LAUNCESTON’S boxers were out for their final contests of the 2018/2019 season on Saturday, June 15.

They made the long journey to Wiltshire to compete in a 12-bout line-up, hosted by Swindon Brunel ABC.

First up for Launceston was Alfie Rowland (12). This was a skills contest, which was held over three one-minute rounds, with a much taller opponent in Swindon’s Matthew Wootton (12).

From the opening bell, the Cornish boy opted to stay light on his feet and hold a high guard, using long-range shots to keep his opponent at a safe distance.

Throughout the contest, he was connecting with some good jabs and right-hand shots. It looked to be an evenly matched showcase of skills from both boxers, as Wootton also managed to find a few shots of his own, getting through Rowland’s guard. As this was a skills contest, both boxers hands were raised as winners.

Next up for Launceston was Evan Crabb (12), who was up against Swindon’s Frayson Fernandes (12).

Right from the start, the Swindon boxer opted to come out on the attack, but Evan adopted a no-nonsense approach, refusing to be pushed back.

The Launceston boxer connected with some fierce combinations, knocking his opponent’s head back.

Rounds two and three were much the same, with the Swindon boxer having a bit more success with his big, swinging over-hand rights, but this seemed to ‘fuel the fire’ for the Launceston boy, who connected with more shots to the head and body of his own.

At the end of the contest, the Launceston boxer was declared the winner by a unanimous points decision.

The third boxer to step into the ring for Launceston, was Josh Ball who was up against fellow 13-year-old Lewis Patey from Epsom.

From the first bell, Ball chose to use a fast-attack approach, connecting with some fast, long jabs and straight right hands to the head and body of his opponent, setting a fast pace.

Patey soon composed himself and came forward with some two-fisted attacks of his own, gaining some success.

Round two was much a copy of the first round with both boxers finding success with both hands.

Both boxers came out in round three on the attack, but the Epsom boxer appeared to find the more eye-catching shots against the tiring Ball. At the end of a fast-paced contest, Ball’s hand was raised the winner on a unanimous points decision.

The final Launceston boxer to step into the ring was Brandon Charnock (15), who was up against Swindon’s Alex Masters (15). This proved to be a very messy affair from the opening bell. Both boxers came out with a fast pace. Throughout the first round both boxers made it difficult for each other to connect with the target with their fast head movements and footwork. The Launceston boxer managed to connect with the more clear shots in the first round, finding success with his straight shots.

Going into the second round, both boxers continued to make it difficult for their opponent to connect clean on one another. The Swindon boxer found the target more, leaving it all to play for in the third round.

As per the previous two rounds, both boxers struggled to boss the other, resulting in both boxers continuously clinching. Unfortunately the referee deemed the Launceston boy to be more at fault and issued a warning. This resulted in two points being added to the Swindon boxer’s score and proved to be the deciding factor in what was a very closely scored contest.

The Swindon boxer’s hand was raised as the winner with a majority points decision.

Head coach Des Charnock said: “Irrespective of the results, all the boxers did the club proud, with each and every one of them, giving everything they had against very tough opposition.

“This concludes a very strong and successful season for the club, with the Launceston boxers competing in 60 contests across the country, boasting four national titles, two Box Cup gold medals plus a silver medal and an international gold medal in Barcelona against Spain.

“The new season will start in October, which will see more athletes from the Launceston community daring to take that step through the ropes, into the boxing ring.”