Crumlin BC take their share at Championship Finals

CRUMLIN Boxing Club saw all three of their Boy Championship finalists take the last step on the road to their respective honours last weekend.

Thomas McDonnell, competing at Boy Three 86kg, weathered a strong comeback by Clane’s Nojas Ivanauskas, to earn a unanimous decision in his decider.

The Crumlin man used his superior reach to good effect, catching Ivanauskas in the dying seconds of the first round and forcing him to take a standing count.

Yet the Kildare lad worked his way back, trying to get in on the inside and inflict some damage, but McDonnell continued to pick him off with the clearer shots.

In the Boy One 62kg final, Evan Farrelly, also enjoyed a reach advantage in his clash with Limerik’s John Mongon of Our Lady’s and chalked up a 4-1 triumph.

The win was little more than he deserved according to Crumlin coach Bra Brady who said “He [Farrelly] is very disciplined. He trains hard and he had great support on the night”

Terry Maughan, another of Crumlin’s Boy One contingent, raised the 40kg title after he took all five of the judges’ decisions in his clash with Mourne All Blacks’ Caolan Smith.

“Terry has a great engine on him and he just wore his opponent down” remarked Brady.

“He’s a southpaw and kept catching his opponent with the backhand” he added.

Maughan won his place in the final following a 4-1 victory over David Geoghan of Olympic Mullingar in the penultimate rounds.

Crumlin felt they should have had a fourth competitor in the finals, but Patrick Maughan was beaten on a split decision by eventual champion Ben Cooke of Maydown when they came up against each other in the semis.

Crumlin will now be turning their attention to next week’s Girls All-Ireland Championships in which they will have two weighing in – Jessica McKay (Girl Two 61kg) and Shelby Myers (Girl Three 51kg).