforts proved that with timeless work and dedication we can compete with the best in the UK. The team displayed an abundance of the RN core values, in this gritty demonstration that drew plaudits from afar. The boxers, coaches, officials and spectators were a credit to the RN, well done to all.

Team points as follows:
ARMY 9

RN 4

RAF 0


Also, I would like to congratulate Lt Lucy O’Connor RN for being rewarded for her many years of dedication to female boxing within the Service and the UK; with being given the honour of receiving the Combined Service Sportswomen of the year award. Well done and very well deserved.

The National Novice Championships took place at Elmbridges 'The Venue' on Sunday 23rd Jan. The finalist from the RN was AB Glen Coe from HMS Ark Royal. The bout itself got off to a fast start with both boxers trying to dominate from the off, the bout continued like this throughout with the final decision going against us on this occasion. AB Coe has came a long way since joining the RN Team and only having his first bout ever in the RN Cup last February. The other results are as follows Class A Pte Khan (27 Regt RLC) 54Kg NATIONAL CHAMPION AB Coe (Royal Navy) 57Kg NATIONAL FINALIST LCpl Mansfield (1 PWRR) 86Kg NATIONAL CHAMPION Class B Pte Willams (2 Royal Welsh) 54Kg NATIONAL CHAMPION SAC Watson (RAF) 71Kg NATIONAL CHAMPION

HMS Lancaster has become the first Royal Navy unit to complete the non contact boxing tutor awards. In all, 20 personnel have completed the Prelimary, Standard and Bronze awards.

Completing the awards in the Gulf was a battle in it’s self with lesson’s having to be cancelled due to boarding stations and clearing off the upper deck just as the lesson was getting started.

The team battled through and progressed to complete the bronze award before getting alongside in Dubai. LPT Daz Hoare said you should see them now they move so well and throw there punches with perfection. All 20 of the personnel taking part passed with flying colours.

CO Rory Bryan added they have shown a lot of dedication completing the courses and are looking very sharp.

LPT Daz Hoare said he hopes the team move onto the contact side of the awards when they get back to the UK and hopes some more coaches get qualified to take the awards so to help recruit more raw talent in and around the Royal Navy. It’s a great way to start and people who would have never put on a pair of gloves enjoy it so much they want to continue. We have a few in the group that want to go that one step further and actually go to a boxing club now and this will certainly improve the chances of RN boxing.

If as a team we can do it while on operations in the Gulf anyone can do it. For people out in Gibraltar look out for these awards happening as Daz is off there next.

HMS Lancaster better known as the Red Rose or should that now be The fighting Red Rose, are currently on operations in the Gulf. LPT Daz Hoare onboard is the Leading Physical Trainer, an ex boxer and qualified ABA boxing coach and Tutor.

In September last year Clubz as he is known was in contact with Q Shillingford to try and get the Non-Contact awards started onboard whilst deployed.

We had around 25-30 personnel come forward and were interested. With this clubz got to work and ordered there Non-Contact books. The ship sailed for the Gulf in October 2009. After transiting the Suez cannel and with warmer weather, lessons started during the lunch periods.
The first award started and completed was the prelimery award with some great results all personnel passing with flying colours. The awards have identified new people who would have never put on a pair of gloves in there lives. Some are taking part to keep fit, some to learn about boxing I have some that are so interested in boxing now they want to keep it going and want to go to a boxing club this they will do when they have completed all 3 non-contact awards and move onto the 3 contact awards.
I have a couple that I am so impressed with who have never boxed before that I am taking for extra pad work and have told them to get to there nearest boxing gym as they have some great potential and this is what part of these awards are about delivering at a grassroots level and identifying people with that kind of potential. On board the ship we have a mixed range of people taking part in the awards from the young AB upto the PO/CPO sea dogs and even a female officer of the watch who is extremely talented.

The ships Captain, CDR Bryan, was amazed by how much the team have come on when at the beginning it looked like they had two left feet but now they slide around and float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. The XO Lt Cdr Hammond was also surprised by how much they had advanced.

The team are currently coming to there assessment in the Standard award with just the Bronze left to do. Clubz said the awards will all be completed by the time I leave in Feb 2010. From here when the ship returns to the UK people who have taken part can then move onto the contact side. The awards are really good and get all kinds of people involved they learn the moves, health and fitness with diet all included. The Amateur Boxing Association are right behind the awards, and the awards also earn you accreditation points in the GSCE in boxing.

Clubz said I hope they continue with the three other awards and we get some other tutors in other ships and establishments I am moving to Gibraltar where I will be looking to get the awards started and take a group through all 6 with a boxing club available. Like Q says don’t think you can know you can.


D M HOARE
Leading Physical Trainer
HMS LANCASTER

A change of venue this year saw HMS DRAKE play host to the Navy Novice Boxing Championships 2009. A packed entry from the Royal Marines, Portsmouth and Plymouth Commands promised a compelling competition. Boxers battled it out in the preliminary stages of the Championships, some facing both quarter and semi-final qualifiers; the finals, however, saw 10 contested bouts for a thoroughly engaging evening of military boxing.

Full Final Results:

Two Royal Navy middleweights, AB Andy Neylon and Mne Corin Daly, travelled to Birmingham to pit their skills against local favourites Connelly (Studio ABC) and Hodgkiss (OZ Box) at Kings Norton Ex-Servicemen’s Club.

HMS Raleigh’s boxing squad are hoping to make it a hat-trick of titles when they compete in this year’s Plymouth Area and Naval Air Command Boxing Championships at HMS Drake.

The competition starts today (Tuesday 6 October) with the preliminary rounds and the semi-finals, while the finals will take place on Thursday in front of a packed audience.

HMS Raleigh have been the overall team champions for the last two years and this year’s squad are hoping to emulate the previous successes.

The squad is made up of phase two trainees from Ceres and Mckenzie Divisions.  They will be competing against boxers from HM Ships Bulwark, Ocean and Sutherland along with fighters from RNAS Culdrose and HMS Drake.  Head coach is LPT Donna Humphries, who took up boxing in 2007.  She will be among the taking to the ring and is due to face a boxer from HMS Ocean.   

LPT Humphries said:  “The squad have been training since June.  They were all novices to begin with, but they’ve come along great and we expect to do well.  This is the first time I have been the head coach and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Last month the squad took the chance to get some extra tips during a training session with Steve Penberthy, the Royal Navy Boxing Development Officer, and one of his coaches, LPT Leon Taylor.

Mr Penberthy and LPT Taylor were visiting the establishment as part of HMS Raleigh’s Grass Roots Sports Coaching Programme, and also held an introductory session for phase two trainees. 

Coaches and officials from 39 Naval Sports Associations have been invited to enter the grass roots programme, which gives them the opportunity to gain exposure to talented individuals as they start out on their Naval careers.  As well as the mainstream sports, the programme has included fencing, archery and gaelic football.  VT Group has donated sports jerseys for individuals who show the most promise during each session.

HMS TEMERAIRE was the venue for a recent England Ladies Boxing Squad training weekend. Twenty five junior and senior female boxers, including RN representatives, arrived at the Establishment gates for a weekend of intense physical and skills training.

The boxers were accommodated within the Naval Service Sports Accommodation and the training camp took advantage of the facilities within HMS TEMERAIRE and HMS NELSON. The camp involved physical tests, conditioned and open sparring and technical training and was to be the selection for upcoming tournaments such as an England/Sweden/France tri-nations competition and junior and senior European Championships.

The weekend was jointly run by the England Coach Mick Gannon, Southern Counties Regional Coach Matt Bell and the Royal Navy Boxing coach POPT Stuart O’Connor. Of the weekend England coach Mick Gannon said that ‘we are grateful to the Royal Navy for allowing our use of their facilities – it was a hugely successful weekend with all coaches and boxers enjoying the unprecedented sports and accommodation facilities.’

Lieutenant Lucy O’Connor was in action again earlier this month at the European Union Championships in Bulgaria. Reining EU champion, the pressure was on the team captain to lead from the front and retain the title.Meeting last year’s finalist Gratzck (Poland) in the quarter finals the win tally stood at one all between the two boxers. O’Connor took the lead early with clear straight shots. Catching and hurting the Pole with a solid rear hand in the second round, the Officer capitalised on the advantage and increased the lead. Frustrated in the last round O’Connor boxed and moved and finished on a 9 – 3 win. In the semi-finals O’Connor met former World and European Champion Davide (Italy). A cagey fight eschewed, with both boxers keeping their distance. O’Connor struggled to find a way inside the Italians long reach and the bout ended 2-2 final score. Illustrating the tightness of the decision the countback was also tied leaving the final decision to the judges who saw the Italian ahead by 3 judges to 2. “My aim for this tournament was to reach the podium which I achieved, although I was disappointed not to retain my title. Realistically my focus this year is on the European Championships and to lose on a close decision to a former world and European Champion gives me confidence and a realistic shout for a medal in the Europeans” said O’Connor. Overall the England team had its best ever performance in Bulgaria with all five team members reaching the podium, including 3 gold medals, and winning team of the tournament.

The season commenced with HMS Nottingham V MWS Collingwood competing in the first Ship v Establishment tournament. The event was held at HMS Temeraire. The event was the first in its history, which saw HMS Nottingham running out 4-3 winners.

Portsmouth Naval Base had a clean sweep for the 2008/2009 season in which they won the Portsmouth Area Championships and RN Cup.
As soon as the Portsmouth Areas had finished I mustered my Area team every week at the RN Boxing Gym, a small team which consisted of only HMS Sultan and HMS Nelson boxers went forward to the Navy Novices and won. SHMSThis was due to a strong coaching team and a special mention must go to CPO(AWW), Scott CPO(AWT) Wilson, LPT Hinds AB Crawford and a dedicated and quality group of Novice Boxers.

As the Area coach I was delighted to win all 4 competitions and look forward to the new season.
Naval Base Champions 09 who have since been highlighted by RN Coach:

• AB Stocker Bantam weight
• AB Crabtree Featherweight
• LOG Kirby Middleweight
• AB Barton Lightweight
• POPT Sloan Light Heavyweight
• AB Brabin Cruiserweight

LPT K GREEN
Portsmouth Area Boxing Coach

Grass Roots Coaching will be held at HMS RALEIGH on the following dates: Wed 22 Jul, Wed 29 Jul and Wed 23 Sep 09.

We have a Boxing Club running every Tue and Thu evenings from 1700-1800 to prepare for the Plymouth Area and Naval Air Novice Boxing Championships 2009 in October.

We run regular Boxercise classes and Specific Boxing Circuits for Phase 2 and Phase 3 personnel, complying with PDev.

LPT Humphries
HMS RALEIGH GYMNASIUM

Continuing the storm of ladies boxing within the Royal Navy, Lieutenant Emma Garey made history by becoming the first female boxing referee in the Royal Navy.
She gained her referees license after being assessed by the Referees and Judges Commission of the Amateur Boxing Association of England, in Camberley near Sandhurst.
As well as the first referee in the Royal Navy, Emma is one of only five in the country to qualify to this standard.

She said, 'I've been involved with RN and Combined Services Boxing for just over 3 years but the opportunities to advance myself have been plentiful and have certainly proved to be very exciting. I've had the privilege to work under the tutorage of some real legends in the RN boxing community including Lt Cdr Micky Norford and WO Dale Randle; knowing that I'm the first female referee for the RN and following in their footsteps is pretty daunting but I'm looking forward to the forthcoming season.' We wish Emma the best of luck in her Refereeing career and who knows she may be another candidate for the 2012 Olympics in London.

This weekend saw the finals of the Women’s Amateur Boxing Association National Championships for 2009 in Gorton, Manchester. The Royal Navy, known for its strength in depth of female boxing, entered 7 boxers into the championships.
Success was seen in the early rounds of the competition as some boxers met their counterparts from the Army in the quarter finals. A clean sweep saw the RN bag 3 out of 3 wins to secure the places in the semi finals.
The crowned Combined Service Champions, Lt Cdr Sollitt (DLO Andover), AB Bowens (HMS Neptune) and AB Locke (HMS Bulwark) joined their colleagues in the semi finals but after three hard fought bouts lost on close points decisions to their civilian opponents, never the less securing well deserved bronze medals for the team.

This left four RN competitors in the finals; PO(ET) Teeling (HMS COLLINGWOOD), PO(ET) Palin (HMS Cornwall), AB Ingman (HMS Kent) and Lt O’Connor (HMS Temeraire).
PO(ET) Teeling participated at the novice class C category at 51kg and faced a former Dutch kickboxing Champion Shekira Lea (Waltham Forest ABC).
Despite limited boxing experience, her kickboxing past would prove to be a challenge for Teeling. Using her speed of shots and intelligent movement Teeling managed to fend of the stronger opponent for the first two rounds.
The kickboxing experience paid off in the last round however to secure a points victory, leaving the Navy boxer with a silver medal, nevertheless well deserved.

PO(ET) Palin faced Jodie Brierly (Chadd ABC) in the class B novice 75kg category. Towering over her opponent, Palin was forced to ride an initial rush from the smaller boxer; but managed to evade her early attacks.
Surprisingly Palin was down by a point after the first round so she set out positively in the second round picking off her opponent successfully as she charged forward.
Despite reversing the points deficit clearly in the second round disaster struck as Palin sustained an injury in the dying seconds of the round and was forced to retire. A proud performance saw Palin return with silver on this occasion.

At 46kg, the smallest of the RN contingent, AB Ingman won a bye through to the final. After a considerable training programme unfortunately Ingman’s only opponent pulled out leaving her with a walkover, but as she had not competed in the competition, no medal.
Unperturbed by this temporary disappointment, Ingman is a talented young boxer and one to watch for the future.

The last of the Navy’s competitors, Lt O’Connor was not unfamiliar with these circumstances as this was her fifth ABA Championship Final. Pitched against a strong opponent Hayley Webb (Met Police), O’Connor needed to win to secure her position in the International Squad and her British Ranking.
All the pressure was on the naval officer as she stepped into the ring to defend her title. It was a cagey start with feints and speed of shots from both boxers. The policewomen adopted a counter boxing style whilst the naval officer stalked her opponent around the ring.
The points were even after the first round and O’Connor knew she had to step up her game if she was to secure the win. Forcing her opponent to miss, O’Connor capitalised on the mistakes and scored her shots throughout the remaining rounds to secure a close but decisive points victory. “I thought it would be a close fight. Hayley is an awkward counter boxer and I couldn’t afford to make mistakes. I knew I had to be patient and pick my shots, thankfully I stuck to our game plan and it paid off” said O’Connor.

All the more impressive, this win makes it the forth consecutive ABA Championship Title for the Naval Officer and secures her ranking as number one female featherweight in Britain for the forth year running. With no let up in her competitive training programme, O’Connor is straight back into training for the EU Championships in Bulgaria at the end of June, to again defend her title, this time as EU Gold medallist.

All in all the RN Ladies Boxing Team returned from the ABA Championships with 1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, making them the most successful boxing team in the country.
RN coach POPT Stuart O’Connor was delighted with the girl’s performance, “All of the boxers performed brilliantly and I’m delighted with the results. We are seen by the boxing community as the leading lights in female boxing development and we have displayed today that we are technically capable, fit and dedicated to producing quality boxers; I’m thrilled.”

The Royal Navy Boxing Association was invited to participate at Worcester City Boxing Club’s annual boxing show. The venue, the impressive Worcester Warriors Rugby Union Stadium, played host to a formal dinner show during which boxers from around the Midlands battled it out in the ring.
Two representatives from the RN team, one male and one female flew the flag for the Senior Service.

After a number of junior bouts to warm the crowd’s spirits, AB(LOGs) Shemekar Bowen’s (HMS NEPTUNE) opened the evening of senior boxing. In the only female bout of the evening she faced Urch (Bowers ABC), a strong and aggressive boxer.
In only her second bout, Bowens began confidently popping out straight shots and keeping her opponent at range. Hardly succumbing to any scoring shots, Bowen’s led on points at the end of the first round.
As the bell sounded Urch stepped up a gear and forced Bowens on the back foot with good combinations and phases.
With some good trunk and foot movement Bowens stepped up to the challenge but the points were closer moving into the final round.
Knowing that she needed to make a statement to win over the home judges, Bowen’s began positively landing devastating back hands. Forcing her opponent onto the ropes she threw relentless phases and combinations, her opponent unable to answer with any scoring blows. At the final bell, Bowens was rightly victorious albeit on a majority decision.
An impressive display of boxing from two inexperienced boxers, their bout received a huge round of applause.

In the second RN bout, SAC Judd Allen (RNAS YEOVILTON) faced a tough challenge against experienced Dinwiddy (???ABC). Cautious in the opening round, Allen stood off his opponent and got caught by long, fast shots.
For the majority of the round it seemed that Allen was destined to be out boxed, but seconds from the bell he penetrated the tight defence and landed two harmful rear hands, buckling the legs of Dinwiddy and forcing him to hold until saved by the bell.
With a boost to his confidence, Allen began the second round positively, applying relentless pressure onto his less willing opponent.
Landing hurtful shots with his second and third phase attacks he should have forced several counts by the referee. Continuing in the same vein into the final round Allen’s busy combinations and phases rocked his opponent; unable to miss with the looping right hook he finally forcing two eight counts.
Clearly in command by the final bell, Allen was deservedly awarded a unanimous decision and a well earned victory. Showing incredible maturity for a novice boxer, he performed well above his experience and showed distinct potential to progress far within the boxing arena.

RN caretaker coach POPT Stu O’Connor was delighted with the performances, ‘our boxers gave a tremendous account of themselves. Both were tested by strong and experienced opponents and both stepped up to the mark; they thoroughly deserve to be proud of their victories.’

Royal Marine Super-heavyweight Joe Harvey was the sole representative to fly the RN Flag at the recent ABA quarter and semi-finals at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield. Despite having stepped up from heavyweight, he proved in the preliminary rounds of the competition that he could still pack a punch; stopping every one of his opponents within the distance.

The quarter final against Parsons (Milton Keynes ABC) was no exception. Weighing in over three stone heavier than Joe, the marine could not afford to be drawn into a brawl. Clever boxing in the first two rounds ensured that he racked up the points with single shots and speedy footwork. Parson’s was unable to cope with the marine’s speed of punch and movement and felt the toll in the final round.
Joe, sensing the fatigue of his opponent, upped his work rate, throwing devastating combinations and phases which saw the referee intervene and stop the bout for another victory by knockout.

With the reality of two bouts in two days there was very little time for celebration. Despite boxing his quarter final after midnight, he had to prepare for the semi final the following evening.
This time he faced Isla (Miguels), fresh after reaching the semi-finals by walkover. Lighter than his previous opponent, but towering over Joe at 6ft 8inches tall, the marine had to demonstrate his resourcefulness and ability to adapt.
A cagey fight in the early stages, Joe picked his shots and moved well, cleverly feinting his opponent and capitalising on his mistakes. Despite the reach dis-advantage, Joe maintained his early lead and entered the final round 10 points ahead. But with only 15 seconds of the bout remaining and streets ahead on points, Joe walked onto a wild left hook which knocked him to the canvas.
Whilst he made it to his feet well within the 8 count, he sustained a large cut below his nose which forced the referee to stop the contest.

Despite the disappointment, RN Boxing Coach Sgt Graham Alderson said that Joe had every reason to be proud of his performance; ‘he proved resourceful and adaptable, able to change his style to outwit a number of different opponents’.
He offered a boxing lesson to many spectators at the prestigious ABA championship and was a true ambassador for the Royal Navy Boxing Team. Despite this temporary disappointment there is no doubt that we have not heard the last of Royal Marine Joe Harvey whose career in the boxing world has only just begun.

Meanwhile the Royal Navy Boxing Team is preparing a number of female boxers for the forthcoming National Female Boxing Championships in June. In all 7 female boxers will represent the RN against civilian counterparts from the length and breadth of the country.
The team consists of a range of ranks and rates from Lieutenant Commander to Able Seaman and a range of experience from novice to international. The semi finals are due to take place on the 31 May and the finals on the 7 June both to be held at Cedar Mount High School, Manchester.

The military's outstanding sporting achievements took centre stage at the Combined Services Sports Awards which took place at the RAF Club in London on Thursday 19 March 2009.

The ceremony, which was attended by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, paid homage to the incredible sporting men and women throughout all three Services and their achievements throughout 2008.

Chairman of the Combined Services Sports Board, Major General C H Elliot CVO CBE, introduced the event, which was attended by military athletes from across the UK who had travelled especially to attend the awards.

The Sports Official Award was presented to Lieutenant Commander Micky Norford (Royal Navy) for his experience as a boxing referee. Throughout the year, Lt Cdr Norford refereed in eight international matches and European Championship Tournaments where his reputation as one of the most astute and professional officials on the European circuit is widely acknowledged. In 2007 he gained his world class referee's qualification placing him in the highest category in the country and qualifying him to officiate worldwide at any level of amateur boxing up to, and including, Olympic Games.

Lt Cdr Norford said: 'I was absolutely flabbergasted to start off with, I didn't expect it at all. It's really superb to be awarded this. You try and work it out, you think 'OK, Peter Reed's an olympian so he's bound to get Sportsman of the Year' but I didn't know anything about the other two nominees but they've obviously put a huge amount of effort into the sports that they do. 'I've already spoken to my wife and we know where we're going to put the award already. I'm so proud. Pleased as punch.'