Chichester boxing girls chosen for southern sessions

Holly Heffron, Charlotte Taylor and Joh Wilton took part in the session alongside 27 other female boxers of varying ages.

The sessions give female boxers across the south a chance to progress to a higher level of participation while also preparing them for competiton at a higher level.

St Gerards coach Gareth Ferguson was pleased three of his members were selected for the event and said: “It was a fantastic success and there is another planned in January.

“All three of our girls did the club proud and were particularly good during the sparring sessions. Not one of the girls has had a competitive bout yet but with the training they are putting in, we are hoping to find an appropriate for all in the near future.”

Manwhile, St Gerards’ Greg Ball enjoyed a successful debut for St Gerards Boxing Club as he secured a points victory against Harvey Divall of Horsham.

Ball, 14, looked nervous in his opening round in the ring but calmed down in the second and third to record his maiden success.

The fight was one of 20 on the night and in the opening round, a flurry of punches were thrown by both boxers with very few failing to land.

However, after being given some advice in the round interval by coach Jon Mills, Ball improved and began hitting Divall with some tidy combinations.

The third and final round was when the youngster really performed and that showed in the judges’ scoring as he went on to record his first win.

St Gerards coach Mills was delighted for Ball and said: “We knew it was going to be a little more difficult for him with the very partisan crowd at Horsham, but we settled him down in the changing room before with a cracking pad workout so he was buzzing to box.

“Both fighters exchanged a flurry of shots in the opening round and looked nervy. But Greg stepped up a gear in the third round, kept to the centre of the ring and got a really good win.

“He really deserved it as it wasn’t an easy win – he had to work hard for it and the club are very proud.”

The club also LEWIS MASON