Page 30 - Mercian Eagle 2013

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1 MERCIAN Boxing Squad
1 MERCIAN had two chances in a relatively short space of time to test their ability in
the ring against an experienced and well respected 1 SCOTS boxing team. Travelling up to Edinburgh the 1 MERCIAN boxing team, coached by Sgt Howard and Sgt Done, were as ready as they could be and eager to get on and do the job. The fights were in front of a packed crowd, the noise was at times deafening. Both the home and away supporters did their best to cheer on the competitors and
the 1 SCOTS pipers were on hand to help with the grand entrance into Greghorn Barracks.
Pte Beech (A Coy)
fought very well but was
unable get 1 MERCIAN
off to a winning start and
lost on points in a close,
hard fought fight. With
both fighters landing
some good shots, many
onlookers thought that the decision could have gone either way but it was the home fighter that walked away with the decision. Next up was Cpl Griffiths (C Coy), who faced a tough task in taking on the current British Army Individual Champion in his bout. Without even a hint of nerves, Cpl Griffiths came out very strong and very quickly to stun his rival. Cpl Griffiths kept his opponent on the back foot for the majority of the fight showing great stamina and came away with a very convincing points win. This was a remarkable achievement for an individual who had only recently taken up the sport.
Following on, Pte Hassell (Sp Coy) had the chance to take the overall lead, but standing in his way was the Captain of the
1 SCOTS Team. Pte Hassell got off strongly in the first round and showed his power, landing some big punches which forced the referee to step in and give his foe a standing count. Pte Hassell continued to build on his good start and came away with a strong victory. Pte Mitchell (B Coy) performed very well in his exhibition fight and had both arms
raised at the end of a hard fought exhibition bout.
Cpl Roberts (B Coy) had the task of taking the victory for the 1 Mercian Team to try and prevent 1 SCOTS from earning a draw. In a scrappy but hard fought first two rounds it looked like 1 SCOTS may have earned
themselves the draw but Cpl Roberts stepped up in the final round with a number of big, fast punches to take the bout and give 1 MERCIAN a 3-1 win. Cpl Griffiths was awarded ‘Boxer of the Night’.
Christmas provided the opportunity to invite the 1 SCOTS to Marne Barracks
to try and avenge their previous defeat. There was even more noise coming from the supporters of both sides with the expectation on 1 SCOTS to really come out flying.
Pte Lockett (C Coy) was first up but
lost the bout on points in a close fight. Pte Lockett had damaged his hand during
In a scrappy but hard fought first two rounds it looked like 1 SCOTS may have earned themselves the draw...
training, which almost forced him out of the competition completely. Showing real grit and determination he pulled himself through to make a fight of it but unfortunately could not take the win. Pte Domagalski (HQ Coy) dominated his bout and won on points. This fight was a firmly one sided affair with Pte Domagalski on top of almost every exchange. His hard work in training clearly paid off with a good win for 1 MERCIAN.
Pte Marriott (SP Coy) had a cagey 1st round which provided him with the wake up call. He pulled the score back in the remaining two rounds and took the victory on points. Pte Gretrex (B Coy) flew out hard and fast in the first round against a stunned 1 SCOTS Officer, punching very hard and very fast. He landed some huge left, right combinations which saw the Lieutenant come under massive pressure
THE MERCIAN EAGLE