The National Smelting Co Amateur Boxing Club

        Lewis Bremner Wells ABC v NSC’s Josh Connolly (Gary Bray / UNiCOM Systems) 

       All Pictures Courtesy of Pete Tiley / Titan Images & Gary Bray / UNiCOM Systems

The National Smelting Co Amateur Boxing Club (NSC ABC) known as the ‘Smelters’ held their first show of the new boxing season on Thursday the 16^th of Oct at a packed out Pill Memorial Club. Informed Smelters head coach Garry Cave. “It’s the first time we’ve held a show at the Pill Club and I was keeping my fingers crossed everything would go OK. Pill’s Richard Allen was a massive help in putting this on, he found sponsors for the show and every bout and sold over one hundred tickets for us. It was a pleasure to put this show on with him and the club and I hope we can put on a couple more for them this season. We had 10 bouts on the night from a programmed 13, losing three due to differing weights, it happens with juniors they’re only allowed to give 2kg difference and if you have one a bit heavy and the other a bit light it soon becomes 3kg. We still got a good bill of 10 bouts that filled the evening with some classy boxing and a couple of right tear ups also!”

Opening  the show was a couple of local lads boxing in their debut bouts which saw James Shackell NSC matched against Sam Brake of Kingswood ABC in a non decision skills bout. Informed Cave “Skills bouts are a great way of introducing young boxers to competing in front of a crowd but without the pressure of having to win, it really brings them on. Both lads boxed well and showed good sportsmanship”

James Shackell NSC V Sam Brake KINGSWOOD

Also making his debut was 12 year old Korey “The Cobra” Robertson pitied against three bout Jac Ball from CHURCH PLACE in Wales. Said cave “In the first round the young Welsh lad come flying out his corner, but The Cobra just kept his cool before striking back hard in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds with composed boxing and by the end of the 3^rd Robertson was out boxing a very tired Jac Ball.” Robertson won unanimous and the first win of the night for the host club.

Korey “The Cobra” Robertson with a venomous attack!

 Third on the bill was the unidentical twin brother of James, Dan Shackell boxing against Ryan Gozzolino of Kingswood ABC again in a skills bout. Said Cave “It was good to get both brothers out in their debuts on the same night, they’re both a couple of good young prospects with potential”. Bout number five was the next bout to feature an NSC boxer with 12 year old Jake ‘Monster’ Musgrove in an all action ding dong with local Nailsea boxer Jake Smith boxing for MYCON ABC. Said Cave “They boxed at the end of last season with the Monster just edging a win, so we knew Jake had a real job on his hands”. Smith had the first round pilling in the combination punches, whilst the well supported Musgrove was forced to cover up and hope Smith would blow himself out. The 2^nd and 3rd saw the Monster coming on stronger and stronger landing some really eye catching over the top right handers. It was nervous in the hall waiting on the judge’s verdict, but Musgrove had again just done enough to clinch the victory by a majority verdict. Making it two wins out of two for the Smelters.

Bout six and Patchway Schoolboy Tyler ‘Tiger’ Davies (Western Counties Champ) was next up boxing the experienced and classy counter puncher Chris Adaway all the way from Plymouth boxing out of the Mayflower club. Said Cave “ A massive thanks to Mayflower, we lost Tyler’s original opponent only a couple of days before the show and we were really struggling to find him somebody else. I thought the Tiger was in a bit of a boxing lesson as Chris is a very quick footed counterpuncher with a few more bouts under his belt than Ty. But the Tiger just roared to victory with some clever boxing of his own, winning a maj pts” and a hat trick for the Smelters stable. Southmead’s 14 year old Josh ‘Cannonball’ Connolly (Western Counties Champ 2007  was next to box versus the very strong pressure fighter in Lewis Bremner of Wells ABC.  Said Cave “Josh had a bit of bad luck last season he lost in the Western Counties final, we quietly hoped he’d at least make the ABA finals after making it to the semis the year before, injury sidelined him for a lot of the season also, we were all hoping he’d get in a good performance after all the hard work he’s put in pre season training and he didn’t disappoint” From the opening bell Connolly and Bremner wasted no time setting about each other like a couple of little Mexican pros. But after each heated exchange of body and head punching combinations it was Connolly that was coming of best. Wining a hard fought unanimous pts decision. Said Cave “Josh worked really hard in the gym for that bout and his efforts have paid off”

Bremner and Connolly go at it hammer and tongs.

(Gary Bray / UNiCOM Systems)

Stable mate and sparring partner Tom ‘Tucker’ Connors was tasked with keeping the Smelters winning streak, boxing old foe Tyler Fox also from the Wells club. Cave said” Tucker really is a class boxer winning the Western Counties title last year and wining seven from 8 bouts last season, he doesn’t lose many. The bout was all action affair with both lads giving everything they had. Fox was a bit banged up after with a very bad nose bleed also. After three very hard and closely fought rounds the judges went for Tyler Fox on a majority. Said Cave “I thought we might get the nod but it’s one a piece now and sets it up nicely for a trilogy and a decider. You can’t win em all, Tom will be back fitter and stronger next time and try even harder to convince the judges”. But full respect to Tyler he came to win and pulled it off”

Tucker hunting down the Fox!

Hoping to get the Smelters back to winning ways was 16 year old first timer Adam Scott again boxing a Wells boxer in Alfie Warren. He was more than up to the task and put on a master class halting Warren in the 2^nd with a barrage of unanswered punches.

Topping the bill was senior light heavy Southmeads Joe Ross boxing late in the day replacement Richard Cane of Kingsteignton & N A ABC. Said Cave “ A massive thanks to Kingsteignton for travelling all that way at short notice and a midweek night without that kind of support we’d struggle to put shows on” After three gruelling rounds Cane was rightly awarded a unanimous decision.

The Smelters host a bigger show at The Patchway Sports Centre, Hempton Lane on Thursday the 20^th of November, where they plan to have a 15 bout bill featuring more of the clubs senior boxers.

Results:-

James Shackell NSC V Sam Brake KINGSWOOD Skills
K. Robertson NSC WON PTS V Jac Ball CHURCH PLACE
Daniel Shackell NSC V Ryan Gozzolino KINGSWOOD Skills
Charlie Cooper SYDENHAM Lost V Rhys Jones CHURCH PLACE
Jake Musgrove NSC WON PTS V Jake Smith MYCON
Tyler Davies NSC WON PTS V Chris Adaway MAYFLOWER
Josh Connolly NSC WON PTS V Lewis Bremner WELLS
Tom Connors NSC LOST PTS V Tyler Fox WELLS
Adam Scott NSC WON RSC 2 V Alfie _ WELLS
Joe Ross NSC LOST PTS V Richard Cane Kingsteignton & N A

Amateur Boxing Tournament
Promoted by
The National Smelting Company
Amateur Boxing Club
(Under ABAe Rules)
Sponsored by
Bristol Port Company
Thursday 16TH Oct 2008
Pill Memorial Club
Official In Charge: Ian Lindsey
Referees: Ken Brain, Ian Lindsey
Judges: Steve Forrester, Allan
Holder, Joanne Turner
Timekeeper: W. Pike
Recorder: Jen Brain
MOA: M. Parsons
Medical Officer: Dr Dan Brett
Club President: Charlotte Lesley
Club Chairman: John McCahon
Club Vice Chairman: John Mathews
MC: Steve Kenyon
Club Treasurer & Secretary: Becky Cave
Chief Whip: Peter Guest
Club Coaches: Garry Cave, Lee Cummings, Sam Mogg & Jake Whiteside.